The Serbian national flag on the Zvecan Fortress has once again been removed.
This time, the perpetrators displayed greater preparation and familiarity with the terrain.
The flag was taken down using specialized tools to unscrew bolts securing the tall iron flagpole, which is embedded into the rock. The pole was tilted, and the flag was removed.
Kosovo Police confirmed they were notified of the incident but are not actively investigating it. Deputy Commander of the Kosovo Police for the North, Veton Elshani, told KoSSev that police only became aware after the flag was removed.
Officers inspected the site but had not observed any suspicious activity beforehand, despite an increased police presence in the area.
Recent Maintenance and Police Presence
Just days earlier, the flagpole’s ropes were replaced after the previous ones broke due to wear and strong winds typical of this time of year on the fortress. A group of young men handled the repairs, during which police surveillance was notably active. According to their testimony, a police drone and officers arrived on-site while they were working.
Elshani confirmed this, stating that the police had been alerted by Telegram posts claiming the flag was being removed.
„They went to investigate, assuming those individuals were taking down the flag,“ he said.
Asked why this recent incident went unnoticed, Elshani speculated it might have occurred at night when patrols may not have had visibility of the flagpole area. He also noted that many people frequent the fortress.
Repeated Incidents Over the Past Year
The flag on Zvecan Fortress has been removed and replaced multiple times over the past year, most recently in March. At that time, unknown individuals attempted to cut the flagpole. Police did not open a case, citing the lack of a formal complaint.
While the flag was repeatedly targeted earlier this year, no incidents were reported between March and now.
This week, the flag gained renewed attention when Srđan Đorđević, a Mitrovica resident, used it as a backdrop to express solidarity with students and schoolchildren protesting across Serbia.
The news went viral on social media, sparking a flurry of reactions. Among the comments were numerous hate-filled remarks from users with Albanian profiles, as well as criticism from supporters of Serbia’s ruling SNS party.
Preuzimanje i objavljivanje tekstova sa portala KoSSev nije dozvoljeno bez navođenja izvora. Hvala na poštovanju etike novinarske profesije.
