Russia is “supporting” Serbia in its actions aimed at ending tensions in Kosovo, where shootings and explosions have taken place and where roadblocks have been set up, the Kremlin said on Wednesday (December 28).
“We have very close allied, historical and spiritual ties with Serbia,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, adding that Russia “follows very closely what is happening (in Kosovo, ed.) and how the rights of Serbs ( y) be guaranteed”. “And of course we support Belgrade in its actions,” he stressed.
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According to Dmitry Peskov, “It goes without saying that Serbia defends the rights of Serbs living nearby in such difficult conditions and that it reacts harshly when their rights are violated”.
The statement comes as General Milan Mojsilovic, head of Serbia’s armies, was dispatched to the border with Kosovo by President Aleksandar Vucic on Sunday night and Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic announced that the country’s army was on heightened alert Monday night following recent tensions be Kosovo.
SEE ALSO – Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo: Serbian army on high alert
Germany condemns Serbia’s policies
The increase in the Serbian military presence on the border with Kosovo, which is plagued by tension, is a “very bad signal”, the federal government estimated on Wednesday and denounced the “nationalist rhetoric” of Belgrade.
“We are very concerned about these tensions in northern Kosovo, the illegal barricades erected by the Kosovo Serbs must be dismantled as soon as possible,” said Foreign Office spokesman Christofer Burger at a regular press conference.
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Serbia does not recognize the 2008 proclaimed independence of its former southern province, which is predominantly populated by Albanians. It encourages the 120,000 Serbs in Kosovo to challenge local authorities, while Pristina seeks to establish its sovereignty over the entire territory.
Several hundred Kosovo Serbs have set up roadblocks in northern Kosovo since December 10 to protest the arrest of a former Serbian police officer, which has paralyzed traffic at two border crossings with Serbia.
In early November, hundreds of Serb police officers integrated into Kosovo’s police force, as well as judges, prosecutors and other officials, left their posts en masse in protest at a decision the Pristina government has now suspended to ban the life of Serbs in Kosovo to use number plates issued by Serbia.