Did Serbia recently attack Kosovo using surface-to-surface missiles in a special operation? No, that's not true: A video circulating on social media shows a two-year-old military training exercise, which took place several kilometers away from the border with Kosovo.
The claim originated from a video (archived here) published on TikTok on September 28, 2023, with the text overlay "SERBIA ATTACK ON KOSOVO - special operation," as translated by Lead Stories staff. The lack of accents on the words used in the text does not allow one to distinguish between Serbian or Croatian, but one of the accompanying hashtags, #kosovojesrbija - #kosovoisserbia - suggests a pro-Belgrade stance.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Sun Oct 1 12:05:50 2023 UTC)
This is old footage and does not show any recent Serbian "special operation" against Kosovo. On June 27, 2021, Serbia's armed forces carried out a tactical exercise codenamed "Lightning Strike" in a training area called Pešter, 35 km north-west of the border with Kosovo.
According to Serbia's Ministry of Defence the exercise was carried out:
To test operational capabilities to respond to challenges, risks and threats to the security of citizens of the Republic of Serbia.
Serbia's military released a video of the training exercise on YouTube. At the 2:39 mark, the images are the same as those shown at the beginning of the TikTok video; both videos feature the same sequence of tanks, surface-to-surface missiles and fighter jets.
Balkan Tensions Flare Again
Tensions between Kosovo and Serbia have repeatedly flared since the break up of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s.
War broke out between The Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (Serbia & Macedonia) and the separatist Kosovo Liberation Army in 1998 and lasted until 1999. Serbia responded with a brutal crackdown against ethnic Albanians.
Kosovo has a population of 1.8 million people of which 93 percent are ethnic Albanians and 6 percent are ethnic Serbs.
Despite Kosovo declaring unilateral independence in 2008, Serbia and roughly 80 other nations do not recognise Kosovo as a country. As a result, Kosovo has not been able to become a member state of the United Nations or NATO.
In the 15 years since, Serbia refused to recognise Kosovo as a sovereign state, there have been several periods of strained relations.
Most recently, Kosovo accused Serbia of planning a "terrorist" shootout in the village of Banjska on September 24, 2023. Serbia denied involvement.
On September 29, 2023, the White House expressed "concern about Serbian military mobilizations near the Kosovo border." On the same day, NATO announced that additional troops would be sent to Kosovo.
On October 2, 2023, Serbian army commander General Milan Mojsilovic said that Serbia had withdrawn some troops stationed near the border with Kosovo. A "welcome step", if confirmed, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a press briefing shortly after Mojsilovic's statement.
