Situation in Serbia: The Army on High Combat Readiness

Serbia's Minister of Defense Miloš Vučević and Chief of the General Staff Milan Moisiliović inspected the troops between Central Serbia and the administrative line with Kosovo and Metohija. This was reported on Tuesday by the press service of the Serbian Ministry of Defense, according to TASS.

"Deputy Prime Minister and Defense Minister Miloš Vučević and Chief of the General Staff Milan Moisiliović visited some units of the Serbian army and police today... The Minister of Defense ensured the high morale and readiness of the Serbian army and police personnel to carry out tasks swiftly and decisively. The Serbian army has been on the highest level of combat readiness since yesterday," the ministry's press service reported.

Earlier, the unrecognized authorities of Kosovo had brought their security forces to full readiness. In response, Minister Vučević and Minister of Internal Affairs Bratislav Gašić announced that Serbia's armed forces and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, by the command of the Supreme Commander, President Aleksandar Vučić, have also been put on combat readiness.

The situation in Kosovo and Metohija sharply escalated on December 6, when special forces of the unrecognized formation, accompanied by EU mission patrols, began to seize the buildings of electoral commissions in Northern Kosovo and Metohija. The Serbian population spontaneously organized and pushed back the Kosovo forces, who retreated across the Ibar River.

On December 8, about 350 police officers from Kosovo entered the northern part of the Serbian Autonomous Province in armored vehicles and blocked northern Mitrovica. On December 10, the Kosovo police arrested former Serbian policeman Dejan Pantić in Kosovska Mitrovica on trumped-up charges. In response, the Serbian population barricaded roads in several settlements.