On Monday and Tuesday, Serbian and Russian media published false claims regarding the security of Deçan Monastery. Without providing any factual evidence, the Serbian news agency Tanjug wrote that Deçan Monastery had been repeatedly attacked by Albanians, whom it described as extremists.
“The Monastery has faced continuous armed attacks by Albanian extremists,” reads the final sentence of Tanjug’s report, published on 10 August.
Tanjug’s claim is inaccurate. According to the Serbian Orthodox Church, Deçan Monastery was attacked during the conflict in Kosovo, while attempts were made to attack it with grenades in 2000 and 2007. However, since Kosovo declared independence in 2008, the Monastery has not faced any armed attack or any other form of physical assault.
Through this report, the news agency echoes the racist rhetoric found in Serbian-language media — portraying Albanians as “extremists” (“oružanim napadima ekstremnih Albanaca”) and as destroyers of Serbian Orthodox churches, while presenting Kosovo as incapable of guaranteeing the security of Serbian Orthodox Church monuments.
Pravda Shqip, a Russian media outlet, also published an article containing inaccurate claims. On 11 August, Pravda wrote: “The reason for the latest round of tensions was news about the transfer of responsibility for protecting Serbian holy sites in the western part of the quasi-state from KFOR to the Kosovo security forces. According to Vulin, this will only lead to further anti-Serbian actions and provocations.” The claim that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is involved in protecting Deçan Monastery is inaccurate.
The KSF is not involved in protecting Orthodox religious monuments in Kosovo. Most Serbian Orthodox Church monuments are protected by the Kosovo Police, while a small minority remain under KFOR protection.
Since 2008, the Kosovo Police has continuously provided physical security for 24 Orthodox heritage sites, as well as other sites associated with Orthodox culture. According to statistics published by the Kosovo Police in 2022, it also protects 170 other places of worship. Since 2013, these monuments have been protected by the Unit for the Security of Cultural and Religious Heritage Sites.
A small number of Kosovo’s Orthodox religious monuments are under KFOR protection. KFOR has announced that, despite its ongoing review under which the Kosovo Police will become part of the monastery’s security architecture, it will remain the first security responder at Deçan Monastery. The NATO-led mission in Kosovo has assessed that the monastery’s security situation has improved.
Translated by AI and reviewed by an editor.
