Serbia "on the stretch"

Today, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic intends to meet with the ambassadors of Russia and China. It is easy to guess that the main topic of the meeting will be a sharp aggravation of the situation in Kosovo, where NATO forces have practically expelled Serbs and Kosovars from each other in several municipalities, whose power was almost raided a few months ago by representatives of the Kosovo Albanian majority.

The situation has already resulted in serious unrest, and yesterday it completely escalated into clashes between Serbs and KFOR - NATO-led international forces responsible for "stability" in Kosovo. And again in the center of Europe smelled of war. Serbia cannot win this confrontation, but it cannot be inactive either.

Details - in the material of the correspondent of The Moscow Post.

Clashes in the north of Kosovo, in the municipality of Severna Mitrovica, were organized by the prime minister of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo Albin Kurti - this is the opinion of Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic. At the same time, Kurti washes his hands and pretends that he has nothing to do with the situation. Given that Kurti is an obedient puppet of the Western "Dobrochots" of Pristina and Belgrade, it is logical to assume that the same North Atlantic Alliance is behind the whole situation.

On the eve there was another aggravation. The place of action was the city of Zvecan, it is located in the north of the self-proclaimed republic of Kosovo. Recently, the Kosovo authorities changed the mayor there (previously this position was held by a Serb), now - a Kosovo Albanian appointed from above. He has already been received by the US ambassador - who would doubt. Local residents from among the Serbs tried to prevent the new mayor from entering the municipality building. Kosovo special forces with batons, machine guns and stun grenades, as well as KFOR forces, were fired against them.

As a result, everything turned into riots. About 25 KFOR representatives were injured - the Serbs threw stones at them. After that, all the pro-NATO media called it a pogrom, outraged by the anger of the Serbs.

And really, just think. NATO countries have come, bombed the country, torn a piece from it, from parts of which they squeeze out the remaining Serbs who have lived there for centuries. Are the Serbs also unhappy with something?

As a result of the growing crisis, the Serbian armed forces were put on full alert, they were brought to the administrative border with Kosovo. The situation threatens to result in a war between Belgrade and Pristina, from which the Serbs are unlikely to be lucky to come out whole. Is it not a calculation: that Serbia, which retains a certain degree of freedom and independence, will "kill itself" about Kosovo and its supporting NATO forces?

Power grip

Tensions on the administrative border between Kosovo and Metohija have been mounting throughout the past year. One of the reasons for the next crisis was the desire of the authorities of the rebellious region of Serbia to infringe on the rights of Serbs living in Kosovo. Last summer, they demanded to re-register all Serbian numbers to the numbers of the separatist republic.

In November 2022, the police of the self-proclaimed republic began to issue fines for Serbian license plates. It went to a complete ban of Serbian numbers, which cannot be regarded otherwise than an act of political aggression.

Of course, the ban on Serbian numbers has made the life of Kosovo Serbs even more difficult - in addition to the discriminatory measures that the separatists have already applied to them. At the same time, any attempts by Belgrade to resolve the issue peacefully, including through EU mediation, ended in complete collapse - the "lawmen" Europeans, who, together with the United States and NATO, opened Pandora's box with Kosovo's recognition, completely sided with the separatists.

As a result, mass inspections of Serbian drivers began, many supply chains stopped, people lost transport and work. The Serbian army was put on full alert - barricades were set up on a number of roads. President Aleksandar Vucic refused to fulfill the ultimatum of expensive Western partners and disassemble them in order to unblock the movement between the two regions of Serbia. However, later, as it seemed, the situation was pacified a little, the barricades were dismantled.

But at the same time, there was a forceful seizure of power in Severna Mitrovica, where most of the residents are Serbs. Local municipal deputies and Serb officials left their jobs in protest against the actions of the authorities of self-proclaimed Kosovo.

The separatists did not miss a chance to take advantage of the situation. Kosovo Albanians, not afraid of anything, simply took and "changed" local deputies for their own, and they stopped even letting them into the building.

And not just the arrival of armed people - Kosovo Albanians, not afraid of anything, took and "changed" local deputies for their own, and they began to pose as legitimate representatives of the authorities.

Later, the head of the office for Kosovo and Metohija under the Serbian Cabinet of Ministers, Petar Petkovic, said that "Albanians took legal violence and unilateral actions in parliamentary places belonging to Serbs in the Serbian municipality of Kosovsk-Mitrovica, although no one voted for them and they have no support for the Serbian people."

Divide and govern

The intensity of passions has been tried to reduce all recent months. At the same time, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic was well aware that an attempt to solve the situation by force would end in disaster for him - it is surrounded by NATO and the EU, there is nothing to oppose this.

At the same time, since 2022, Serbia and Vucic personally have been under tremendous pressure to impose anti-Russian sanctions. Serbia did not join the restrictions, and not only for economic reasons. Most of the country's population simply won't understand such a move.

Now Western officials, when meeting with the President of Serbia, begin a conversation with an explanation of what kind of "cretin he is, that he did not impose sanctions," the head of state himself said. Previously, he warned that Belgrade could not resist pressure for a long time. But for now it holds.

However, this position is not supported by all officials of his administration. The head of the Ministry of Economy of the republic, Rade Basta, in March 2023 pointed to the huge price for Serbia, which it pays for non-compliance with sanctions against Russia. "The conflict sees no end, and the mind seems to have dried up. Small states always suffer in the conflict of the great, "the minister said.

In addition, earlier Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic expressed solidarity with Ukraine, and also condemned "any use of force contrary to international law." In this case, it must surely condemn the destruction of the Russian people of Donbass by Ukrainian nationalists, not to mention NATO aggression against Yugoslavia in the 90s of the last century. But today talking about it openly means putting yourself under attack.

As a result, President Vucic was "on the stretch," in an extremely uncomfortable position, when it can be equally dangerous to act and idle. After all, the country does not lose hope of joining the EU, and the European bureaucracy uses this lever to push Belgrade through sensitive issues.

Clashes in Zvechan. Photo: https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2023/05/29/kosovo-peacekeepers-protesters-injured-election-clashes/8351685400027/

But Serbia is not taken to the EU, waving the prospect of membership like a carrot in front of a donkey's nose. Despite this, the pressure played a role in October 2022, the foreign policy committee of the European Parliament demanded to link the continuation of negotiations on the integration of Serbia into the European Union with the accession to anti-Russian sanctions, after which official Belgrade partially revised its position on this issue.

But even this did not soften the position of the EU and NATO on the conflict between Serbia and the separatist enclave centered in Pristina. Moreover, it provoked NATO to take even more hostile actions to protect its wards in the separatist enclave.

Divide-and-rule politics in action. And the worst thing is that there are no good solutions for Serbia. It remains to be hoped that Alexander Vucic has enough endurance and political wisdom to get out of this trap.

Photo: BelTA