Unmarked drones appeared on the Kosovo-Serbia border “observing the barracks and the positions” of the Serbian army, Belgrade authorities claimed, prompting Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić to order the country’s fighter jets to intercept them.
The drones left the Serbian airspace before the warplanes reached their targets, public broadcaster RTS reported.
Prime Minister Ana Brnabić said in an interview with RTS on Tuesday evening that the drones were spotted while observing one military position on the Serbian side of the border and two barracks, adding that she did not want to speculate on the origin of the unmanned devices.
She emphasised that the order was to shoot down the drones on sight, and the Serbian authorities would be further monitoring the area.
“If these things keep happening, we will take down any such aircraft, just like any other country would,” Brnabić added.
The drone sightings could not be independently verified.
Licence plate row continues
The news of a drone incursion came after Vučić placed Serbian troops on the border with Kosovo on a heightened state of alert over a row about car licence plates that has threatened to further escalate tensions between the two Balkan countries.
