UNMIK Media Observer, Morning Edition, June 26, 2023

Albanian Language Media:

Kurti: Amount of armament indicates size of the planned action (RTK)

Svecla: "Civil Defense" and "North Brigade" should be declared terrorist organizations (media)

KFOR and EULEX were present when the arsenal was found in north (Klan)

Svecla reacts to suspicion that officer published video of an arrested person (Kallxo)

Claims of mistreatment of arrested Serbs, EULEX: We’re monitoring 108 cases (Nacionale)

Lajcak lists EU demands for Kurti and Vucic (media)

Wigemark: Criminality in north concerning; no other long-term solution but dialogue (AP)

British MP criticizes West for “unfair approach” to the Kosovo-Serbia crisis (Klan)

Rama in Brussels in Brussels today, to meet Charles Michel (Albanian Post)

Abazovic: Turkey's mediating role, very important (Klan)

Congressman Torres: EU dialogue weaponized against Kosovo (euronews.al)

Mother and her young child died after Kosovo floods (media)

Serbian Language Media:

Vucic: Kurti does not want ZSO but war and conflict, weapons in Zvecan planted by Kosovo authorities (RTS, N1)

Petkovic about Zvecan case: Special units planted explosive in order to arrest Serbs, BIA informed foreign services (KoSSev)

Serbian List says Pristina constantly attempts to criminalize entire north (Kosovo Online, social media)

Petkovic: Nemanja Orlovic arrested in Mitrovica North on Friday without court order (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, media)

Belgrade liaison officer: Arrested Serbs brutally mistreated by Kosovo police (RTS, Novosti)

Memorial service on Saint Vitus Day to be served in Gracanica, instead of Gazimestan, because of security concerns (media, social media)

Bishop Teodosije met KFOR commander, expressed concerns over escalation of tensions (Radio kontakt plus, social media)

Rados Petrovic arrested in Zvecan released on bail (Kosovo Online, N1, media)

Serbian military chief: We demand KFOR’s immediate reaction to protect Serbs (N1, media)

International Media:

Police seize multiple weapons in northern Kosovo (TVP)

Serbia again threatens armed intervention in Kosovo as tension escalates (AP)

The race for Balkan influence amid Serbia-Kosovo tensions (Arab News)

Serb Official Accuses Kosovo Police Of 'Planting' Weapons In Restive North (RFE)

Kosovo PM wants to drag Serbia into open war with NATO: President (TRTWorld)

Kosovo Arrests Another Suspect for Attacks on KFOR (BIRN)

Serbia army chief urges NATO, international agencies to protect Kosovo Serbs (Reuters)

Serbian army commander urges NATO to increase protections to minority Serbs in Kosovo (Jurist)

NATO-led peacekeepers guard medieval monastery in Kosovo (Yahoo)

Serbia Threatens Military Intervention in Kosovo, Calls on NATO to Protect Serb Minority (Bloomberg)

Albanian Language Media

Kurti: Amount of armament indicates the size of planned action (RTK)

Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti, speaking about the seized weapons in the north, said on Sunday that the large amount of weaponry found indicates the scale of the planned action and the consequences prevented.

"The panorama of this terrorist organization is clear: cars with Belgrade license plates, property of the state railway company of Serbia; the weapons found were all produced in Serbia, including hand grenades produced in 2021, the same kind as used in the May 29, 2023 attack in Zvecan against KFOR soldiers; vests with inscriptions of Russian and Serbian units and the logo and identifying marks of the "Severna Brigada" organization, as well as explosive devices previously used by the illegal formation with criminal activities "Civil Defense". The large amount of weaponry found shows the magnitude of the planned action and the consequences prevented," Kurti wrote on Facebook.

"Serbia is clearly positioned for the escalation of the situation. In addition to the aggression that Serbia has undertaken against the Republic of Kosovo by kidnapping 3 officials of the Kosovo Police within our territory on June 14, 2023, it has taken the fight against the legal and constitutional order of the Republic of Kosovo one step further by organizing terrorist attacks.”

