UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, August 28 2025

Albanian Language Media:

Assembly session interrupted, fails to elect Serb Deputy Speaker (media)
Murati: If not Rasic, who from Serb community should be elected? (media)
Basha: The war of KLA and the people’s sacrifices are sacred to me (media)
Krasniqi: Demonizing the KLA is the philosophy of Kurti and VV (media)
Kurti: Documentation of economic crimes committed by Serbia is vital (media)
Balje: I will not give my vote to any Serb candidate (RTK)
One day after opening, new bridge over Iber attracts pedestrians, vehicles (RFE)
Turkiye to reassume command of KFOR in October (media)
Kosovo, Albania, Croatia increase defense through purchases from US (media)
Court orders 30-day detention for Croatian pilot and his Serbian partner (media)
Serbian woman who allegedly spied for Serbian List arrested with her partner, a Croatian pilot (Gazeta Express)

Serbian Language Media:

Yet another unsuccessful voting for deputy speaker from Serbian community (KoSSev)
Simic announced complaint to Constitutional Court, said rights of Serbian people violated (media)
Krasniqi: Self-determination continues blockade, more engaged for Rasic, than for Haxhiu and Basha (Kosovo Online)
Mitrovica: Bridge nr. 36 on Ibar River connecting or separating people? (Radio KIM, DW)
Radojevic: Security of Serbs in north threatened; international community silent (Kosovo Online)
A young man from Mitrovica South arrested under charges of serious theft in Mitrovica North (Kosovo Online, KoSSev)
Djilas writes to European institutions, officials: We urge your active involvement in resolving crisis in Serbia (N1)

Opinion:

Integrated walls and painted-over lives (Alternativna.com)
In Serbia, women’s sexuality is being weaponized to silence dissent (BIRN)

International:

Kosovo’s long quest to break parliament deadlock continues (BIRN)
Türkiye to resume command of NATO’s KFOR mission in Kosovo (Turkiye Today)

Albanian Language Media

Assembly session interrupted, fails to elect Serb Deputy Speaker (media)

MP Nenad Rasic has failed to obtain sufficient votes to be elected Deputy Speaker of the Assembly. He had nominated himself for this position. Rasic received 56 votes in favor, one against, and 20 abstentions. The Speaker of the Assembly Dimal Basha interrupted the session after Rasic failed to secure enough votes. Arguing that he might obtain the votes in the next round, Basha said it was more reasonable to close the session. “There have been discussions that should continue further, and in the next session, the MP in question might secure the votes,” he said. Nenad Rasic has already used two rounds of voting; he has one more left.

Other Serb candidates for Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, Zlatan Elek, Srdzan Popovic, Stefan Kovacevic, did not manage to obtain any votes for their election. Votes from the LVV were against, while PDK, AAK, and NISMA abstained, and LDK did not vote at all. Zlatan Elek, with 0 votes in favor, 55 against, and 19 abstentions, was eliminated from the race for this post.

Igor Simic from the Serbian List reacted after the failed session for electing the Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo from the Serb community. He stated that the draw for the Deputy Speaker is unconstitutional. “The Constitution is being violated; they are aware of what they are doing,” Simic said. “The Deputy Speaker must have the support of the majority of Serb MPs, and in this case that is Slavko Simic,” he said, adding further that the Serbian List will appeal to the Constitutional Court regarding this matter.

Murati: If not Rasic, who from Serb community should be elected? (media)

LVV MP Hekuran Murati has criticized opposition parties for their lack of support for Nenad Rasic in his bid to become Deputy Speaker of the Assembly of Kosovo. “We don’t understand the purpose of MPs, where some abstain, such as those from PDK, AAK, and NISMA, while those from LDK don’t even participate in the vote,” Murati said.

He emphasized that LVV has been consistent in rejecting candidates from the Serbian List for this position. “We have made it clear for some time now that we have not voted for any member of the Serbian List for Deputy Speaker of the Assembly, and we are proving this with our votes in every attempt whenever a candidate from the Serbian List is proposed. And we are showing it with our votes. And if nine of them are unacceptable, only one remains, and that is Nenad Rasic, who we nevertheless consider as someone who recognizes the state of Kosovo and accepts the institutions of the Republic of Kosovo,” Murati said.

