Belgrade/Prishtina, July 21, 2025 — In a move that escalates regional tensions, Serbian authorities have ordered intelligence and security structures to gather information and identify Kosovo Police officers involved in the arrest of Igor Popović, the Deputy Director of Serbia’s so-called Office for Kosovo.
The High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has formally requested that Serbia’s Criminal Police Directorate and the Security and Intelligence Agency (BIA) collect data on the officers who arrested Popović on July 18, 2025, at the Bërnjak border crossing and transferred him to Pristina.
“The High Public Prosecutor’s Office in Belgrade has sent requests for the necessary information to the Directorate of Criminal Police at the Ministry of Internal Affairs and to the Security and Intelligence Agency in order to identify the individuals who, presenting themselves as the so-called ‘Kosovo Police’, arrested and transported Igor Popović to Pristina,” the Prosecutor’s statement reads.
According to the same statement, Serbian authorities are attempting to frame the arrest as an act of kidnapping, citing Article 134, Paragraphs 1 and 3 of the Serbian Penal Code.
The move is seen by Pristina as an attempt to intimidate and criminalize Kosovo’s law enforcement institutions, which arrested Popović on suspicion of inciting hatred and intolerance.
Kosovo’s leadership has condemned Serbia’s response, calling it part of a wider campaign of hybrid threats and destabilization tactics against Kosovo’s sovereignty.
Tensions between the two countries have intensified following Popović’s arrest, with Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti warning of arbitrary detentions and provocations by Serbia and urging citizens to avoid traveling through Serbian territory.
