The explosion in Zubin Potok, Lista Serbe: Act against the interests of the Serbian people

The tensions of the last few days in the north of Kosovo have intensified with the explosion in Zubin Potok. There, the Ibër-Lepenci canal, a critical asset of Kosovo, was damaged.

A powerful explosion occurred in the evening of November 29 in the village of Varage in Zubin Potok, a municipality in the north of Kosovo, thus damaging the Ibër-Lepenci water channel. There were no human casualties from the explosion. This water channel that flows from Lake Ujman is considered a critical asset for Kosovo. The operation of Kosovo's electric power plants, the drinking water supply of a large part of Kosovo, including a part of the capital Pristina, depends a lot on this water channel.

The attack on the Ibër Lepenc canal - a "terrorist" act

The Minister of Internal Affairs of Kosovo, Xhelal Sveҫla, described the explosion as a 'terrorist' attack and according to him, a part of the Ibër Lepenci canal that was damaged is considered "critical infrastructure". "It is a necessary duty of the security institutions to investigate the terrorists who committed this terrorist act and bring them to justice", said Sveҫla.

The President of Kosovo, Vjosa Osmani, blamed "Serbian criminal gangs" for the attack on Kosovo's critical infrastructure, assuring citizens that "Serbian criminal gangs have lost every battle with Kosovo's institutions". "The protection of constitutionality and legality in every corner of the country and the uncompromising fight against these criminal elements are vital", said Osmani, calling on citizens to continue to show calmness and prudence until the institutions investigate the case and repair the damage.

Kurti blames gangs led by Serbia

The explosions of the last few days in the municipalities in the north of Kosovo, the prime minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has called them 'terrorist' acts from Serbia. He said that "the attack was carried out by professionals with the aim of damaging the critical infrastructure of Kosovo". "This is a criminal and terrorist attack aimed at damaging our critical infrastructure. The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe it comes from gangs led by Serbia. If the damage is not repaired, then a part of Kosovo risks being left without electricity in the morning", said Kurti in an extraordinary press conference.

According to the Prime Minister of Kosovo, "there is no other address for such attacks except official Belgrade and the criminal structures, led by Milan Radoicić". "This is the attack, i.e. the third explosion in recent days that has targeted our institutions. And it is intended to incite fear. Such efforts will remain unsuccessful because the constitutionality in our country, the rule of law, order and our Republic will not be defeated by anyone", said Kurti. The Prime Minister said that he will immediately meet the commander of KFOR and at the same time invited the meeting of the National Security Council.

Hovenier: We offer our support

After the recent attacks, the American ambassador in Kosovo, Jeffry Hovenier, also reacted, who strongly condemned the attack on the "critical infrastructure" of Kosovo. "We are closely monitoring the situation, will support a comprehensive investigation, and have provided full support to the Government of Kosovo to ensure that those responsible for this criminal act are identified and held accountable," said Hovenier.

The explosion in the Ibër Lepenc canal was also condemned by Lista Serbe, the main party of the Serbs in Kosovo, which has the support of Belgrade. "We want to make it clear that this act is absolutely against the interests of the Serbian people and we ask KFOR and EULEX to investigate this case urgently. The damage to the water channel, in addition to jeopardizing the water supply of the citizens, has also caused concern among the Serbs in the north of Kosovo", says the reaction of the Serbian List.

Increased tensions in the last two days

Before the explosion in the Ibër Lepenc canal, there were attacks with hand grenades in the north of Kosovo two days ago. A grenade was thrown at the municipal building of the Municipality of Zveīani and one at a police station, the Kosovo police announced. There were no human consequences, apart from material damage to the municipality building and some vehicles parked nearby. The authors are still unknown. The highest authorities of Kosovo also condemned the attacks with hand grenades, calling them criminal and terrorist acts.

The attack on the municipal facility in Zveīan, in which there were also members of the police, happened only a few hours after the assemblymen in the Municipal Assembly in Zveīan marked with a solemn session the anniversary of Albania's independence, for the first time in this area inhabited by a majority of Serbs. The Independence Day of Albania is not an official holiday in the Republic of Kosovo, but many activities are held all over the country in its honor.

Increased security measures throughout Kosovo

After the attacks of the last few days in the north, the Kosovo police raised the level of security at the country level, including the north of Kosovo. According to the police announcement, the increase in security is being done to prevent incidents of various natures. "With the planned plans, there will be an increase in police activities to provide more security throughout the country, for all citizens without distinction. The operational police planning will focus on increasing the police presence in the field, carrying out more patrols in the most critical areas, more checkpoints and increased cooperation with citizens", the police announcement states.

At the beginning of this week, the Prime Minister of Kosovo, Albin Kurti, announced that a new police substation is being built in the village of Izvor in the municipality of Zveçan. This prompted opposition from representatives of the Serbian community. The Director of the Office for Kosovo in the Government of Serbia, Petar Petkovic, sees the construction of new police stations in the north as an additional tool for, as he says, "the suppression and expulsion of the Serbian population."

The municipality of Zveçan and the other three municipalities in the north, that of North Mitrovica, Leposaviq and Zubin Potok, have been led by Albanian mayors since April 2023, after the Serbs boycotted participation in local elections on a large scale. Albanian leaders are not accepted by the majority of citizens who are of Serbian ethnicity./DW