Basha: The war of KLA and the people’s sacrifices are sacred to me (media)

Kosovo Assembly Speaker Dimal Basha told a press conference today that in a paper published in 2012 he has responsibility only for the topic related to fundamentalist Islam in Kosovo and that he never wrote a single word for the Kosovo Liberation Army. “This is not the first time that I as Dimal Basha and we as the Vetevendosje Movement are attacked with untruths by certain circles. It is extremely exhausting that fabrications do not stop, and this is why I feel responsible for explaining to the people the low allegations made against me. In 2012, when I was a student, just like many other students, we submitted papers for publication. At the time I did research about the penetration of fundamentalist Islam in South-East Europe, with focus on Kosovo. I sent the paper only on this topic and this is where my responsibility about the paper ends. My PhD topic, published in 2013, also covers only this part. You cannot find a single word there about the KLA,” he said.

Basha also said that he considers the war of the KLA sacred and that he distances himself from all those that have made comments against this value. “I Dimal Basha, as Speaker of the Assembly and as a citizen of this Republic consider as sacred the war of the Kosovo Liberation Army and the sacrifice of our people for freedom. I bow to everyone that has contributed during the time of war and in peace. I declare with the highest civic and national responsibility that never in my life did I write anything against this sacred value of our people, and this requires no further comment because I distance myself from everyone that has written against value”.

Krasniqi: Demonizing the KLA is the philosophy of Kurti and VV (media)

Leader of the Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi argued in a Facebook post today demonizing the former Kosovo Liberation Army and its leaders has been a way of life for caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti and that almost anyone that joined him adopted the same mindset. He said that Vetevendosje’s nominations for Kosovo Assembly Speaker are the best example of this. “Albulena Haxhiu, Donika Schwartz, Hekuran Murati – all three with positions and actions against the KLA and its legacy. One of them by reducing the defense funds at the Hague court, the other by saying that she submitted files against the KLA leaders, and the third by excluding from the minimal wage the categories of the liberation and by insulting the freedom fighters by comparing them to mercenaries. The new Assembly Speaker too, with his morbid article against the KLA, which resurfaced yesterday, confirmed the Vetevendosje philosophy: the more you distance yourself from the KLA, the faster you climb up the party ranks. This could even be their internal formula,” Krasniqi said.

Krasniqi also said they voted for Basha’s nomination as Assembly Speaker “not because of the individual but to keep the pledge we made to the people to end the institutional deadlock”.

Kurti: Documentation of economic crimes committed by Serbia is vital (media)

Kosovo’s caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti said in a Facebook post on Wednesday that the war in Kosovo was a project of destruction and annihilation, looting and kidnapping by Serbian forces, with organized and planned crimes. “During the war, the people of Kosovo experienced great pain: murder, violent disappearance, mass expulsions, destruction of wealth and systematic looting. Along with the tremendous damage to people’s lives by the Serbian genocide, incalculable economic damages have also been caused in Kosovo, including burning of private and public property, destruction of infrastructure, destruction of cultural and educational facilities, robbery and destruction of spiritual and national heritage. Their documentation is vital,” Kurti said.

Balje: I will not give my vote to any Serb candidate (RTK)

Bosniak MP in the Assembly of Kosovo, Duda Balje, has stated that the current political crisis will not be easily overcome. She also spoke about the reason for not voting Dimal Basha as Speaker of the Assembly. “I do not believe we will get out of this crisis quickly. Personally, I think that if the Assembly is constituted, there is the possibility that Dimal Basha will resign and Albulena, as the first deputy, will take the post of Speaker. This is one of the scenarios,” Balje said. She stressed that she will not give her vote to any Serb candidate.

One day after opening, new bridge over Iber attracts pedestrians, vehicles (RFE)

The news website reported on Wednesday that people have started using the new bridge over the Iber River to cross from Mitrovica South to Mitrovica North and vice versa. One day after the bridge was opened, RFE talked to some of the people who said that movement is now easier.

One day after the new bridge for vehicle traffic was opened over the Iber River which divides the Albanian-inhabited Mitrovica South from the Serb-inhabited Mitrovica North, many people used it to move between the two settlements. With vehicles, on foot, and with bikes, many of the passersby, Albanian speaking, said they were happy with the decision to open the bridge.

Besfort Azemi, from Mitrovica South, said he “feels very good” that the bridge was opened and that the movement between Mitrovica South and Mitrovica North will be easier. He, and many other people, were passing by and taking pictures of the new bridge.

Turkiye to reassume command of KFOR in October (media)

Several news websites report that Türkiye will reassume command of the NATO-led Kosovo Force (KFOR) in October 2025 for a one-year term, following its previous successful leadership during the 2023–2024 period, the country’s Ministry of National Defense (MoD) announced recently.