"I am grateful to KP and KIA for the work they are doing all this time in preserving legality and constitutionality and in preventing crime and terrorism in that part of the Republic of Kosovo", Kurti wrote further.

Svecla: "Civil Defense" and "North Brigade" should be declared terrorist organizations (media)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla accused Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic of attempting to destabilize Kosovo through, as he stated, criminal groups.

He said that he will request the government of Kosovo to designate the Civil Protection and the Northern Brigade as terrorist organizations, in order for the Kosovo authorities to more effectively combat them.

He claimed that Serbian community members who were arrested in Kosovo in recent weeks are “criminals who have been tolerated and granted amnesty in the past”.

During a press conference with journalists from Mitrovica South, Svecla stated that Kosovo will not back down against criminals. “The rule of law is a priority for us. We are acting according to the law. All these police actions and arrests being made demonstrate that we cannot retreat in the face of criminals, and we remain committed to resolving all attacks and safeguarding all citizens, without distinction,” he said.

Commenting on Kosovo’s operation in the north on June 23, where a vehicle with Belgrade license plates was confiscated along with weapons and explosive devices, Svecla stated that the Kosovo Police and the Kosovo Intelligence Agency prevented a terrorist attack.

On June 24, in another press conference, the head of the Office for Kosovo in the Serbian Government, Petar Petkovic claimed that the Kosovo authorities had “planted” the weapons found in northern Kosovo and that they had been confiscated in the past from Albanians and Serbs.

However, Svecla stated that some of the weapons found are from 2021, and not “leftover from the last war in Kosovo”. He called on the international community to condemn what he referred to as Serbia’s terrorist behavior towards Kosovo.

KFOR and EULEX were present when the arsenal was found in north (Klan)

Everything that was inside the car that was found a night before in Zvecan among the collective housing buildings, about 100 meters from the municipal facility, was shown on Saturday at the Belvedere police camp in Mitrovica.

It was also stated that the Kosovo Intelligence Agency did a great job, which stopped a terrorist attack in Kosovo.

"The vehicle was seized and the items found in the vehicle are as follows: 9 RPGs, 2 launchers, 2 osa, one mortar shell, 21 hand grenades, 20 trombone shells, 2 powder fillers, 10 long automatic weapons, a revolver, 1 weapon silencer, 51 magazines of long weapons, 5 magazines of short weapons, 5,756 cartridges of different calibers, 18 Molotov cocktails, and others, as well as the amount of narcotics", informed Gazmend Hoxha, the director of the police.

Most of the weapons, according to the investigation, were produced two years ago in Serbia.

KFOR together with EULEX were at the scene when the police found the fully armed vehicle owned by the public company "Railways of Serbia", while there were also quite a few emblems of criminal groups operating in the north of Kosovo.

It was announced that these were only a few of the weapons that entered Kosovo from Serbia these days. Other suspected smuggling vehicles are being investigated by security agencies.

Svecla reacts to suspicion that officer published video of an arrested person (Kallxo)

Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Affairs, said on Sunday that the case of a Kosovo Police officer recording a video of an arrested person was unacceptable and condemnable. Following the recommendation of the Kosovo Police Inspectorate, a police officer was suspended after being suspected of making an unauthorised video and suspected of publishing a video of Nenad Orlovic while he was arrested and at a police station. Svecla said that every arrested person has rights guaranteed by law and that for legal violations everyone is faced with justice. “However, recording an arrested person is absolutely unacceptable and condemnable according to all legal mechanisms. Therefore, without hesitation, yesterday I have invited the Kosovo Police Inspectorate to immediately start investigations about the case,” Svecla said.

The news website also notes that Kosovo Police arrested Orlovic on Friday under the suspicion that he was involved in an attack against KFOR members in Zvecan on May 29.

Claims of mistreatment of arrested Serbs, EULEX: We’re monitoring 108 cases (Nacionale)

The EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX) in a response to the news website on Sunday did not comment in detail about the condition of those arrested after the escalation in the north but said that it was monitoring 108 cases. “EULEX’s is monitoring 108 cases involving Kosovo Serbs, or possibly affecting inter-communal relations, including the cases you are referring to. This is in line with its mandate to carry out a robust monitoring of selected cases which cover the entire chain of criminal justice. In addition to these cases, EULEX’s justice monitors attended 1940 court sessions in 330 active criminal and civil cases from 15 June 2018 to 14 June 2023. This robust monitoring resulted in three public reports with findings and recommendations for the Kosovo authorities aimed at addressing the identified shortcomings and at improving the justice system, as well as three special reports,” the mission said.

