Kosovo on Saturday stepped up security measures in the area of critical infrastructure in connection with an attack on a canal that supplies water to the country’s two coal-fired power plants. Prime Minister Albin Kurti blamed neighboring Serbia for the explosion, which, however, denies responsibility, TASR reports, according to an AFP report.
An explosion damaged a canal in northern Kosovo
The explosion that damaged the canal occurred on Friday in the north of Kosovo near the town of Zubin Potok. The police have already detained several people in connection with the incident. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known. The two mentioned power plants produce almost all the energy in Kosovo.
Security forces conducted multiple searches and collected testimonies and other evidence. “Criminals and terrorists” will be justly punished, Kurti told reporters during a visit to the scene of the incident.
“The attack was carried out by professionals. We believe that gangs controlled by Serbia are responsible for it,” the prime minister announced at a press conference without providing any evidence. The government also blamed Serbia for the attack in a later statement.
On Saturday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić rejected the “irresponsible” and “baseless accusations” of Kosovo. “The aim of these claims is to damage Serbia’s reputation, as well as to undermine efforts to promote peace and stability in the region,” he emphasized in a statement to AFP. Serbian Foreign Minister Marko Djurič previously suggested on Platform X that Kosovo itself could be behind the explosion. regime”, and called for an international investigation into the incident.
Kosovo authorities reported that repair work was continuing, while Kurti confirmed that workers had managed to restore water flow to 25 percent of capacity.
The United States strongly condemns the “attack on critical infrastructure in Kosovo,” the US Embassy in Pristina announced in a statement posted on Facebook. “We are closely monitoring the situation… and have offered our full support to the Kosovo government to ensure that those responsible are identified and punished,” the embassy said.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs also condemned the attack and added that it calls on “all parties to maintain restraint in order to prevent the escalation of the situation in the region”.
