Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung writes: "After of the bomb attack on the canal in the north of Kosovo, where the water important for the operation of the two power plants comes from, Kosovo Prime Minister Aljbin Kurti accused Serbia of being responsible for the explosion. Belgrade rejected this. Kosovo Police in the meantime, it arrested eight suspects during raids in the north of Kosovo inhabited by Serbs and announced that during the raids they seized weapons and ammunition."
Kurti's words are also reported in the short report: "The attack was carried out by professionals." It is a new criminal and terrorist attack that we believe comes from gangs led and directed by Serbia." The German newspaper, however, states that the background of the attack "is still unclear" and that "Belgrade has denied any responsibility."
"Hybrid war"
The Berlin Tageskeitung reports the reaction of the European Union, which condemned the explosion as a "terrorist attack", as well as the statement of the outgoing EU High Representative for Foreign Policy and Security, Josep Borelj, who assessed that it was a "disgusting act of sabotage of the critical civilian infrastructure of Kosovo". It is also stated that "international criticism was joined by the USA, France and Turkey", and that "the KFOR protection forces for Kosovo, led by NATO, also called for restraint".
The newspaper writes: "Kosovo media believe that the attacks are the beginning of a hybrid war led by Russia." Earlier this week, attackers threw hand grenades at the municipal building and the police station. The worst escalation in recent years occurred at the end of September 2023 after the fatal attack by Serbian paramilitary commandos on a Kosovo police patrol, when about thirty armed men attacked a Kosovo police patrol.
Photo: FoNet/Kosovo onlineIn the village of Varage near Zubin Potok, an explosion occurred in which the Ibar-Lepenac canal was damaged
"Serbia hopes for help from Russia and the USA"
The Frankfurter Rundschau reports that, after the attack in Kosovo, "Pristina and Belgrade are accusing each other" and at the same time states that "Serbia is hoping for help from Russia and the USA".
"The Government of Serbia has long claimed that its compatriots in Kosovo are being oppressed. It has never recognized the state of Kosovo and is trying to undermine the territorial integrity and sovereignty of that country through numerous international initiatives. Donald Trump's election victory in the Balkans is seen as an opportunity for Serbia - whose leadership maintains close contacts with Trump's entourage - to advance its interests. In that context, the attack (on the Ibar-Lepenac canal, editor's note) is seen as preparing the ground for that."
"It is by no means a Greater Serbian dream," the German newspaper assesses, "the first Trump administration supported Serbia in its plan to separate the north of Kosovo and annex it to Serbia. Most Serbs live in the north, and there are many natural resources. Many experts on the situation now fear that under the second Trump administration, there could be another attempt to draw borders in the Balkans based on ethnic criteria, which would be extremely dangerous, especially for the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina - and this would increase the risk of war. ", concludes the Frankfurter Rundschau.
