A convoy of two vehicles and a boat from the Kosovo Security Force (KSF), accompanied by KFOR and Kosovo Police vehicles, arrived at Gazivode Lake just before 9 a.m. this morning, at the bridge where a man reportedly jumped into the water on Sunday and failed to resurface.
The deployment of the KSF to Gazivode—also referred to as Ujmani by Albanian speakers—quickly became headline news in Kosovo Albanian-language media.
Kosovo’s Minister of Defense, Ejup Maqedonci, confirmed that the KSF’s involvement had been previously coordinated with the Kosovo Police, KFOR, and the Emergency Management Agency.
„Specialized KSF teams have launched a search operation in Lake Gazivode in an effort to recover the migrant’s body as quickly as possible and ease the family’s pain,“ Maqedonci stated.
KSF Arrived at the Request of Northern Police, Officials Say
KSF personnel were met this morning on the bridge by senior officials from the Kosovo Police North Station—Veton Elshani and Petrit Fejza.
Elshani confirmed to KoSSev that the KSF were deployed following a request from the Northern Directorate, which had appealed to police headquarters in Pristina.
„They have better equipment and more experience in these types of cases. After two days of unsuccessful searches, we requested their assistance,“ Elshani said.
When asked to comment on claims made overnight by retired Serbian General Zdravko Ponoš—that the body had already been located and that the operation was deliberately delayed to allow the KSF to enter the North with KFOR approval—Elshani replied:
„I won’t comment on the general’s statement. I can say that we have been searching for the young man non-stop since Sunday. Initially, we called in divers from the Trepca rescue unit, who have been searching the entire time. They haven’t found him. There’s heavy silt at the bottom, which is why we requested a more experienced unit. KSF divers have the necessary gear and experience—they do this work across Kosovo.“
Equipment Shortages Delayed Volunteer Search Efforts
Kosovo media also cited statements from the Search and Rescue Association, which had been involved in the operation in previous days. They noted that they had temporarily halted efforts yesterday due to a lack of oxygen tanks.
The tanks have since been refilled, and the team expressed hope they would successfully locate the body today in coordination with the KSF.
KSF Deployment in the North Requires KFOR Approval
Under the 2013 agreement between the Government of Kosovo and NATO/KFOR, the Kosovo Security Force cannot operate in northern Kosovo without explicit approval from the KFOR commander.
This stipulation has been repeatedly confirmed in public statements by both KFOR and Kosovo institutions. At the end of last year, Kosovo’s government even issued written guarantees to NATO that it would not deploy the KSF to the North without prior authorization—following a controversial incident in which KSF members attended a funeral in the North without informing KFOR.
Photos from the event were shared by Kosovo officials.
Previous attempts by the government in Pristina to send the KSF to the North during emergency situations were mostly rejected by KFOR, citing a lack of necessity. The most recent attempt prior to today occurred during an incident involving the Ibar-Lepenac canal, which draws water from Gazivode. On that occasion, KFOR responded by quickly deploying its own forces to the area.
According to the same agreement—often referred to as the “Thaçi Agreement”—local authorities in the North are also supposed to be consulted. It remains unclear whether Kosovo Serb officials were informed or consulted ahead of today’s deployment. However, retired General Ponoš indicated last night that he was aware the KSF would be arriving.
Ponoš Claims Search Was Deliberately Delayed
Retired Serbian Armed Forces Chief of General Staff Zdravko Ponoš claimed last night that the young man’s body had already been located, but that authorities deliberately stalled the operation to allow the KSF to enter the North with KFOR’s blessing.
„And you, Vučić—what have you been doing today? Besides lunching at Toma’s place in Bajčetina? What are your security services doing? Should I be the one to inform you that KSF troops are lacing up their boots and heading for the North?“ Ponoš posted on social media.
KFOR has not responded to questions regarding Ponoš’s claims as of the time of publication.
Not the First Time KSF Have Conducted Search Operations in the North
This is not the first time the KSF have been deployed to northern Kosovo for search-and-rescue purposes.
In 2015, KSF divers took part in a days-long search for a young Albanian man who drowned in the Ibar River.
Bridge Popular for High-Risk Jumps
The young man who went missing on Sunday reportedly jumped from the Kolašinske stene bridge into Lake Gazivode, a spot known in recent years as a popular swimming and cliff-diving location among Albanian visitors.
Despite the considerable height of the bridge, such jumps are not uncommon. In fact, they were actively promoted by Kosovo authorities last summer and frequently appear on social media and tourism pages.
The missing individual has since been identified as a 33-year-old Albanian from the diaspora who was vacationing in Kosovo.
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