BELGRADE, May 31. /TASS/. The Serbian Armed Forces are full of resolve and are ready to perform all duties, Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said Wednesday.
"Today, I inspected some of the Serbian Army’s forces who are [deployed near the administrative border with Kosovo]. During the inspection, I talked to Serbian servicemen at their deployment locations and certain territories and made sure of their readiness to perform any missions. I was also able to assess the readiness of Serbian Armed Forces’ servicemen and the high morale that defines them," the Defense Minister tweeted.
Earlier, Vucevic pointed out that the Serbian Armed Forces cannot ignore the violence against Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija and will have to react to the murder of their compatriots. Previously, the Serbian Armed Forces were put on high alert over the escalation in northern Kosovo and Metohija.
The situation in Serb municipalities of Kosovo and Metohija escalated on May 26, when Kosovo police special forces occupied administrative buildings in the municipalities of Zvecan, Zubin Potok and Leposavic. The police attempted to ensure that the municipality heads, who won election despite the majority of the population boycotting the vote, were able to safely take office. On May 29, NATO’s Kosovo Force (KFOR) cordoned off administration buildings, where local residents staged peaceful protests that later escalated into clashes.
According to Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic, a total of 52 Serbs sought medical aid in the Kosovska Mitrovica hospital, 3 of them with severe injuries. The NATO mission reported over 40 injured servicemen from Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingents. On Monday, Vucevic underscored that the Serbian Army was put on high alert over the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, and its units were deployed along the administrative line with Serbia’s autonomous region.