Lajcak lists EU demands for Kurti and Vucic (media)

The European Union Special Representative Miroslav Lajcak, has brought details about the meetings in Brussels with the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti and the Serbian president, Aleksandar Vucic. In a post on Facebook where he told about his activities during the last week, he noted that on behalf of the European Union he presented to the two parties the three elements on which they should focus.

He said that first the de-escalation of the situation is needed, then new elections in the north and a return to the Ohrid Agreement.

Lajcak added that in the coming days they will stay in close contact with both parties, adding that they will closely follow the developments on the ground.

"I started this week with a visit to Washington DC, where I engaged in productive discussions with colleagues and officials on the situation in the Western Balkans and our joint EU-US efforts. It was very important to be in the US and compare notes with my interlocutors during this sensitive time. I met with Under Secretary of State Victoria Nuland and State Department Counsel Derek Chollet. We shared a common assessment of the situation in the north of Kosovo. We emphasized the importance of immediate de-escalation and return to EU-facilitated dialogue,” he said.

Wigemark: Criminality in north concerning; no other long-term solution but dialogue (AP)

Outgoing chief of the EU Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo (EULEX), Lars-Gunnar Wigemark, said that during his tenure in Kosovo, the main challenges were the filing of the indictment against the former leaders of the Kosovo Liberation Army, the tense situation in the northern municipalities, and the considerable presence of armed persons in the north.

He said that the situation in the north of Kosovo is fragile. “Criminality in the north is concerning. Rule of law institutions must continue to work hard in order for the criminal groups there not to use the security vacuum created after the resignation of Kosovo Serb police officers,” he said.

Asked about the latest incidents in the north, he said that “tensions on the ground are still high”. “Immediate de-escalation is needed, new elections in the north must be held as soon as possible and with the participation of the Kosovo Serbs. A long-term solution can be found only through the EU-facilitated dialogue between Pristina and Belgrade. This is crucial for Kosovo, Serbia, the region and the EU,” he said.

On the rule of law in Kosovo, Wigemark said he thinks there is still a lot of room for improvement. “We would also like to see more progress in the investigation and penal prosecution of certain cases of organised crime and high-level corruption,” he said.

British MP criticizes West for “unfair approach” to the Kosovo-Serbia crisis (Klan)

The British politician of the Conservative Party and the chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs in the House of Representatives, Alicia Kearns, expressed concern about the unfair approach of the West to the recent Kosovo-Serbia crisis.

In an exclusive interview in "Inside Albania" for the journalist Alice Taylor, Kearns clearly stated which party has caused the tensions observed in recent weeks.

"My concern is related to the balance of how, especially the U.S. and the EU, are reacting to the increased tensions in Kosovo. The truth is that, if we go back to what has led to this crisis, it is precisely Serbia's decision to interfere in the internal elections in Kosovo", she emphasized.

"What we have seen is the denigration and punishment of our democratic partner, Kosovo, while an increasingly autocratic country, Serbia, has been greeted with enthusiasm and there have been no consequences, despite the fact that they have arrested or kidnapped three Kosovo Police officials. The lack of will of countries and organizations like the EU to call the arrest illegal, to recognize that a kidnapping has taken place or to punish Serbia, is inexcusable," she said.

"Fundamentally, this is a failure of preventive diplomacy, and what we have seen over these last decades is a continued failure to stand up to those who support autocracy and do not engage meaningfully in international processes. Kosovo is our democratic partner, which agrees to be involved in sanctions and fully supports what the international community and the EU require when it comes to Ukraine. On the other hand, we have Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic who says that he has broken his hand and will have it for four years, so he cannot sign an agreement to clearly help calm the situation. We have Vucic who signed an agreement on foreign policy with Russia, many months after the illegal occupation of Ukraine,” she said.

