MOSCOW, May 31. /TASS/. Russia supports Serbia in light of the escalating tensions in Kosovo and believes that the rights and interests of Kosovo’s Serbs must be respected, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov told the media on Wednesday.

"We are keeping a close watch on this. We absolutely unconditionally support Serbia. We support the Serbs," the Kremlin spokesman said in response to a question from TASS.

"We believe that all legitimate rights and interests of Kosovo’s Serbs must be respected and ensured. There must be no room for any provocative actions that infringe on the rights of Serbs. We are watching very closely how the situation is developing. We feel concerned."

Peskov said there were no plans for any communication between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic in connection with the escalation in Kosovo.

"Not at the highest level, but through diplomatic channels we stay permanently in touch," he explained.

Tensions in the Serbian municipalities in northern Kosovo and Metohija escalated on May 26, after the Kosovo police’s special forces occupied the administrative buildings in the municipalities of Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic. The police tried to ensure the inauguration of the heads of the municipalities who had won the elections that the Serbian population boycotted. On May 29, the NATO Kosovo Force (KFOR) surrounded the administrative buildings, where protests broke out and eventually turned into clashes.

Vucic said more than 50 Serbs turned to a hospital in Kosovska Mitrovica for medical assistance. The NATO mission said more than 20 members of the Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingents had been wounded.