Saber rattling: Vucic puts Serbian army on “highest combat readiness” Cold wave rolls over US over Christmas weekend

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic ordered “the highest level of combat readiness,” Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said Monday night.

Army chief Milan Mojsilovic had previously stated that he was sent to the Kosovo border because of Vucic’s “complicated situation”.

Kosovo, with its predominantly Albanian population, declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but is still considered a breakaway region by Belgrade.

Despite attempts at mediation by the EU, neighboring countries have been at odds for years. Belgrade encourages the Serb minority in northern Kosovo in their efforts to defy Pristina’s authority.

Attacks on Eulex and police officers

Tensions on the border with Serbia have risen again in recent weeks. Hundreds of Kosovo Serbs have been blocking traffic in northern Kosovo for weeks. Nightly shots at police officers and an attack on the EU mission Eulex with a stun grenade raised international concerns.

Given the rising tensions in the north of Kosovo, Serbian Prime Minister Ana Brnabic recently warned of an escalation of the situation. Both countries are “really on the brink of armed conflict,” she said. Brnabic blamed the government in Pristina for the tensions. (con/sda/afp)