Deputy Director of Kosovo Police, Veton Elshani told Radio Free Europe that local authorities had requested assistance “to free several offices.”

The two Serbian-run public offices were housed in a residential building in North Mitrovica.

Interior Minister, Xhelal Sveçla, said in a statement on the social media that the offices were collecting payments from businesses and citizens without legal authority, claiming control over properties under Serbia’s flag.

Sveçla posted a video showing a picture of the Russian President Vladimir Putin, as well as the flags and emblems of Serbia.

“The abuse, carried out under the flags and emblems of Serbia, has been shut down and will be fully investigated,” Sveçla wrote on Facebook.

Serbia’s Office for Kosovo condemned the closures, accusing Kosovo of “usurping” Serbian institutions in north, claiming that the moves ran counter the agreements between the two countries. Serbia claims around 70 employees were removed from the offices and told they no longer had a legitimate role.

This move is the latest in a series of actions by Kosovo to dismantle parallel Serbian-run structures in the north, including Serbia’s postal service, banks, and local government offices.

/REL/u.sh/