"Putin's goal is to expand the conflict." As Kosovo and Serbia were again in a step away from the war and why it is another Kremlin front

Kosovo is a partially recognized Balkan State, whose independence has been recognized by more than 100 UN Member States (there are none of them), including the vast majority of EU and NATO countries. Of the 20 countries of the Great Twenty Kosovo do not consider eight countries independent: Argentina, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and South Africa. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008.

This event was preceded by the 1998-1999 war, when the Serbian authorities launched repression and cleansing against the Kosovo Albanian ethnic majority. As a result of the war and after the intervention of NATO countries, the region was controlled by the UN. Serbia does not recognize the exit of Kosovo from his warehouse, considering it an autonomous land called "Kosovo and Metohii"-although de facto does not control the region.

14 years after Kosovo's independence, about 50,000 ethnic Serbs living in the north of the region, refuse to recognize Pastety's power, use Serbian documents and even license plates, reminds Reuters. The agreement between Serbia and Kosovo, concluded in 2011, provided for temporary (up to 5 years) use by the residents of the North Kosovo neutral documents and license plates.

Despite the fact that the transition period has long ended, all attempts to force Kosov Serbs to switch to national documents caused only mass protests. From August 1, 2022, Kosovo planned to finally cease similar practice: the authorities of a partially recognized country in June announced that "neutral" or Serbian documents and car numbers were losing validity, and local Serbs have to re -register documents for Kosovsky.

In addition, from August 1, all Serbia's citizens who visit Kosovo planned to receive an additional document at the border that gives them permission for entry. At the same time in Serbia, similar rules for those who enter the country with Kosovo documents have long been in force: they are also obliged to receive entry and visits at the border for a person's certificate.

On July 31, the day before the entry into force of the new rules, another wave of dissatisfaction with Serbs broke out in Kosovo. They blocked a number of key roads and border crossings in the north of Kosovo. Thus, in the city of Rudari, the main road of Pryshina-Rashka was blocked, the blockade was also installed in the village of Zupchi, located near the Brnyak-Mitrovitsa highway.

The Kosiv police reported that the blocking had to close the border crossing points of Yarenie and Brnyak, and the citizens were urged to use alternative routes. In the evening of Sunday, July 31, the tension increased every hour. Kosovo police reported shots from Serbian protesters, as well as their collisions with the Kosov Albanians (from bodily harm to car attacks). Air alarm signals in Kosovo-Mitrovitsa (Kosovo) have been reported.