Read more at: https://shorturl.at/o2CP9

Kosovo, Albania, Croatia increase defense through purchases from US (media)

After signing a joint declaration in Tirana in March, Kosovo, Albania and Croatia are now making concrete steps in their cooperation in defense as part of efforts to build a stronger and more sustainable alliance in security. The respective ministries have held a tripartite meeting where they discussed drafting a plan for joint purchases of weapons from the United States of America. A spokeswoman for the Kosovo Ministry of Defense told RTK: “a joint meeting has been held to draft trilateral activities as part of the agreement, including the joint purchases based on the requirements of every state. Once it is completed the plan will be signed and the countries will proceed with their actions”.

Court orders 30-day detention for Croatian pilot and his Serbian partner (Koha)

Most news websites report that a court in Split, Croatia, has ordered a 30-day detention measure for a Croatian army pilot and his partner, a Serb from Kosovo, suspected of espionage. Both suspects were interviewed by Croatian authorities on Wednesday, and Europol too is involved in the case. The pilot is suspected of sharing information about the movement of KFOR troops with his Serbian partner during the time he served in KFOR, and his partner then shared them with the Serbian List. Index, a media outlet in Croatia, said he gave information to his partner about the movements of Serbs in the north of Kosovo from late 2022 until this year, and also information about the movement of KFOR troops.

Serbian woman who allegedly spied for Serbian List arrested with her partner, a Croatian pilot (Gazeta Express)

Croatian media Index.hr reported today that Croatian authorities arrested a Croatian pilot J.I. of Croatian air forces and his partner A.M. of Serbian nationality from the city of Mitrovica, on espionage charges.

Gazeta Express learns exclusively that A.M. is a 46-year-old Ana (Dragomir) Murganic, whose residence address is in Mitrovica North, Ivo Lola Ribar Street.

According to sources, Murganic accompanied several times in his travels Miodrag Milicevic, director of the NGO Aktiv, and the former member of the management team for the creation of the Association of Serb-majority municipalities, Igor Kalamar. This proves her ties with senior members of the Serbian List.

It is also learned that Murganic worked in EULEX and UNMIK. She is suspected of close ties with many judges and prosecutors of EULEX, who according to the sources, may have been blackmailed by her.

A source told Gazeta Express that Serbian services recruited and encouraged the employment of Serbs in international organizations in Kosovo, by using them to secure information and at the same time to interfere in justice and especially against former members of the Kosovo Liberation Army.

Morganic, according to the sources, has continuously informed officials of the Serbian List about developments in these [international organizations].

Croatian media reported that Europol too was involved in the operation for the arrest of Murganic and the Croatian pilot. Investigators believe that the army pilot shared secrets with his partner and that she later relayed them to the Serbian List.

Index said it got this information from credible sources and that when they tried to confirm them, they were met with silence from the Croatian authorities.

“The Directorate of Police told us to contact the Ministry of Defense, as the military police were involved in the case, but the Ministry of Defense has not given us any information yet. We have unofficially learned that the two suspects were questioned today and that a decision is expected whether they will be sent in detention,” Index reported. “According to the information we managed to secure, investigators believe that the Croatian army pilot, who was engaged in KFOR, gave confidential information to his partner and she then relayed them to members of the Serbian List, a Serb political party in Kosovo”.

Index reported that J.A. is believed to have given his partner information about the movement of Serbs in the north of Kosovo from late 2022 until this year, as well as about the movement of KFOR troops.

Serbian Language Media

Yet another unsuccessful voting for deputy speaker from Serbian community (KoSSev)

Kosovo Assembly MPs convened today aiming to elect a deputy speaker from the Serbian community. However, the outcome was the same as in the previous session, when the Assembly speaker got elected but no deputy speaker from the Serbian community was elected.

None of the proposed candidates received a sufficient number of votes, including Nenad Rasic supported by the Self-determination Movement for this function. 56 MPs voted for Rasic, while none of the proposed Serbian List candidates received any vote.

A total of 107 MPs were present in a session, while elections of the deputy speaker from the Serbian community continued with a draw. Several candidates were proposed by the Serbian List, some several times, but none of them got elected, and each received not a single vote in support.

Serbian List candidates in this session were – Branislav Nikolic, Zlatan Elek, Stefan Kovacevic, Srdjan Popovic and Igor Simic.

Then came the turn to Nenad Rasic’s candidacy. Assembly Speaker Dimal Basha asked Albanian opposition MPs to support Rasic because, as he said, Rasic “recognizes Kosovo”, adding it is his “great pleasure” to present him as a candidate.

However, Rasic did not receive a sufficient number of votes either. 56 MPs voted for him, one was against, and 20 abstained. This is the second unsuccessful voting for Rasic, including the one held two days ago. Following the latest outcome in voting, Basha announced to continue discussion with caucuses.

