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<\/p>\nRussian President Vladimir Putin is trying to stoke tensions in Eastern Europe in the hope of starting a new war on the continent, experts have said.<\/p>\n
It comes as Moscow’s troops are continuing their violent invasion of Ukraine, with fighting intensifying in the east and south of the country.<\/p>\n
But Putin has also got his eyes on simmering tensions in the Balkans, with Russian media stoking division between Serbia and Kosovo.<\/p>\n
Kosovo declared independence in 2008 after separatist ethnic Albanians fought against Serbian rule. Belgrade tried to crack down on this when tensions heightened in the 1990s.<\/p>\n
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NATO forces were able to force the Serbian troops away from Kosovo after a bombing campaign in 1999.<\/p>\n
Serbia, Russia and some other countries still don’t recognise Kosovo’s independence, and Belgrade’s president has vowed never to recognise the country’s sovereignty.<\/p>\n
Now, Russian media is publishing disparaging articles about Kosovo, with experts fearing Putin is hoping for a new conflict in Eastern Europe.<\/p>\n
Speaking to the Daily Beast, Kosovo\u2019s ambassador to the United States, Ilir Dugolli, said Russia is trying to stoke violence.<\/p>\n
He said: \u201cWe\u2019ve seen different attempts from Russia\u2026 and echoed of course in Serbia, about instigating violence, about portraying this\u2026 dire situation of Serbs in the northern parts of Kosovo in particular and also in other areas\u2026 to incite violent attacks and overall instability.”<\/p>\n
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Goran Georgiev, an analyst with CSD, told the Daily Beast: \u201cIn the case of Serbia, the No. 1 narrative of course is, \u2018Don\u2019t forget NATO\u2026 it helped Kosovo secede. It is a part of your country. This is part of NATO\u2019s expanded campaign.\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cThe topic of Kosovo is the main topic for Sputnik and RT and also for local media, the majority of which are pro-Russian.”<\/p>\n
One example of this came on Sputnik in Serbia’s website, which produced one article with the headline: \u201cThe West\u2019s action has never been more morbid: They do not know that the day of mourning for the Serbs lasts until freedom comes to Kosovo.”<\/p>\n
While Serbia has some ties with the West, having been a candidate for European Union membership, the country also has strong links to Russia.<\/p>\n
DON’T MISS We use your sign-up to provide content in ways you’ve consented to and to improve our understanding of you. This may include adverts from us and 3rd parties based on our understanding. You can unsubscribe at any time. More info<\/p>\n Much of the media in Serbia is owned by oligarchs with links to the country’s president, Alexander Vucic.<\/p>\n Ruslan Stefanov, co-director and co-author of the Kremlin Playbook, added: \u201cLooking at the Kremlin playbook\u2026 I wouldn\u2019t be surprised if it was actually caused by some desperation or sort of somebody somewhere along the line of chain of command saying, \u2018Hey how about we cheer up our dear leader at some point and do something?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n On the possibility of a new war, Mr Dugolli said: \u201cThe fact that the war [in Ukraine] hasn\u2019t gone as Russia was hoping and the leadership in Serbia were hoping as well, maybe that created an initiative\u2026 they\u2019re trying to reposition themselves.<\/p>\n \u201cRussia would benefit from opening up another front.\u201d<\/p>\n Follow our social media accounts here on <\/b>facebook.com\/ExpressUSNews<\/b> and @expressusnews<\/b><\/p>\n
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