Rama in Brussels in Brussels today, to meet Charles Michel (Albanian Post)

The news website notes that Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama will stay in Brussels today and meet with the President of the European Council, Charles Michel. The main topic of discussion will be the normalisation of relations between Pristina and Belgrade and the need for a meeting between Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic and Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Abazovic: Turkey's mediating role, very important (Klan)

Montenegro Prime Minister Dritan Abazovic said Turkey is a "key country" in the Western Balkans and said that the country's mediating role between Kosovo and Serbia was "very important". "President Erdogan is a leader who can convince the troubled parties in the Balkans to come to the table and find lasting solutions to the problems in the region," Abazovic said while attending a forum in Istanbul on Sunday.

"I think that Turkey's mediating role in the tension between Kosovo and Serbia is very important," he told reporters during the Youth Forum of Islamic Cooperation.

As a "superpower", Turkey maintains friendly relations with the whole world, Abazovic said, adding that all the steps that Turkey will take in global diplomacy are valid both for the countries of the region and for the Balkans.

Abazovic also said that Turkey has started to play an effective role in the Balkans as much as in the European Union and the USA.

"I hope that President Erdogan will be more involved in the problems in the Balkans. This is extremely important for ensuring peace and stability in the region," he said.

Congressman Torres: EU dialogue weaponized against Kosovo (euronews.al)

The EU-backed dialogue to normalize relations between Kosovo and Serbia has been weaponized and is being used as a sword to the detriment of Kosovo, rather than a shield to protect it from Serbia, U.S. Congressman for the Bronx told Euronews Albania.

Torres, a member of the Democratic Party, has been one of the few U.S. voices which has stood in support of Kosovo amid growing calls for Kosovo to de-escalate the situation in the north, under the threat of U.S. and EU sanctions.

Asked by Inside Albania moderator Alice Taylor whether the EU, counting five non-recognizers among its members, and with lead figures in the dialogue coming from non-recognizer countries, is fit to lead such a process, Torres was not convinced.

“Instead of operating as a shield that protects the independence of Kosovo, the dialogue has become a sword that Serbia weaponizes against Kosovo,” he said.

https://bit.ly/44ka9Ms

Mother and her young child died after Kosovo floods (media)

A woman and her 5-year-old son lost their lives as a result of Saturday's floods in Peja. Police informed that after the death of the 5-year-old, in the "Asllan Qeshme" neighborhood, his mother, who was missing , was also found dead.

The death of the 5-year-old was confirmed by the Peja Hospital around 23:10 on Saturday. Meanwhile, the woman's death was confirmed by the medical team around 1:20 am on Sunday.

It was reported that in the "Fidanishte" neighborhood, two people were sent for medical treatment after injuries.

Serbian Language Media

Vucic: Kurti does not want ZSO but war and conflict, weapons in Zvecan planted by Kosovo authorities (RTS, N1)

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti does not want the Community of the Serb Municipalities (ZSO), but war and conflict. He also said the event in which Kosovo police said they found weapons in a parked vehicle in Zvecan was “staged like if it were a cartoon”.

“That was like in cartoons. Black Audi, shaded windows, 50 meters away from KFOR, full of weapons. But they were nervous, as someone from the West told them that we discovered their plan for Saint Vitus Day (June 28), so they were in a hurry. And everybody in the world know this was a set up, I told immediately everything to Brussels, we shared with them everything. There are many mini chess plays there, who, where and how is playing”, Vucic said.

He added Serbian Security and Informative Agency (BIA) on June 22 sent the warnings to all Serbian state bodies about “Kurti’s provocations” and the day after to the largest secrete service in the world about Albin Kurti and Xhelal Svecla intention “to plant the weapons”.

