Serbia has expressed growing concern over Kosovo’s continued military build-up, viewing it as a potential security risk, particularly following reports that Kosovo has invested €430 million in military equipment and armaments.
According to Milovan Drecun, Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee for Defense and Internal Affairs of the Serbian National Assembly, recent deliveries to Pristina from Turkey and other countries indicate what he described as an intensified militarization of Kosovo’s provisional institutions, which, in his view, poses serious security risks.
In an interview with RTS, Drecun stated that since the beginning of the final phase of the transformation of the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), the process of equipping and training this force has intensified, claiming that such developments are contrary to UN Security Council Resolution 1244.
According to him, over the past four years, €430 million has been invested in the KSF, mainly in military equipment and armaments.
“It should be emphasized that there is a noticeable increase in the military budget, the establishment of bilateral and intelligence agreements, as well as the participation of members of these units in international military exercises,” Drecun said.
On January 6, Kosovo received another shipment of OMTAS anti-tank missile systems, contracted with the Turkish state-owned defense company Roketsan in December 2023.
The news was confirmed by Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, who stated that OMTAS (Orta Menzilli Tanksavar Silah) is a modern medium-range anti-tank missile system, designed to neutralize advanced armored vehicles, including tanks equipped with reactive armor, as well as military defensive fortifications.
“Increasing the diversity and quantity of anti-tank missile systems for our army aims to cover different operational ranges, terrains, and threat scenarios, thereby enhancing operational flexibility,” Maqedonci wrote on Facebook.
Technical Characteristics of the OMTAS Missile System:
- Diameter: 160 mm
- Length: 1.8 m
- Weight: 35 kg (missile and launch tube); 36 kg (tripod launch system)
- Range: 200–4,000 m
- Seeker: Uncooled infrared imaging seeker
- Warhead: Tandem HEAT anti-tank warhead, effective against reactive armor
- Attack Modes: Direct attack / top-attack
- Guidance Modes: Fire-and-forget / fire-and-update
- Observation Unit: TV camera / thermal camera
