Russia on a hunt to destabilize Kosovo through Serbia

Russia on a hunt to destabilize Kosovo through Serbia

Two days after the signing of three agreements between six countries of the Western Balkans, at the Berlin Summit, for the mutual recognition of identity cards, university degrees and professional qualifications, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, decided to generate a new crisis. By using his puppets in north Mitrovica to implement the Russian plan for destabilizing Kosova. The situation began when the regional police director, in the north of Mitrovica, from Serb community, refused to implement the decision of the Government of Kosova for reprimanding persons who have not yet converted Serbian license plates to those of the Republic of Kosova.

Two days after the signing of three agreements between six countries of the Western Balkans, at the Berlin Summit, for the mutual recognition of identity cards, university degrees and professional qualifications, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vucic, decided to generate a new crisis. By using his puppets in north Mitrovica to implement the Russian plan for destabilizing Kosova. The situation began when the regional police director, in the north of Mitrovica, from Serb community, refused to implement the decision of the Government of Kosova for reprimanding persons who have not yet converted Serbian license plates to those of the Republic of Kosova.

Refusal to implement the responsibilities of the director of the police in the north, cost him suspension. Dissatisfied with the suspension of director, a day later, about ten police officers from the Serbian community took off their Kosova Police uniforms, but it did not end there. Since Saturday until now, hundreds of Serbian police officers who served in the Kosova Police have submitted their resignations, they were allegedly pushed, incited, threatened and blackmailed by the Serbian state to do such a thing. Next day, protests were organized by the representatives of the Srpska Lista, a parliamentary political entity which, two days after the resignation of the Serbian police officers, also handed over the mandate of deputy in the Kosova Assembly, making it known that they have decided to withdraw from all political and administrative institutions, such as the Assembly, the Government and the four municipalities in the North of Kosova, meanwhile, Serbian judges also left the courts, causing another suspension in communication between the two countries.

Few days before the mass resignations of Serbs from Kosova’s institutions took place, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic had prepared the ground with a fictitious incident, allegedly that Kosova had sent drones near the Serbian military bases on the border with Kosova, for espionage purposes. As a result, Vucic had declared that they had shot down the alleged drone and consequently the Serbian army was set on alert due to this event. It is not the first time that Serbian state used Serbian community living in Kosova to implement Russian objectives in the Balkans. Such cases have happened in the last two years very often, but this time Russia, through Vucic, has managed to cause destabilization by withdrawing the local Serbs from Kosova Institutions, in order to use them later as a means of blackmail against international community. The Serbian political representatives from ‘Srpska Lista’, once also the organizer of these events, owe Vucic for such services. They are paid large amounts of money by the Serbian state, regardless of the salaries they receive from the budget of Kosova.

The fact is that situation is currently quite tense, tenser since the declaration of independence of Kosova in 2008. According to EULEX intelligence reports, there are paramilitary groups in the north composed of Serbs and Russians who are waiting for a signal to start the conflict. This is believed to be the reason that Government of Kosova was requested from the USA to postpone for ten months the conversion of vehicle license plates deadline. The criminal bands operating in the north have threatened Serbian citizens of this region, who have now converted their vehicle license plates to those of the Republic of Kosova, setting fire to their cars and private properties. 

The mass resignations of Serbs from the Kosova institutions are not of a technical issue as reported. The problem is primarily political, issue of license plates is being used well by official Belgrade to implement the long-awaiting plan of Russia to ignite the conflict in Kosova and the region. All this situation is happening at the time when Serbia rejected the so called Franco-German plan, on the other hand, Kosova accepted it. Vucic seems to have decided not to obey to the West without creating an armed conflict. The decision of Serbs itself, to resign massively from the institutions of Kosova shows that they are directed by Vucic to fight against the state of Kosova by any means. Political entity “Srpska Lista” has never protected the interests of Serbian community in Kosova, but directly the interests of Serbian President, Aleksandar Vucic.

On the other hand, Kosova has the right to extend sovereignty over the entire territory of Kosova, but this should be done in full coordination with the international partners USA and EU. The Kosova side would have to respond to the US request to postpone the deadline for license plates in order not to fall prey to Vucic’s traps for destabilization, at a time when there is talk of a final agreement according to Franco-German plan.Seeing the situation as it is, the European Union and the USA must be convinced that Serbia has never given up on Milosevic’s policy, except that it is now being implemented by his former propaganda minister, Aleksandar Vucic. While the USA and the EU diplomats have called for prudence on both sides, condemning the recent actions of Serbia in the north of Kosova, talks with both sides must be intensified in order to avoid the conflict and as soon as possible to return the issue of the final agreement between Kosova and Serbia, before the destabilization spreads in Bosnia and not only. Any agreement between Kosova and Serbia that is not finalized with mutual recognition does not produce peace and stability in the Balkans.