Here are the key points from Vucic’s address:

- Crucial actors are aware that the main blame is on Kurti’s regime, and I am not sure we have reached the peak of escalation;

- The strength of our army is incomparably greater than that of so-called Kosovo Security Forces, but they are getting more and more equipped and armed, mainly by Turkish means;

- Let’s avoid intervention until the last moment. Let’s have good relations with Africa, Asia, and Latin America. If we do not do that we have no chance of surviving;

- Up to date 100.000 pieces of illegal weapons were handed over to the Serbian authorities (initiative launched following two mass murders that struck Serbia), there will be no new deadline for handover;

- Republic of Serbia, as a serious country will never in any state support a coup and a military coup.

Petkovic about Zvecan case: Special units planted explosive in order to arrest Serbs, BIA informed foreign services (KoSSev)

“The plan of (PM) Albin Kurti and Pristina was to plant the weapons, they collected from people who had no license for them, to the Serbs in order to have the reasons for new arrests and crises in northern Kosovo”, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic told news conference in Belgrade on Saturday, one day after Kosovo police said it discovered the Audi vehicle full of weapons in Zvecan, KoSSev portal reports.

Speaking about events in Zvecan, Petkovic said that Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla made the announcement one hour after the Kosovo special police forces entered Kolonija settlement in Zvecan town. Svecla said in a post on Facebook that in a vehicle with Belgrade license plates “weapons, explosive, ammunition was found” and accused Serbia about alleged plans to carry out “terrorist attacks”.

Petkovic recalled that Svecla spoke in a moment when Kosovo police region North deputy commander spoke for KoSSev, saying that the arrival of the EOD KFOR team is being awaited to find out what exactly had been found, adding that police suspects it is explosive and weapons.

“You see while they wait for the team to arrive, Svecla comes out with already prepared information that much had been found in the vehicles – shell grenades, bombs, and some explosive”, Petkovic said.

He also mentioned the information obtained by the Serbian Security and Informative Agency (BIA) about “plans and intentions of Pristina and Albin Kurti” and informed “the most powerful country in the world and almost the most significant and the most important secret service in the world” about those plans.

Vehicle reported stolen in 2020, registration expired at that time

Speaking about the vehicle in Zvecan, in which Kosovo police said weapons were found, Petkovic said this vehicle was stolen and is still being searched for, while the theft was reported on 24 June 2020. He also said the license plates were distorted “as if someone was planting them for this particular occasion” and it was about the license plates “BG 955 JW”.

He recalled that based on the administrative instruction of Serbia from 2018 all license plates containing the Latin letters with additions used in the Serbian language such as letters Č, Š, Đ, Ć but also those containing letters W and Y have been removed from use.

“Today you do not have a single vehicle with those letters operating in the traffic, and that license plates contain the letter “W’”, he said.

Petkovic added the registration of the vehicle found in Zvecan expired on 29 July 2020.

“Such a vehicle did not cross administrative line, respectively official crossings. And when we speak about alternative crossings, all those crossings were cut off by Kosovo police (…)”, Petkovic said.

Serbian List says Pristina constantly attempts to criminalize entire north (Kosovo Online, social media)

“In a moment when international public realizes that (Albin) Kurti is ready to cause conflicts, and when Serbs for almost a month peacefully and democratically protest in front of the municipal buildings, planting weapons and various military equipment is only part of the propaganda activities of Pistina aiming at further escalation of the situation on the ground”, Serbian List said in reaction to the Kosovo police statement that they found vehicle full of weapons in Zvecan on Friday.

Serbian List said that a number of clear pieces of evidence “exposed the lies of (Xhelal) Svecla and this classic set up”, adding that Serbian state bodies informed international services about it before “this play took place”.

They also said the vehicle in question had been stolen three years ago, has invalid license plates and as such it was impossible to drive 40 kilometers in northern Kosovo to reach Zvecan given the strong presence of “Kosovo special police illegal checkpoints”. They recalled that the spot where the vehicle was found for weeks had been under surveillance of the Kosovo police and international forces, and that alleged weapons were loaded in the car without any intention to conceal it.

“(…) Svecla even before the arrival of the EOD KFOR team knew in advance what was in that vehicle and published it on social media, and today (Saturday) he displayed such a great amount of weapons that we wonder if it was a truck with the weapons found or a vehicle”, Serbian List said.