Simic announced complaint to Constitutional Court, said rights of Serbian people violated (media)

Serbian List Vice President Igor Simic said today following interruption of Kosovo Assembly session and non-election of deputy speaker from the Serbian community, that this party will file a complaint to the Constitutional Court over violation of Kosovo Constitution and Rules of Procedures in the Assembly, Kosovo Online portal reported. He added these violations are carried out deliberately.

As he said he pointed out in a session before to all shortcomings and violations of the rules. “The Rules of Procedure that clearly say a deputy speaker from the Serbian community must have support from majority Serbian MPs, and in this case it is Slavko Simic who won a legal mandate, are being violated. Unfortunately, Rules of Procedures and Constitution are violated with the aim to appoint Nenad Rasic to this post, contrary to all the rules, with support of the ruling party. At the same time one has to know that he (Nenad Rasic) has no support from Serbian MPs nor from Serbian people, as he won five times less votes than Slavko Simic in last elections”, Simic said.

He called on MPs of all other Albanian parties and non-majority communities not to vote for anti-constitutional decisions and the attempts to bring Nenad Rasic to that post at any cost.

He added no separate voting for deputy speakers ever took place before, as was the case this time, and that the Constitution has been breached. He said Serbian List is not someone blocking the process nor it interferes in the rights of Albanian people and other communities to elect their representatives and demands at the same time that Serbian people elect their own representatives in elections and Assembly.

Krasniqi: Self-determination continues blockade, more engaged for Rasic, than for Haxhiu and Basha (Kosovo Online)

Leader of Democratic Party of Kosovo (PDK) Memli Krasniqi said today despite PDK keeping its promise on unblocking the Assembly, the Self-determination Movement plans to continue blockade, Kosovo Online portal reported. According to him there is an attempt not to proceed with the constitution of the Assembly.

He added the entire Self-determination with enthusiasm is engaged that Nenad Rasic becomes deputy speaker. He also said they engaged less while Dimal Basha was elected as Assembly Speaker.

“We abstain from voting as this manner of voting is unconstitutional. The political and real effect of this is that blockades continue”, Krasniqi said.

As he explained, engagement for Rasic is “part of the scenario”.

AAK leader Ramush Haradinaj said the separate voting for deputy speakers from non-Albanian communities is unconstitutional, adding Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti “intentionally drags the constitution of Assembly”.

Mitrovica: Bridge nr. 36 on Ibar River connecting or separating people? (Radio KIM, DW)

With first vehicles and pedestrians crossing over, unannounced and without much fanfare, a new bridge connecting Mitrovica South and Mitrovica North was open. Has this opening marked a new chapter in Serbian-Albanian relations in this city?

For one side the new bridge is “a perfidious political maneuver” done for the sake of the upcoming electoral campaign in Kosovo and “yet another provocation we got accustomed to”. For the other side it is a “needed and long awaited infrastructural project”that would “ease movement of people and goods”, Iva Manojlovic writes for Deutsche Welle (DW).

Did Mitrovica need one more bridge and will it change anything in relations between Albanians and Serbs?, the article asked.

“Which Bridge?”

A day prior to its sudden opening, Mitrovica South and Mitrovica North were at their usual. From the main Ibar River bridge (mainly) Albanians observed accelerated works at completing the new bridge. Asked how they feel because they will be able to walk across it soon, some in Serbian, others in English almost delightedly responded – “excellent decision”.

For Agon (19) from Mitrovica South this is not only a bridge, but, as he said “an opportunity to move freely”. And that was not the case until now, he added. “Serbs are most probably afraid from bridge opening”, he told DW, adding that “they absolutely have no need for it”. “The goal of our prime minister is that Serbs and Albanians have equal rights”, he opined.

Only a few hundred meters away, on the other side of the Ibar River, citizens of Serb ethnicity asked in confusion – “What bridge?”

“I no longer follow that. I got accustomed, nothing comes as a surprise”, a young mother pushing the stroller with her child through the park told DW.

“We got used to it”, another Mitrovica North resident said. “No one is asking us anything, anyway, major powers decide about everything”, he added.

Early opening

Although the opening was firstly announced for September 1, the new bridge opened to traffic in the early morning hours on Tuesday, August 26. The cornerstone for this bridge, along with another pedestrian one, not far from the main Ibar River bridge, was laid by Kosovo caretaker PM Albin Kurti. Congratulating the opening of the completed bridge Kurti said this is the 36^th bridge across Ibar River.

However, perceptions about intentions behind the opening of another bridge differ.

Why a new bridge?

