The acting Minister of Defense of Kosovo, Ejup Maqedonci, has responded to the recent wave of reactions surrounding his statement that 70% of the Serbian army is positioned near the border with Kosovo.
Maqedonci clarified that this is not a new development and called the current media focus an attempt to distract public attention from one of the largest ongoing events in Kosovo — the Defender Europe 25 military exercise.
“Various actors in Kosovo launched a wide campaign across online portals and social networks around my 1-minute statement on the positioning of Serbian military units, which was taken from a 30-minute interview with A2 CNN. That interview mainly focused on the Defender Europe 25 exercise. A short segment, barely more than a minute, was turned into a headline and manipulated as propaganda to divert attention. I find it necessary to clarify for the public that in almost all of my public appearances over the past two years, whenever I’ve been asked about Serbian military positioning, I have always given the same answer and presented the same facts,” Maqedonci stated.
He added:
“This time too, I gave the same answer to the same question. Propaganda would be if I claimed that Serbia has a friendly, non-militaristic, and peaceful approach towards Kosovo and its other neighbors. It would be propaganda if I claimed that Serbia has not deployed agents and spies to smear the legitimate KLA war internationally, or if I said that Serbia has not supported terrorist groups in the north. But the militarization of southern Serbia and Serbia’s hegemonic and aggressive stance toward Kosovo is a reality — one none of us would wish to exist.”
According to Maqedonci, three of the four combined brigades of the Serbian army — not including specialized units — are stationed in southern Serbia near the border with Kosovo:
2nd Brigade in Raška
3rd Brigade in Niš
4th Brigade in Vranje
These brigades operate 28 forward operational bases along the Kosovo border, situated from just 300 meters to 5 kilometers from the boundary line. Additionally, 20 Serbian Gendarmerie bases are deployed in this region, staffed with military personnel and equipped with collective combat gear. Only one brigade is stationed in northern Serbia, confirming Maqedonci’s statement that around 70% of Serbian military capacities are concentrated in the south — something easily verified with a basic online search.
Despite this, Kosovo’s institutions have shown restraint and commitment to peace and security, while Serbia’s militarization does not contribute to regional stability.
Maqedonci concluded that the positioning of Serbian military forces is not new, and that the main focus of his interview was the Defender Europe 25 exercise.
Below the statement, he also shared a map from 2023 showing the Serbian army’s positions and units.