Commenting on the photographs from the conference of Kosovo Interior Minister Xhellal Svecla and Kosovo police director about discovery depicting the amount of weapons they said it was found in Audi vehicle, Marko Jaksic, close associate of late leader of Civic Initiative Freedom, Democracy and Justice, Oliver Ivanovic, and former Mitrovica North municipal assembly councilor in a post on Twitter ironically asked “and where the tank was hidden?”

Petkovic: Nemanja Orlovic arrested in Mitrovica North on Friday without court order (KoSSev, Kosovo Online, media)

Serb, Nemanja Orlovic, was arrested by Kosovo police on Friday in Mitrovica North without court order, Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic said, KoSSev portal reports.

The arrest took place only a day after the crisis meeting took place in Brussels, ending without concrete results. Few hours later, the EU High Representative Josep Borrel in a post on Twitter said that he was alarmed by extrajudicial arrests of Kosovo Serbs, the portal recalls.

“Very alarmed by the situation in the north of Kosovo: extrajudicial arrests of K-Serbs & Kosovo Security Forces marching in South Mitrovica, followed by heavy rhetoric from Serbia. Despite yesterday’s crisis meeting, escalation continues & is becoming dangerous. We will not tolerate it”, Borrell wrote in a post.

On the other side Pristina said it had “clear evidence” that the arrested person was involved in the attack against KFOR on May 29 and that he was arrested “in line with the law”.

Petkovic, however, presented a different picture, the portal continues. He linked the arrest of Orlovic with Borrell’s statement on extrajudicial arrests of Kosovo Serbs.

Petkovic accused Kosovo Interior Minister Xhellal Svecal of arbitrary arrests saying “that he has secret lists in his pocket based on which he arrests people, and only then informs the court and prosecution, and only after that, as they agree, present some alleged evidence”.

He also claimed that there was no prosecution order in all previous cases when Serbs were arrested.

“From this it has been clear that the order giver for all those arrests is Albin Kurti, who arbitrarily, as he wants, bypasses institutions, arrests and hunts Serbs in order to create a new crisis in northern Kosovo and Metohija”, Petkovic said.

Orlovic’s defense lawyer Nebojsa Vlajic said that his client was sent to one-month detention and that he will appeal that decision today.

Video depicting arrested Orlovic in degrading manner surfaced on social media

A video depicting arrested Nenad Orlovic with black bag covering his head and face, without t-shirt and with his hands tied up behind his back surfaced on social media, Kosovo Online portal and other Serbian media reported.

The portal said the video depicts Orlovic in a degrading manner, adding that his human rights and dignity have been violated. Office for Kosovo and Metohija Director Petar Petkovic termed the video as shameful, adding that the video had been shared on social media among Albanian users “with different music and comments braging about how they torture Serb”.

KoSSev portal said that Kosovo police suspended a member of the rapid intervention unit for recording the video of Orlovic, while Kosovo Police Inspectorate launched investigative proceedings about that.

Belgrade liaison officer: Arrested Serbs brutally mistreated by Kosovo police (RTS, Novosti)

Belgrade liaison officer in Pristina, Dejan Pavicevic who last week visited Serbs arrested by Kosovo police recently, in an interview to Belgrade-based Novosti daily spoke about torture they were exposed to by members of the Kosovo police, RTS reports.

He visited the Serbs from northern Kosovo arrested since May 29 including Milun Milenkovic, Nemanja Vlaskovic, Milovan Bozovic (arrested in April this year) Dalibor Spasic, Rados Petrovic and Dusan Obrenovic, and according to Pavicevic “a bestial maltreatment” was used against them in which Milun Milenkovic was affected the worst.

Speaking about Milenkovic’s condition Pavicevic said he sees no other way but to qualify this act as “an attempted murder”.

“It is a real luck that this man stayed alive. He was hit with a weapon but in the head, kicked by foot. If he wasn’t an athlete, and didn’t play the sport he does, he would not be alive”, Pavicevic said.

He added he compiled an official report about the visit, in which it was said that hematomas and lacerations on the hands of the recently arrested Serbs were still visible from tying them up.

