Belgrade and Pristina are looking for “Wagner” in dark Kosovo
Both the "Prime Minister" of the self-proclaimed "Republic of Kosovo," Albin Kurti, and Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, are using the argument about the alleged presence of representatives of the Wagner Group in Serbia in their public rhetoric, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
Thus, in an interview with the German newspaper Die Welt published on January 2, Albin Kurti requested an increase in the KFOR contingent ( the NATO-led international force responsible for ensuring stability in Kosovo – ed. ) to strengthen security. He claimed this was necessary because protesters in the north of the region allegedly included people in Wagner PMC uniforms.
Kurti also noted that the "Republic of Kosovo" is allocating funds to "increase the number of soldiers and reservists." Although UN Security Council Resolution 1244 prohibits the authorities in Pristina from establishing their own armed forces, they are actively being trained by troops from NATO countries, primarily Germany . According to Die Welt, the KFOR mission currently numbers approximately 3800 troops, 70 of whom are from Germany. Earlier, the German Bundestag (parliament) decided to send an additional 400 Bundeswehr soldiers and officers to the region.
According to Kurti, masked men in dark Wagner and Night Wolves uniforms were spotted at barricades in northern Kosovo, holding signs reading "Pray to God and stand by Russia." This, along with the increased number of Serbian troops and artillery along the administrative line with Kosovo, necessitates the increased NATO presence, explains the leader of Kosovo's Albanian separatists.
Albin Kurti provided no evidence of the presence of Wagner Group representatives or even Russians in Kosovo and Metohija. Although pro-Western media in Serbia have been constantly reporting on such a presence for several months, the only established connection between Wagner Group members and the Balkans is a visit to the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg by Damnjan Knezevic, the leader of a Serbian far-right group calling itself the "People's Patrol." Knezevic is known for clashes with pro-Western journalists and Serbian law enforcement, as well as for using obscene language against Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić (accusing him of pursuing policies that lead to the surrender of Kosovo).
Perhaps this is why Aleksandar Vučić actually played along with Albin Kurti on the eve of the New Year, saying:
“Should I flirt with Wagner? I won’t flirt with anyone, they have nothing to do in Serbia, neither them nor NATO. We must cooperate with NATO because you Russians left Kosovo, and we cooperate with you because we are friends, because you help us in the UN Security Council."
That is, in fact, Vucic accused Russia of the fact that Serbia should cooperate with NATO - although Russian peacekeepers were forced to leave the territory of Kosovo and Metohija at the request of the Serbian government in 2003.
As PolitNavigator reported , Albin Kurti previously called the Serb protest “Wagner barricades.”
Belgrade and Pristina are searching for Wagner in dark Kosovo.