Russia’s Ambassador to the UN Vitaly Churkin has voiced Russia’s concern over the aggravating tensions in the north of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo. He has condemned the latest developments there as outrageous.

A statement to this effect was made at a session of the UN Security Council on Kosovo’s status settlement.

Mr. Churkin pointed out that NATO forces in Kosovo (KFOR) “are exerting pressure on Kosovo Serbs”. He urged NATO peacekeepers to concentrate their efforts on ensuring the security of the civilians, instead of trying to remove roadblocks erected by Serbs. Kosovo Serbs started erecting barricades in protest against attempts by the local administration to assume control over the administrative boundary between Serbia and Kosovo.

The situation in Northern Kosovo deteriorated in the middle of September, when the Albanian authorities of the self-proclaimed state assumed control over the Jarinje and Brnjak checkpoints on the administrative border with Serbia. Kosovo Serbs have since started building barricades to protest the move. They say that if Albanian checkpoints are to be located there, they will lose the last ties with Serbia.

So far, all the attempts to destroy the barricades have failed. As soon as the peacemakers managed to remove the roadblocks, Serbs erected new ones.

Up to 60 people were injured in the recent set of clashes on Monday when NATO peacekeepers began removing roadblocks between Kosovska-Mitrovica and Zubin Potok.

Russia is calling for a probe into the recent clashes in Kosovo. Vitaly Churkin urged the UN to play a more active role in the peace settlement. At present, it is limited to monitoring of the situation, which is not in compliance with its mandate, while the KFOR international security and the European Union Rule of Law Mission in Kosovo are supporting the Albanian Pristina administration.

Kosovo Serbs have two options right now – either to lose their national identity or fight for their rights. The situation is aggravated by the fact that Serbia is distancing itself from its citizens, an expert in Balkan studies Petr Iskanderov says:

"The Serbian authorities and the country’s President Boris Tadic are looking for ways to build a strong rapprochement with Brussels in a bid to join the European Union. The radical position of Kosovo Serbs is unacceptable for them. Kosovo Serbs on their part are accusing the Serbian authorities of betraying the national interest. They have already put forward two initiatives – firstly, they applied for Russian citizenship, submitting over 50000 applications, and secondly, they warned they would proclaim their own independence following the example of the Kosovo administration. They said they would secede from Kosovo and break ties with Serbia."

At the same time, Serbia and Kosovo are taking part in negotiations in Brussels. The talks’ agenda include some technicalities, but not the issue of administrative borders.

A lot here depends on Serbia’s position. Its President attaches top priority to the country’s integration in the EU. That is why the problems of Kosovo Serbs and the issue of preserving Serbia’s sovereignty over Kosovo are paling into insignificance. So Kosovo Serbs living in the north of the region have no other option but to proclaim their sovereignty.

Petr Iskenderov believes that if Kosovo Serbs obtain Russian citizenship, this will not disrupt, but on the contrary stabilize the situation. At least, this should cool the ardor of Pristina and its Western patrons.