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Russia is interested in the new conflict that broke out between Serbia and Kosovo. The Kremlin wants to divert the West’s attention from the war in Ukraine and undermine confidence in NATO and the United States. This is the opinion of experts interviewed by the Albanian and Serbian services of the Voice of America.

New tensions between Serbs and Kosovars began last week. In the north of Kosovo, in the village of Banska, on September 24, 30 men attacked policemen. One law enforcement officer and three attackers were killed during the clash.

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Celal Svechla, accused the Serbian authorities of organizing and arming people. He also added that law enforcement officers are investigating Russia’s possible involvement in the incident. Russian weapons and equipment were found at the scene of the crime, as well as documents indicating a connection with Moscow, the minister explained.

“Russia seriously supports Serbia in all its manipulations. She is interested in increasing tension in the region. The creation of new critical points diverts the West’s attention from Ukraine. This is a new front. And the Balkans are very important for the West, especially for the EUSonia Biserko, head of the Helsinki Committee on Human Rights in Belgrade, said in an interview with Voice of America.

According to the Serbian human rights activist, Russia is unlikely to use its troops in the region, but it has “a lot of its proxies (proxies – ed.) who will do the dirty work for them.”

“Fostering trouble with Serbia as their proxy is an element of hybrid warfare. They want to see more instability in the region“, – believes the retired general Wesley Clark, who commanded the combined forces of NATO in Europe during the war in Kosovo.

It was after the intervention of NATO forces in 1999 that the conflict between Kosovars (Albanians) and Serbs ended. Kosovo officially declared independence from Serbia after 9 years. The country’s independence has been recognized by 119 states, including the USA and most of the EU countries. Ukraine does not recognize the sovereignty of Kosovo.

Kosovo is mostly inhabited by ethnic Albanians, but in the north most of the population is Serbs, who often protest against the presence of the Kosovo police there. The NATO peacekeeping force KFOR is still the guarantor of security in the region.

“Kosovo is not the main target of Russian interests in the region. It is only a tool to fight against NATO, which spreads throughout Europe.” Dusan Janic, head of the Forum of Ethnic Relations in Belgrade, said in an interview with Voice of America.

By inciting a new conflict, Russia is trying to show that America “is not a reliable guarantor of stable peace,” explains the human rights activist.

The Kosovo authorities believe that Serbia is adopting the Russian experience of the war against Ukraine. In particular, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Kosovo, Donika Gervalla-Schwartz, said that Serbia’s behavior resembles Russia’s actions before attacking Ukraine in 2022: “Not only are the troops being drawn up to the border, but also all the schemes are the same. Language, choice of words, methods – everything is similar to how Putin behaves in Ukraine.”.

The military leadership of Serbia assures that it has nothing to do with the incident in the north of Kosovo, and the number of troops on the border has been reduced by half, to the “normal” size – 4,500 people, said the Chief of the General Staff of the Army of Serbia, General Milan Moisilovic.

Whether this is true remains to be seen, the US State Department says.

Meanwhile, retired US general Wesley Clark points to another commonality in the working methods of the Serbs and Russians. During the incident in Kosovo last week, the attackers hid in an Orthodox church. The fact that they got shelter there is not a simple coincidence, Clark believes.

“So it happened that throughout Eastern Europe, Orthodox churches became centers of nationalism. It is not by chance, by the way, that in the case of Ukraine it was necessary to take measures against the Russian Orthodox churches, because they were loyal and supported Moscow.” – explains the retired general.

According to Clark, the Orthodox Serbian churches in Kosovo should be dealt with harshly. NATO peacekeepers should take control of these churches, not excluding that there may be warehouses of weapons.

There is another problem: Serbs in Kosovo and in Serbia itself are strongly influenced by Russian propaganda, Biserko points out: The prevailing belief among public opinion is that the EU and the USA are experiencing an economic crisis. This is repeated by the President of Serbia Vucic himself, as well as Russian media such as Sputnik“.

Undermining trust in the EU is the main goal of propaganda, says the human rights activist. After all, reconciliation with Kosovo is one of the main requirements for Serbia on its way to membership in the European Union.