MOSCOW, August 21. /TASS/. Moscow has issued a call to all international organizations to take decisive action to avert an impending humanitarian catastrophe in Kosovo and Metohija, according to a statement by Russian Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Maria Zakharova.

"We insist that the UN mission in Kosovo adopt a responsible approach in fulfilling its mandate, which includes fostering conditions conducive to peaceful coexistence among the region’s diverse communities," Zakharova emphasized. "We urge all relevant international bodies to implement comprehensive measures aimed at preventing the unfolding humanitarian crisis in Kosovo and Metohija."

She further highlighted that the prevailing situation "reflects an escalation of targeted, systemic violence against the local Serbian population."

"The situation is all the more bizarre because it is the temporary self-government bodies in Pristina that are carrying out this - the very same ones that claim to be the legitimate authorities. Moreover, this oppression of people based on ethnicity is occurring with the connivance of the international presences deployed in this part of Serbia under the auspices of NATO, the EU, and the UN," Zakharova added.

Catastrophic Position of Serbs

Zakharova sees the position of Serbs in the province as truly catastrophic. "They are being forced to leave their homes. The Kosovo Albanian 'justice' is fabricating criminal cases en masse and instigating intimidation campaigns. Cases of clearly disproportionate use of force, including torture, are growing. Serbian property is being demolished in violation of established procedures, as in the case of the mass destruction of buildings near Gazivode Lake in July," she continued. At the same time, as Zakharova noted, the "political credo" of Kosovo's acting prime minister, Albin Kurti, is based on fanatical, uncontrollable Serbophobia. "The indifference of Western capitals, which, through their virtual inaction, are encouraging the ethnic cleansing of Kosovo, is outrageous. It's difficult to otherwise qualify the recent decision by the Kosovo Force (KFOR) command to reduce the presence of its units in particularly vulnerable areas of Serbian-Albanian contact - the bridge over the Ibar River in Kosovska Mitrovica and the perimeter of the Visoki Decani Orthodox Monastery. KFOR troops there have been partially replaced by Pristina’s police, which threatens to escalate interethnic tensions," Zakharova emphasized.

Attempts to justify this move by claiming that the security situation in the province has improved are cynical and irresponsible. "It's obvious that Kosovo's 'police' will under no circumstances protect Serbs and will unleash their entire arsenal of repressive means against them at the first opportunity," Zakharova stated.

She also drew attention to the actions of the European Union.

"Brussels has openly sabotaged the implementation of the 2013-2015 agreements it itself guaranteed to establish the Community of Serb Municipalities of Kosovo, but at the same time demands that Belgrade implement the unsigned 2023 'agreements' with Pristina and recognize the 'state sovereignty' of its own southern province," Zakharova noted. "Given the ongoing extreme instability in the province, KFOR's withdrawal from key deployment locations is unacceptable. The multinational contingent deployed under UN Security Council Resolution 1244 must continue to fully carry out its assigned duties without the involvement of the obviously unreliable Kosovo Albanian security forces," she concluded.