The contingent of the North Atlantic Alliance stationed in the region of Kosovo and Metohija has been put on alert. This was announced on July 31 by the Moldovan television channel TV8.
On the territory of the disputed region, the NATO forces stationed there have been put on alert. In addition, the TV channel adds, in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, police units are called to mobilize.
On July 31, the Serbian newspaper Danas published a report about air raid sirens in the north of the partially recognized Republic of Kosovo. Residents were warned not to leave their homes and stay away from windows.
In response to the situation, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić addressed fellow citizens and said that the police of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo would begin a military operation against the Serbs living in the north of the region at midnight. He stressed that the Serbian side intends to keep peace in the region by all means and called on the countries that recognized Kosovo to influence the government of the republic.
Around 18:15 local time (19:15 Moscow time), the Kosovar police partially blocked the administrative point of the Brnjak crossing in the north of Kosovo and Metohija.
In addition, the Serbian portal “Novosti” reported that the Serbian and Albanian population of the city of Kosovska Mitrovica gathers in groups in their parts of the city.
On the same day, the Exit News portal reported that Serbs living in the northern part of Kosovo and Metohija began protests. In response to the speeches, the Kosovar authorities deployed armed units of the Kosovo Force (KFOR, KFOR) to the protest area. Eyewitnesses confirmed this information by providing footage of the advancement of the Kosovar special forces.
At the same time, the Albanian Daily News reported on the shooting in the north of Kosovo and Metohija. One police officer and two civilians were injured in the shootout.
Kosovo-Albanian structures in Pristina in 2008 declared independence from Serbia. According to the Serbian constitution, the territory of the unrecognized state is an autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija within the country. The republic is not recognized by dozens of countries, including Russia.
