Russia reacted: Provocation on Kosovo and Metohija, immediate withdrawal needed

Russia reacted: Provocation on Kosovo and Metohija, immediate withdrawal needed

The ministry assessed that the actions of the interim institutions in Pristina were provocations aimed at expelling Serbs from the autonomous province.

"We are very upset by the aggravation of the situation in the northern regions of the Serb autonomous province of Kosovo... In essence, it is an attempt by local Albanians to occupy Serb-populated areas of the province and establish their control there. We consider these steps a provocation aimed at continuing ethnic cleansing and expelling Serbs from Kosovo", it is stated in the announcement published on the website of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Russia.

Russian Ministry also calls on the authorities in Pristina to urgently withdraw police units from the northern parts of the province, stop the sabotage and seriously dedicate themselves to the tasks of resolving the situation.

"We expect that the American and European patrons of Pristina will finally have a sobering effect on their protégés in order to avoid a destructive scenario that threatens the entire region," the statement added, reports Sputnik.

Russia's ICJ emphasizes that KFOR and EULEX "are again unable or unwilling to fulfill their primary task of maintaining peace and security." It is added that the latest increase in tensions could have been predicted, given the stagnation of the process of resolving the Kosovo issue, reports TASS.

"The EU, appointed by the UN General Assembly to mediate the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina, has not taken tangible steps to achieve change for the better, while Kosovo's leaders categorically refuse to fulfill their obligations, including the main one regarding the establishment of the Community of Serb Municipalities", it is said in a statement from the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.