Kosovo : 30 injured from NATO forces and the alliance announces the deployment of additional forces

The death toll from the international "peacekeeping" mission led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "NATO" in Kosovo has risen to 30, following clashes with local Serbs in the north of the country, while the alliance has announced that it will deploy additional forces in Kosovo amid alertness from the forces of its neighbor Serbia.

On Tuesday, the death toll from the international "peacekeeping" mission led by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization "NATO" in Kosovo rose to 30 soldiers.

"11 Italian soldiers and 19 Hungarians sustained multiple injuries, including fractures and burns from incendiary explosive devices," a statement issued by the mission in Kosovo said.

It added that three Hungarian soldiers were injured "as a result of the use of firearms", but their injuries are not life-threatening.

The last announced toll of the number of injured was announced on Monday, and it amounted to 25 soldiers.

And injured "NATO" soldiers against the background of violent clashes between local Serbs in northern Kosovo, and elements of the security and police.

And there were media reports that the Serbs "clashed with NATO forces in the municipality of Zvecan, 45 kilometers north of the capital, Pristina."

"The deployment of additional NATO forces to Kosovo is a prudent measure to ensure that Kosovo forces have the capabilities they need to maintain security as mandated by the UN Security Council," NATO Admiral Stuart P. Munch said in a statement.

He continued, "I want to commend the (Kafour) forces for taking prompt, disciplined and professional measures to intervene to stop the unrest and save lives."

He added: "The violence must stop and all parties must stop taking measures to undermine peace in Kosovo."

For his part, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic announced that "52 Serbs were injured in the clashes, three of them were seriously injured," according to the Associated Press.

And Vucic with his forces on the border with Kosovo in the wake of putting the forces on "high alert" since last Friday.

Yesterday, Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni condemned the attack on the NATO mission, describing it as "totally unacceptable and irresponsible".

On Friday, local Serb protesters gathered in front of the Serb-majority municipality of Zvecan in northern Kosovo to prevent newly elected Albanian mayors from entering municipal buildings to start their duties.

And the mayors took office after winning local elections organized last month in 4 municipalities, most of whose residents are Serbs, who boycotted these elections to a large extent, as only 1,500 voters out of 45,000 registered participated in the poll.

Kosovo, which has a majority Albanian population, separated from Serbia in 1999 and declared its independence in 2008, and Serbia still considers Kosovo part of its territory and supports a Serb minority in it.

US Secretary Blinken holds the Kosovo authorities responsible for the escalation

US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken held the authorities of Kosovo, which unilaterally announced its secession from Serbia, responsible for the recent escalation of tension in the province.
Blinken said in a statement, on Tuesday: "We call on all parties to take urgent measures in order to reduce the escalation. We condemn the unacceptable violence against members of the NATO forces in Kosovo (KFOR) that occurred yesterday, as well as towards security personnel and journalists."

Blinken considered that the decision of the Pristina authorities to use force to ensure the access of mayors in the north of the region to administrative headquarters "led to a sharp and unjustified escalation of tension."

He added that Kosovo's Prime Minister Albin Kurti should ensure that elected mayors perform their duties from other buildings.

Blinken urged Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic to withdraw the order to put the Serbian army on alert, and to call on Serbs in Kosovo to refrain from confrontations with KFOR forces and violence.

He stressed that Belgrade and Pristina should "commit immediately to resume the dialogue" that was taking place between them under the auspices of the European Union.

Chechnya : Kadyrov announces the start of the attack "Ahmed" Chechen special forces receive new orders

The President of the Russian Republic of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, announced that Ahmed's special forces have redeployed and are preparing to start the attack, carry out military actions and liberate towns in the direction of the Republic of Donetsk.
Kadyrov wrote on his account on "Telegram": "Friends, the Chechen units have received a new order for the redeployment of forces. The territory of the Donetsk People's Republic has become their area of ​​responsibility. According to the order, the fighters of the Chechen units must start active military actions and liberate a number of towns."

He added, "For several days, the first phase has been underway - the subdivision command is developing plans to advance towards and liberate the towns, and it is receiving new intelligence."

The President of Chechnya said that other "Ahmed" units of the Ministry of Defense and the Russian Guard, located on alternative sections of the line of contact between the regions of Zaporozhye and Kherson, had received the same orders to start the attack.

He emphasized that there were also tactical exercises, distribution of tasks between commanders and fighters, study of the terrain and action against enemy forces. In addition, Kadyrov announced the start of the attack of "Ahmed" units, and concluded by saying: "We are tired of waiting. Satanists will get their deserved punishment."

Earlier on Tuesday, Chechen President Ramzan Kadyrov called for martial law to be declared in Russia in the wake of the drone attack on Moscow.

Kadyrov wrote in his account on “Telegram”: “In my opinion, martial law should be declared in Russia and all necessary combat capabilities should be used to eliminate this terrorist cell, without using the phrase “Ukrainian military.”

And the Russian Ministry of Defense announced in a statement that 8 Ukrainian drones participated in an attack on Moscow, 5 were shot down using the "Pantsir-S" system in the Moscow region, and 3 were suppressed by electronic warfare equipment.

As a result of the accident, 3 houses in the capital sustained minor damage, which will be repaired as soon as possible.

Director General Rafael Grossi : The IAEA monitors the use of depleted uranium bombs and is ready to study their consequences

The Director General of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Rafael Grossi, stated, after a meeting of the UN Security Council, that depleted uranium munitions do not pose any immediate radiological hazards.
"It is important to understand that, unlike what could happen in Zaporozhye, this does not create an immediate radiological emergency. This is a risk of a different nature," Grossi said. He indicated that the agency is monitoring the situation and is ready to study the consequences of using such projectiles, if requested.

And at the end of April, British Undersecretary of Defense James Heppey, in a written response to questions from MP Kenny MacAskill, of the Scottish ALBA party, confirmed that the UK had sent thousands of shells for the Challenger 2 tanks to Ukraine, including those containing depleted uranium. At the same time, he added, London does not monitor its use and has no obligation to eliminate the consequences of its use after the conflict ends.

Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that "those who will directly use" the depleted uranium munitions must understand that they will cause "irreparable harm" to themselves and their citizens, and they will have to take responsibility for this.

The promised F-16 fighters will not effectively affect the Ukrainian counterattack :The Telegraph

The British newspaper "The Telegraph" said that it is unlikely that the "F-16" fighters promised by the West will affect Ukraine on the counter-attack that Kiev is planning.
According to the newspaper , "It will take at least four months to train the pilots, according to some estimates, although some projections indicate more time. They will also need the necessary mechanical, ground support and logistics, This means that it is unlikely that you will play an F-fighter." 16 role in the imminent counterattack.

The newspaper pointed out that it will also take several months to deliver these fighters to Ukraine.

At the same time, the newspaper stressed in its article, that experts have doubts about the appropriateness of sending American fighters to Kiev, because the "F-16" fighters in particular "will not give the Ukrainians air superiority by itself."

US President Joe Biden announced on May 21, during a press conference, following the summit of the Group of Seven industrialized countries in Hiroshima that the West would start training Ukrainian pilots to fly fourth-generation combat aircraft, including the F-16. At the same time, Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs Jake Sullivan stated that Washington will discuss with allied countries who will transfer these planes to Kiev, and indicated that according to the US administration, these fighters were not included in the list of priority aid to the West in preparation for Kiev's launch of its counterattack.