Kosovan minister says Serbia aims to destabilise the country

Local Serbs walk near a roadblock, near the northern part of the ethnically-divided town of Mitrovica, Kosovo, December 27, 2022. REUTERS/Florion Goga

MITROVICA, Kosovo (Reuters) -Kosovan Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla on Tuesday said Serbia, under the influence of Russia, was aiming to destabilise Kosovo by supporting the Serb minority in the north who have been blocking roads and protesting for almost three weeks.

Serbs in the ethnically divided city of Mitrovica in northern Kosovo erected new barricades on Tuesday, hours after Serbia said it had put its army on the highest combat alert following weeks of escalating tensions between Belgrade and Pristina.