The Serbs tried to break into Kosovo through a closed checkpoint
A group of Serbian nationalists tried to break into the territory of Kosovo and Metohija through the closed Jarine checkpoint.
They were stopped by Serbian police, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
On Sunday, December 18, several dozen supporters of Serbian nationalist organizations from Serbia, Republika Srpska (an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Montenegro held a protest on the Serbian side of the closed Jarine checkpoint, separating central Serbia from the autonomous region of Kosovo and Metohija (K&M). The action was held under the slogan “Gathering at Yarina, don’t go to the border.”
The demonstrators called on the Serbian police to “enter Kosovo”, after which they broke through the police cordon established 300 meters before the Jarine checkpoint on the Serbian side of the administrative border with Kosmet. The protesters went to the crossing, but Serbian law enforcement officers stopped them 50 meters from it. Clashes occurred, and some of the protesters were detained.
The protesters, accompanied by patriotic songs and shouts of “Kosovo is the heart of Serbia,” burned a poster with the inscription “Brussels Agreement” (an agreement on the normalization of relations between Belgrade and Pristina, signed in 2013 with the mediation of the EU - approx.). There were also curses and threats against Albanians and KFOR troops (the NATO-led international force responsible for ensuring stability in Kosovo - approx.).
In the afternoon, the demonstrators who had gathered near the Yarine checkpoint dispersed. In fact, their theatrical “breakthrough” plays into the hands of the Albanian separatists from the “Republic of Kosovo” and the West supporting them, who received an additional argument for refusing the return of Serbian security forces to Kosmet.
In turn, the KFOR military blocked the Jarine border crossing point in Kosovo on the eve of the action, installing, in particular, barbed wire. KFOR reported that this was done “due to the possible presence of members of criminal gangs among the protesters.”
“It is always important that all persons participating in protests avoid violence and express their views peacefully, avoiding any disproportionate actions, aggressive attitudes and behavior that could be misunderstood and perceived as provocation or unnecessary violence,” the statement said. KFOR.
It is worth noting that December 19, the ninth day of protests in Kosovo and Metohija, passed relatively calmly. Barricades remain in the north of the region; moreover, the Serbs have strengthened them, and another one was installed at the exit from the village of Mali Zvecan. The only municipality in the north of Kosmet where there are still no barricades is Kosovska Mitrovica, which is due to the increased presence there of the police of the self-proclaimed “Republic of Kosovo”.
At the same time, KFOR reported that in the coming days it will conduct “regular military exercises” near its base in the municipality of Prizren. As stated in the mission statement, the goal is to “ensure freedom of movement in a crisis situation using heavy engineering equipment and helicopters.” That is, in essence, we are talking about practicing the dispersal of barricades.
As PolitNavigator reported , on December 16, Serbia submitted a request to KFOR forces for the return of Serbian security forces to Kosovo and Metohija.
Serbs attempted to break into Kosovo through a closed checkpoint.