British The Telegraph: Vučić, with Putin's blessing, prepares for invasion of Kosovo

(Patria) - The established protocol at one of the most turbulent border crossings in Europe has looked like this in recent weeks: AK-47 automatic rifles hang from the headrest of a police Land Rover, pistols are tossed into the footwell, while bulletproof vests are, as a precaution, stuffed into the trunk.

- It doesn't smell good - said Veton Elshani, deputy chief of police for Northern Kosovo, for the British The Telegraph, and his remark is further supported by recent hints from Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, which smell irresistibly to Kosovo Albanians like preparation for an invasion.

Namely, Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti recently warned in an interview with The Telegraph that Serbia is building bases "in the shape of a horseshoe" near the border, with which it plans to "defend Belgrade and attack Kosovo."

Elshani's colleague lost his life in a clash in 2023 that brought the region to the brink of a new war. Since that day, his team has patrolled the northern area daily, where ethnic Serbs are the majority, explaining that it is "important to send a message to Belgrade that we are responsively protecting our borders."

- Blood has been spilled, and that is always a big problem - he claims.

The Kosovo police have so far identified 65 illegal roads. They have blocked most of them with concrete beams, and about ten are constantly monitored by drones.

The Mitrovica Bridge was once a flashpoint of the informal division between the north and south of Kosovo. At first glance, the situation now seems calm.

However, local residents claim that tension "can be felt in the air." Moreover, those Serbs who cross from the north to the south are often considered traitors by their compatriots.

Cars are still not allowed to cross this bridge. Two Kosovo police vehicles block their path, explaining that these are "precautionary measures necessary to maintain stability in the area."

The already heated passions between the majority Albanian and minority Serbian populations are further complicated by an increasingly intense Kremlin campaign whose main task is to incite unrest in northern Kosovo. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić boasts of close relations with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, which is why Kurti believes that the Kremlin also has an interest in Serbia attacking Kosovo, as it would divert attention from its war in Ukraine.

Traveling through northern Kosovo, Telegraph reporters saw graffiti everywhere with the letter "Z," which symbolizes support for Russian forces currently fighting on Ukrainian battlefields.

- Northern Kosovo is a pool from which Putin will recruit future members of paramilitary units for operations in Ukraine and across the Balkans - Kurti claims.