Serbian Army put on high alert due to situation in Kosovo and Metohija, says defense chief

 Serbia's armed forces have been put on high alert due to the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, Serbian Defense Minister Milos Vucevic said on Tuesday.

"The President of the Republic, as commander-in-chief, has ordered the Serbian Army to be ready, to be on high alert," the minister said during a Serbian Happy TV broadcast.

Vucevic explained that the situation in Kosovo and Metohija was tense, and the Kosovars began applying the decision to ban Serbian license plates. The defense chief noted that no one wanted to fight, but "the army is ready to perform any task."

Authorities of the unrecognized Kosovo have decided to fine those who have not changed Serbian plates since November 1, 2022. The fines will amount to 150 euros, and citizens will be instructed to replace Serbian plates with the registration plates of the unrecognized Kosovo. The transition period will last until April 21, 2023, after which Kosovo police will begin confiscating cars with Serbian license plates.

The Prime Minister of the unrecognized Kosovo, Albin Kurti, has warned that the replacement process must be completed by October 31. After that, cars with Serbian license plates will be confiscated on thd region’s territory. In response, Serbs living in Kosovo and Metohija said they would peacefully resist Pristina if Kosovo Albanians started taking away their cars with Serbian registration plates. In such a scenario, the leader of Serbs from Kosovo and Metohija, Goran Rakic, threatened to block all entries and exits from Kosovo.