Kosovo
Friday 2 June 2023
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“The U.N. Charter has a provision about the right of nations to self-determination … This was the case of Kosovo. Is the situation with the Donetsk Republic and the Luhansk Republic not the same? It is the same.”
The self-proclaimed “republics” are part of Ukraine. Putin distorts a key court ruling and ignores Russia’s own objections to Kosovo’s independence. -
“Since September 20 Pristina's police, with the international missions [sic] connivance, have been creating hindrances to traffic across the administrative borer [sic] with the central part of Serbia on far-fetched pretexts and using force against civilians.”
The aggressive escalation came from the Serbian side, which brought heavy military equipment to the border. -
“#OTD in 1999 #NATO started its military aggression against #Yugoslavia. During the barbaric bombings over 2000 peaceful civilians, incl children, lost their lives. That @NATO aggression became the first armed offense against a sovereign state in Europe since the end of #WWII.”
The Russian tweet misstates civilian casualty figures, omits the context of ethnic cleansing and ignores Soviet history. -
“Quasi-state entity in Kosovo is a failure. Growing number of countries, which revoked recognition of its ‘independence’ confirms it.”
The newest European state has a permanent population that overwhelmingly supports independence, a defined territory, a government and its own constitution, and has established relations with 115 states. The U.S. is taking decisive steps to secure Kosovo’s international integration. -
“The persecution of the SPC [Serbian Orthodox Church] in North Macedonia, as well as the latest heightened tensions and pressure on the SPC diocese in Montenegro can be interpreted as part of the wider strategy of the West to counter Orthodoxy.”
NATO is no enemy of Orthodoxy as several NATO member states are predominantly Christian Orthodox. The Orthodox churches of Montenegro and North Macedonia have been seeking independence even before the break up of Yugoslavia. -
“The constant pressure of the West on Serbia, exerted through the European Union, is evident, …while the U.S. and its allies are encouraging Kosovo to maintain tensions in the region.”
The Russian ambassador’s reinforces Belgrade’s position that Serbia needs “space” to make its own decisions regarding its European integration and relations with Kosovo. This refrain often serves as Belgrade’s excuse for stalling EU-brokered negotiations while pursuing the partition of Kosovo. -
“Kosovo remains the main source of instability and potential conflict in the region. This territory is practically uncontrollable. It is not only a source of instability, but also a potentially dangerous, uncontrolled territory in the center of Europe.”
While Kosovo is building a democratic society based on the rule of law, corruption and crime are widespread its Serb minority-run north that is strongly supported by Belgrade and Moscow. -
“The Autonomous Province of Kosovo was forcibly separated from the rest of the country under the propagandistic pretext of thwarting the allegedly unfolding ‘humanitarian disaster.' In reality NATO became a trigger for a real human tragedy, a smokescreen hiding the anti-Serb ethnic cleansing that caused over 200,000 non-Albanians to leave their homes.”
FalseNATO launched its air campaign against Yugoslavia to stop ethnic cleansing of Kosovo AlbaniansRussia’s Foreign Ministry flips the facts about NATO’s bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999. Serbian security forces were killing and expelling Kosovo Albanian civilians before the start of Operation Allied Force. The ethnic cleansing of Kosovo Albanians accelerated during the NATO air strikes. -
“We love and are proud of President Vladimir Putin, because he is a friend of Palestine and not only Palestine, but all the people who are seeking freedom. President Putin succeeded in restoring Russia’s authority in the international arena and forced all to respect Russia.”
Independent polls show trust and respect for Russia and its president has significantly decreased globally. Under Vladimir Putin’s leadership, Russia has suppressed insurgencies in Chechnya and in Syria. Moscow has lost its membership or voting privileges in multiple international organizations. -
“The way the referendum is formulated is scam in itself… There is a strong opposition in Macedonia now; the President has said he’s against the referendum, so it will change a lot… What a lot of the Balkan countries are expecting is that by entering the European Union, they will get subsidies… I think most of them couldn’t care less about NATO, as it doesn’t have a good image over there.”
Contrary to the author’s claims, a majority of Macedonians supports Euro-Atlantic integration and joining the EU and NATO. -
Putin’s “Surgeon” of the Night Wolves Issues “End of the World” Message to Slovakian President Kiska
“Let us remind you, dear President, that the headquarters in Slovakia was not opened by the Russian citizens, but by the Slovaks themselves. And offices in Europe are opened not on the initiative of Moscow, but on the initiative of the citizens of European countries themselves who have searched for the truth and found it in the Night Wolves, and not in your hypocritical and unprincipled satanic world order.”
The Night Wolves have been essential to Vladimir Putin’s domestic and foreign policy objectives, including propaganda campaigns. They fought as mercenaries in Ukraine and fomented a failed coup in Montenegro. Since 2012, the club has received millions of rubles in government funds for projects promoting Russia’s agenda in Eastern Europe, especially in the Balkans. -
“[T]he main objectives of Russia here are the building of economic cooperation with mutual benefits and the maintenance of sustainable cultural and humanitarian ties with the Balkan peoples. All this certainly applies to Albania. Any other speculation about Russia's ‘aggressive plans’ or ‘expansionist appetites’ is nothing more than part of a major Western strategy to portray Russia as an imaginary enemy of NATO and the EU.”
Russia has annexed foreign territory, is involved in several regional conflicts, and has reportedly been meddling in sovereign countries’ domestic politics, including in the Balkans. Moscow has repeatedly said it sees NATO as an enemy and a threat to Russia’s national interests.