Serbia Puts Its Armed Forces On High Alert Amid Tensions With Kosovo

As relations between Serbia and its neighbour, Kosovo deteriorate. Serbian armed forces have been placed on “highest level” alert, according to Defence Minister Milos Vucevic.

Serbia's president ordered the Serbian army to be at the highest level of combat readiness, i.e. ready to use armed force, Vucevic said in a statement.

According to the Defence Minister, President Aleksandar Vucic has also ordered that the armed forces be increased from 1,500 to 5,000.

Serbian army chief General Milan Mojsilovic was also dispatched to the Kosovo border on Sunday.

According to AFP, the Serbian interior ministry has also announced that all units will be placed under the command of the chief of the general staff immediately.

Several incidents of tension between the two neighbours had occurred in recent years, the most recent in November when Serbia claimed that drones from Kosovo had entered its airspace.

Tensions rose further this month when Serbs in Kosovo set up barricades to protest the arrest of an ex-policeman on suspicion of involvement in attacks on police officers.

There has also been an increase in reported shootings in Kosovo. NATO's KFOR (Kosovo Force) mission, a neutral party in the area, reported gunshots fired near a patrol car on Sunday.

Since Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, tensions between the two countries have been persistent. Years later, Belgrade continued to refuse to recognise Pristina's authority, encouraging the remaining 12,000 Serbs to defy the government.