Kosovo conflict: “Putin wants to harm the West”

The conflict between Serbia and Kosovo flares up again. The Serbs are angry that the Kosovars have applied to join the EU. There was another firefight on Sunday after Kosovo troops allegedly attempted to dismantle a Serb barricade.

Late Monday evening, Belgrade placed its armed forces on alert – with “readiness to use armed force”, as the government announced. Because Serbia does not want to recognize Kosovo as an autonomous state and encourages the Serbian minority in the north of the country to defy the authorities.

Apparently in the middle of the matter: Russian President Vladimir Putin (70), who would regularly set off explosives in the Balkans. “Putin has been trying to torpedo the stabilization of the region for years,” Daniel Bochsler, 43, a professor of politics at the Central European University in Vienna and at the University of Belgrade, told Blick in March.

Nothing has changed. Putin maintains close ties with Serbia. For example, Aleksandar Vulin (50), a confidante of the Kremlin, is now the head of the Serbian secret service. What role does Putin play in the Balkan conflict?

Russia invests and supplies gas

Ulrich Schmid (57), professor of Russian culture and society at the University of St. Gallen, says: “The connections along the Belgrade-Moscow axis have grown historically.” He explains: “There are many pro-Russian voices in Serbia and Russia has influence in the Serbian public sphere.” The country receives cheap gas from Russia. “Even on the railways, people work together.” Putin uses this pro-Russian mood for his political purposes.

Balkans expert Konrad Clewing (55) from the Leibniz Institute for East and Southeast European Research says: “The Serbian government has its own interests towards the country.” Russia and the West would therefore strive for a “shuttle movement” between the two sides. “However, the ‘direction’ towards Moscow has become stronger lately.” Moreover, Putin has an interest in inflicting political and strategic damage on the West. “He likes to use Serbia for that.”

‘Escalation becomes real danger’

Could the recent events in the Balkans be seen as diversions into the war in Ukraine? “That says too much,” says Russia expert Schmid. However, the deployment of Serbian troops suits Russia very well, because it diverts attention from Ukraine. “A military escalation is also very unlikely.”

Balkan expert Clewing sees it differently. He clearly says: “An escalation becomes a real danger.” Serbian forces, perhaps even the Serbian army and police, could take up arms against Kosovo police units in northern Kosovo. Because the troops of the NATO peacekeeping mission KFOR apparently do not yet know how energetically they should act against the blockades in the north of Kosovo.