Peskov urged not to seek Russia’s destructive influence on Serbia

There is no need to look for Russia’s destructive influence on Serbia, because the republic is a sovereign state, said presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov.

“Serbia is a sovereign country and it is absolutely wrong to look for some kind of destructive influence of Russia here. Serbia defends the rights of the Serbs who live nearby in such difficult conditions. And, of course, it reacts harshly when these rights are violated,” the Kremlin spokesman said.

Peskov stressed that the countries have close allied, historical and spiritual relations, so Russia “very closely” monitors what is happening, how the rights of the Serbs are ensured. “Of course, we support Belgrade in the actions that are being taken,” he concluded.

President and Commander-in-Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces Aleksandar Vučić ordered bring the troops to the highest degree of combat readiness. According to the Vecherne Novosti portal, the armed forces of the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo were also put on high alert. About 1,500 security forces are ready to carry out an offensive to the north of Kosovo and Metohija.

The situation in the region escalated On December 10, after an ethnic Serb and former Kosovo police officer, Dejan Pantić, was detained at the Jarine checkpoint for an alleged attack on an electoral commission. The Serbian population in response began to erect barricades, blocking the passage along the highway in several settlements near the checkpoint, and went to protests. One of the goals of this action was to prevent the transfer of Pantic to Pristina.

Patrols from the EU mission in Kosovo (EULEX) and members of the NATO-led international security forces in Kosovo and Metohija (KFOR) were then deployed to the barricades. The head of EU diplomacy, Josep Borrell, warned that the EU would not tolerate attacks on its mission and demanded that the Kosovo Serbs “immediately remove the barricades.” Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said that he had appealed to the NATO KFOR mission about the barricades erected by the Serbs, and added that he was waiting for an answer until the evening of December 11, after which he promised to dismantle them on his own. After that, Vucic called an emergency meeting of the country’s Security Council.