“NATO soldiers injured in Kosovo clashes with Serbian protesters amidst rising tensions”

At least 30 NATO soldiers were injured in Kosovo after clashes with Serbian protesters last night. 11 of them are Italians, with three in serious condition. Tensions have risen since ethnic Albanians took the mayoral seats in northern Kosovo after the elections.

NATO has condemned as “totally unacceptable” attacks on peacekeepers. According to the Serbian president, at least 52 Serbs were also injured.

Protesters sprayed tear gas and threw grenades at NATO soldiers. Some have painted NATO vehicles with the letter “Z”, believed to be a Russian insignia used in the Ukraine war.

Five people were arrested. Belgrade and Pristina exchanged accusations of provocations and attempts to destabilize the region.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov described the situation in Kosovo as “alarming” and accused the US of meddling in that part of the world.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic is meeting today with the ambassadors of the United States, Russia and China. He has ordered the army to be on maximum alert.

NATO, Washington and Brussels called for de-escalation and dialogue.

The Bulgarian Ministry of Defense announced that no Bulgarian servicemen were injured. There are up to 35 of our soldiers in our contingent in Kosovo.

“For the last time, I will call on the international community to take action to bring Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti to his senses. I am afraid that otherwise it will be too late for all of us,” said Vucic.