“Their hands were tied up with plastic bands, stretched so heavily that they complained of not feeling the thumbs. They have bruises, hematomas in the stomach areas. They were kicked in the area of the liver, and all this can leave lasting consequences”, Pavicevic explained.

He described as “utter hypocrisy” the fact that Serbs were charged with inciting racial, national and religious intolerance and yet the Kosovo police was swearing at their Serbian mothers while arresting them.

“For the ten years since I started working, I have not seen anything like this. I hope that those people will not suffer lasting consequences. And the question is how they will heal their psychological traumas”, Pavicevic said.

Memorial service on Saint Vitus Day to be served in Gracanica, instead of Gazimestan, because of security concerns (media, social media)

“Bishop Teodosije has made a decision today that due to the prevailing security concerns, the traditional Vidovdan memorial service scheduled for June 28 will not be held at its usual location, the monument to the heroes of Kosovo near Pristina. Instead, it will take place in the Gračanica Monastery”, Visoki Decani Monastery wrote in a post on Twitter on Saturday, June 24.

“Today, Bishop Teodosije met with KFOR Commander General Ristuccia and expressed his profound concerns over the recent deterioration of the security situation in #Kosovo. He also informed the General about the plans for the upcoming Vidovdan celebrations”, it was added.

“The Diocese of Raška-Prizren will request additional protection from KFOR during this year's celebrations. We emphasize that this is the first time, since the end of the armed conflict in Kosovo and Metohija in 1999, that such a decision has been made, which only shows the gravity of the security situation, but also our complete distrust in the current institutions in Priština, which have, unfortunately, brought interethnic relations in Kosovo and Metohija to the lowest level in the last 24 years”, the post concluded.

Read the full statement of Raska-Prizren Diocese at: rb.gy/u6tnt

Bishop Teodosije met KFOR commander, expressed concerns over escalation of tensions (Radio kontakt plus, social media)

Raska-Prizren Eparchy Bishop Teodosije met KFOR Commander Major General Michele Ristuccia, Radio kontkat plus reports.

“Bishop Teodosije Šibalić paid a visit to KFOR Commander MG Ristuccia. He expressed his concerns about the recent escalation of tensions reaffirming that the Serbian Orthodox Church has firmly held the position that all current problems must be solved peacefully & through dialogue”, KFOR wrote in a post on social media, following the meeting.

Rados Petrovic arrested in Zvecan released on bail (Kosovo Online, N1, media)

Rados Petrovic, arrested on May 29 in Zvecan has been released on bail, Kosovo Online portal reports.

After 26 days spent in a detention facility in Gnjilane Petrovic had been released.

Also, the request for release on bail had been submitted for Dusan Obrenovic who was arrested on the same day as Petrovic in Zvecan.

Serbian military chief: We demand KFOR’s immediate reaction to protect Serbs (N1, media)

Serbian Armed Forces (SAF) Chief of Staff General Milan Mojsilovic requested Friday an immediate reaction of KFOR and other international security institutions in order to provide Serbs in Kosovo with protection, N1 reports.

“In line with all the facts I have informed the KFOR Commander that we follow the developments with much apprehension and demand that immediate measures be taken to protect the Serb people and the Serbs’ right to survival. This is our plea to the whole of KFOR and other international security institutions in Kosovo and Metohija”, General Mojsilovic told a media conference in Belgrade.

He said the Serbian Armed Forces are meeting all the obligations under UN Security Council Resolution 1244, Kumanovo Military Technical Agreement and all temporary operating procedures and regime of operation along the administrative boundary, but stressed that “today it is clear that the international community is failing to meet its obligations.”

“If SAF gets orders from the supreme commander it will carry out in full all its tasks related to the overall security crisis”, General Mojsilovic said.

International Media

Police seize multiple weapons in northern Kosovo (TVP)

A car with Belgrade license plates was identified last night, about 100 meters from the commune of Zvecan, in which numerous weapons, explosive devices and various ammunition were discovered, Kosovo’s Interior Minister Xhelal Sveçla reported.

Among those weapons were shoulder rocket launchers, explosives, automatic weapons, a significant amount of ammunition, stun grenades, military uniforms and bags, he added.