The situation on the border between Kosovo and Serbia is tense on Sunday evening.
Updated just now
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On Sunday evening, there were several reports of gunfire on the border between Kosovo and Serbia. Air defense sirens could be heard in several videos published on social media.
The police in Kosovo sign Facebook that there have been reports of shots being fired at certain locations on Sunday evening, and that some of the shots are said to have been aimed at police units.
The police do not say where these sounds came from, but write that there should be no injuries.
NATO prepared to intervene
KFOR, a NATO-led peacekeeping force stationed in Kosovo, has issued a press release on the situation.
– The security situation in the northern municipalities of Kosovo is tense. The NATO-led KFOR mission is monitoring closely and is prepared to intervene if stability is threatened.
Reference is made to the UN resolution from 1999 which opened the way for the force to intervene in the country at the time.
NATO further encourages all parties to continue dialogue and negotiations.
– This is crucial for regional peace and security, it says.
KFOR/NATO has 3,775 personnel on the ground in Kosovo. According to Reuters, peacekeeping forces from Italy have been visible on Sunday in the area around the city of Mitrovica in the north of the country.
Prosecutor
In a address to the nation on Sunday evening, the President of Serbia, Aleksandar Vučić, says that the situation has never been more complex than today.
– We pray and ask for peace. If they dare to persecute and kill Serbs, then Serbia will win, writes Vučić on his official Twitter account 22 o’clock.
Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti says that it is the President of Serbia who is responsible for the blockade and the shooting, according to the news channel N1.
The border crossing with Serbia at Bernjak and Jarinje in the north of Kosovo was closed on Sunday evening.
The Ministry of Defense of Serbia, signs its websites that Serbian forces have not crossed the borders or entered the territory of Kosovo.
The day before new rules
The unrest takes place the day before new rules on ID documents come into force. From Monday, all citizens from Serbia must have an additional document when visiting Kosovo.
From 1 August, the transition from Serbian license plates to Kosovo license plates will also start. The transition period is two months and the decision has met with great opposition.
Kosovo has been recognized as an independent state by more than a hundred countries, but not by Serbia or Russia.
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