Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic turned out to be a diligent student of Vladimir Putin in the use of blackmail and provocations. He constantly comes up with new forms of them, trying to stop those interested in solving the problems of resolving relations between Kosovo and Serbia, at the same time not forgetting about the proven old ones.. Vucic is clearly unwilling to make a strategic decision - to make a choice between yesterday in Moscow and tomorrow in the European Union, which will improve life in Serbia.

[see_also ids\u003d"

Now he " For this, he used not only the army, but also his faithful ally - the Serbian Orthodox Church..

It all started with the fact that Patriarch Porfiry wished to visit Kosovo Orthodox Serbs exactly on Catholic Christmas, when there were signs of the end of the previous November crisis in relations between Belgrade and Pristina (ZN. UA spoke about this on December 16 in the article “The blockade in Northern Kosovo: a step towards war or peace? "

So, the rector of the SOC addressed the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the diaspora of the Republic of Kosovo (! ) with a request to travel to the Serbian opshtina. The ministry replied that it did not mind if it publicly condemned the provocative and illegal transfers of some Serbian priests to the Republic of Kazakhstan. But there was no condemnation.. That is why, due to non-fulfillment of the conditions of the trip, Porfiry was expectedly not allowed into Kosovo. Looks like a planned provocation, doesn't it

Further events developed at breakneck speed.. Vucic immediately appeared on television (although he disappeared from the media space for several days and did not appear even after the railway accident on December 25, in which about 70 people were injured) and announced the actions of the Kosovo authorities, who had already allegedly put their armed forces on high alert (.

The Serbian defense minister added fuel to the fire, calling on the Serbs to " We emphasize: over our own territory - the territory of the Republic of Kosovo.

[see_also ids\u003d"

And almost immediately NORA self-propelled howitzers (similar to our Bogdan self-propelled guns) moved to the Serbian-Kosovo border (although it usually takes a lot of time to prepare their exit from the garrison), which indicates that their departure was planned. After standing for several hours in readiness to open fire, the howitzers returned to base.

At about the same time, the number of barricades in Serbian opshtina increased from 11 to 13 and a KFOR patrol was fired upon.

Threatening statements also began to be heard from Pristina, which did not help reduce tensions, while individual police units in the north were put on high alert.. The Prime Minister of Kosovo Albin Kurti, during a meeting with the KFOR and EULEX command, stated emphatically: "

Fortunately, apart from riding self-propelled guns, building barricades, provocative shots and horror stories from both sides, there are no sharp actions and clashes.. For now.

Moreover, unlike the European and some Ukrainian mass media, the region reacted relatively calmly to yet another aggravation and provocative actions of the Serbian authorities and the SOC.

After all, this is not the first time Vucic puts the army on high alert.. Even the Serbian media remind that over the past five years, the Serbian army was ready to start a war for the sixth time.. Let's look at the previous cases:.

in August 2018, Vucic resorted to military blackmail for the first time for a not entirely clear reason - \;

in September 2018 in response to increased security measures by the Kosovo police following a visit by then-President Hashim Thaci to a controversial energy facility on Lake Gazivoda;

in May 2019 in response to the anti-corruption actions of the Kosovo special forces, during which 19 police officers were arrested, 11 of whom were Serbs;

in September 2021 due to the expiration of the re-registration period for vehicles with Serbian license plates in Kosovo;

November 2, 2022 in connection with the crossing of the interstate border by an unknown drone from Kosovo to Serbia;

and finally, on December 25-27, the planned provocative actions of the Serbian side.

From the point of view of common sense, and not a student of an experienced provocateur Putin, it is difficult to see the real casus belli in all six cases.. Especially, in our opinion, this applies to recent events, which is confirmed not only by their planning, but by the prompt and sharply provocative statements of Russian diplomacy.

By noon on December 26, when the events were just beginning, the “favorite” of journalists, Maria Zakharova, noted that the actions of the “Pristina extremists” were leading to a large-scale conflict. And the Russian ambassador in Belgrade Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko is “sure” that Porfiry’s ban on visiting Kosovo (which never happened) is a step towards the “destruction of Orthodoxy”.

The development of another circle of destabilization in the northern regions of Kosovo has once again demonstrated that Russia continues its game in the Western Balkans. Its goal is not only an attempt to “not let go” of Serbia to the EU, but also to destabilize the entire region. After all, the local military conflict will distract the United States and European countries from the war in Ukraine and may reduce Western assistance to our state..

It is clear that without the consultations of Serbian politicians and the military with the Russian " And the “brothers” have been imposing Putin’s strategy for Ukraine on Vucic since 2014.

Unfortunately, the West and its structures in Kosovo - KFOR and EULEX have demonstrated their inability to quickly respond to non-standard challenges (withdrawal of Serbs from government, visits of priests and barricades). Or they are hindered by outdated mandates that require updating.

It's hard to say what the Serbian capital, Vucic and his entourage want. It seems that they really don’t want to make a choice between Brussels and Moscow - it’s more convenient. It has already been noted more than once: at least partial recognition of Kosovo for the president and any other Serbian politician means political death. But the conflict must be resolved, otherwise Serbia will end up in a dead end..

The most realistic way out of it seems to be the latest French-German settlement plan - coexistence without recognition: an Association of Serbian Opshtinas (ASO) is being created in Kosovo, Serbia does not block Pristina's entry into the UN. In addition, the Serbian foreign and foreign economic policy is step by step distancing itself from the increasingly toxic, even for Belgrade, Moscow.

What causes great concern in the Kremlin.

And, finally, on the evening of December 28, the instruction expected by all was heard from Belgrade. Having received reliable guarantees from the European Union and the United States, Vucic called on the Kosovo Serbs to dismantle all the barricades. But what guarantees the president received is still unknown..

Will Vucic's sixth step be the last step towards war, not only in 2022, but also in the future

[votes id\u003d"