In the Helsinki report titled “Russia’s Shadow War Against NATO”, it is stated that Russia is waging a shadow war against Western countries. The actions identified as part of Russia’s Hybrid Warfare are divided into four parts in the report. One of these is “Violent Campaigns”.
What is noteworthy here is the similarity and the attempt by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić’s regime to emulate Putin’s Russia in hybrid warfare.
Violent Campaigns – Attack in Banjska and Against KFOR
According to the Helsinki report, the Campaigns of Violence identified to have been caused by Russia range from minor vandalism to acts of terrorism.
On September 24, 2023, a group of Serbian terrorists, led by Milan Radojčić, then deputy head of the Serbian List, a party in Kosovo’s parliament, and close to President Aleksandar Vučić, attacked Northern Kosovo.
Heavily armed with weapons used by the Serbian military, they killed Kosovo policeman Afrim Bunjaku.
They then barricaded themselves in the Banjska Monastery, equipped with various weapons.
After several hours of fighting, they fled to Serbia, where they remain free to this day, leaving behind three terrorists killed by the Kosovo Police. These were likened to Putin’s so-called “Little Green Men” who attacked Ukraine.
That same year, a few months earlier, Serbian groups in the north attacked KFOR, NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.
They began with protests, blocking roads and municipalities in the north of the country. They then escalated to violence, injuring dozens of KFOR soldiers.
The attacks included bombs and batons, which were later identified by the Kosovo Police as equipment used by Serbian security forces, resulting in serious injuries to NATO soldiers.
Journalists did not escape this campaign of violence either.
Similar examples initiated by Russia were identified in the Helsinki Report, including:
- German authorities arrested a group planning to bomb several key locations, like German and American air bases where Ukrainian soldiers were being trained.
- In 2024, Polish authorities arrested someone recruited and paid by Russian operatives to carry out a bomb attack on a paint factory.
- French authorities arrested a person near Charles de Gaulle International Airport on charges of manufacturing bombs linked to a sabotage plan by Russia in northern France.
- A British citizen linked to the Russian paramilitary group Wagner was accused of planning to burn a Ukrainian business.
Serbia’s attempt to copy Russia does not stop at violent attacks but is also significantly evident in attacks on Critical Infrastructure and electoral interference.
