The County State Attorney’s Office in Split, Croatia, has filed an indictment on espionage charges against former Croatian military pilot J.I., who served in Kosovo as part of KFOR, and his long-term partner, A.M., a Serbian citizen from Kosovo.
According to Croatian prosecutors, while serving in the Croatian Armed Forces, the pilot allegedly repeatedly provided his partner with classified information obtained through his official duties between February and December 2022.
Investigators allege that he was aware that the information was being collected in the interests of a foreign state, while A.M. is accused of subsequently forwarding the information to several recipients outside Croatia.
Particularly concerning are the allegations related to Kosovo. While the Croatian pilot was serving with KFOR, he allegedly disclosed to his partner information concerning the movements of NATO mission troops, security developments, and the movements of Serbs in northern Kosovo. According to reports, some of this information was subsequently allegedly passed on to the Serb List.
If these allegations are proven in court, the case would involve more than an individual breach of military secrecy. It would also raise serious questions about the security of operational information belonging to an international mission operating in one of the Balkans’ most sensitive areas.
The allegation that information concerning KFOR movements may have reached a political entity in Kosovo also requires full institutional clarification: who received the information, for what purpose it was used, and whether it was subsequently passed on to others.
Prosecutors have requested that A.M.’s detention measures be extended due to the risk of flight. Meanwhile, the former Croatian pilot, who was released from custody at the end of October last year under restrictive measures, has been dismissed from military service.
With the indictment filed, the investigation is considered complete and the case is moving into the judicial phase, where the alleged chain through which classified KFOR information in Kosovo was leaked is expected to be examined and established.