Political analyst Ognjen Gogic perceives the opening of a new bridge as a political act – “by which (Albin) Kurti scores political points for upcoming local elections”. He added as far as infrastructure was concerned there was no real need to construct this bridge.

"This is, in a way, provoking Serbs in the north who are against it, but also a concession and adulation to the Albanian, primarily Bosniak voters in North, but also South Mitrovica, whose votes (Kurti) is counting on", Gogic said.

As he told DW "it's also questionable how safe the bridge is to use", considering that "elementary things regarding safety have not been done". He recalled the controversies that followed the construction, and investigation Kosovo Special Prosecutor Office initiated a month ago regarding legality of contract for construction of two new bridges, "due to suspicion of misuse of public funds".

On the other hand, Faculty of Political Sciences in Pristina Professor Nexhmedin Spahiu, sees the new bridge as a much-needed urban planning solution, stressing there are no longer any security obstacles for its opening.

Lazarevic: The Serbs’ fear absolutely justified

All Serbian parties in the north opposed bridge construction. The Serbian List organized a petition against its construction, which was handed over to the international community. Yet, it caused no reaction from international actors.

Asked if they fear for their safety, residents of Mitrovica North told DW after all they went through “each normal person is afraid”. The impression is that they even became “numb” to fear.

KoSSev portal Editor-in-Chief, Tanja Lazarevic is worried about her safety and that of her fellow citizens. She thinks the fear of the Serbian people about their safety is “absolutely justified”.

“Serbs in Kosovo, without their 250.000 to 300.000 (expelled) compatriots who never returned, were left to handle the hatred and revenge of the Albanian side, with all antagonism between two peoples. With the disastrous policy of SNS (ruling Serbian Progressive Party) and discrimination-driven policy of the Self-determination Movement, they are additionally weakened, financially dependent from Belgrade and deprived of their own strength and initiative”, Lazarevic told DW.

“Today they are apathetic, demotivated, pushed to the corner, from where they are taken only as a mass for manipulation”, she added.

Despite 36 bridges – as many as calculated by Albin Kurti – Mitrovica Serbs and Albanians – seems not to find the common language, DW concluded in the article.

Radojevic: Security of Serbs in north threatened; international community silent (Kosovo Online)

Serbian List mayoral candidate in Mitrovica North Milan Radojevic said the issue of security and conduct of Kosovo police has become crucial during the tenure of Kosovo caretaker Prime Minister Albin Kurti. According to him, Serbs, especially in northern Kosovo, face a threat to their security, Kosovo police fail to respond adequately and international missions remain passive.

“The issue of security and work of Kosovo police has become crucial under Albin Kurti’s government. With his rise to power, the Kosovo police has become essentially a party-controlled police force under Kurti’s government, because it is directly managed by the Minister of Internal Affairs, Xhelal Svecla, even though by law that should not be possible - the police director should be the one responsible. A great deal of responsibility also lies with international organizations that, until some time ago, carried out direct monitoring of Kosovo police. Back then, the work of the police was, by far, much better”, Radojevic told Kosovo Online.

He added that the security situation, particularly in northern Kosovo, has deteriorated, but that statistics fail to reflect this, which, he argued, clearly shows the way cases of attacks on Serbs are handled.

Read more at: https://tinyurl.com/2pzumzdt

A young man from Mitrovica South arrested under charges of serious theft in Mitrovica North (Kosovo Online, KoSSev)

Kosovo police arrested R.M. (19) under charges of serious theft committed in Mitrovica North, while the suspect, as per prosecutor’s decision, was sent to 48-hour detention, Kosovo Online portal reported.

The suspect was arrested at his residence address in Mitrovica South. The arrest was carried out under the charges that R.M. committed a criminal act of “serious theft” as he forcibly entered one of the business premises at Ivo Lola Ribar Street in Mitrovica North and stole around 1.000 EUR from there.

Djilas writes to European institutions, officials: We urge your active involvement in resolving crisis in Serbia (N1)

Leader of the opposition Freedom and Justice Party (SSP) Dragan Djilas wrote to European institutions and officials, urging them to actively engage, through mediation, in resolving the crisis in Serbia and preventing widespread conflict, N1 reported.

“The only way to resolve the political and societal crisis peacefully and democratically is to apply the model that, thanks to the European Union, was implemented in North Macedonia and Montenegro, involving a caretaker government to prepare fair and democratic elections”, Djilas said.

He emphasized that “continuing to turn a blind eye and ignoring the regime’s violence and repression distances Serbia from its European future, which its citizens deserve. It poses a danger to peace and stability, not only for our country but for the entire region and creates space for the further strengthening of influence by those who benefit from instability in this part of Europe”.