Dautovic: Violation of sovereignty is a clear parallel between Serbia and Ukraine

Foreign policy analyst Mirko Dautovic stated that the violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity in both Serbia and Ukraine is the key parallel between these two cases, and that "Kosovo frightens the West with Russia as a sort of Baba Yaga."

"What are the actual parallels between Kosovo and Ukraine? In both cases, we have the violation of a country's sovereignty and territorial integrity. So, NATO intervened in Kosovo in 1999, and then, even worse, Kosovo was unilaterally recognized by Western countries. In the case of Ukraine, we have Russian aggression and the annexation of five regions. In both cases, we have this parallel. And in both cases, there is the justification that this was done due to war crimes allegedly committed by the authorities, whether in Belgrade or Kyiv, against the Albanian population, or against the Russian-speaking or Russian population in eastern Ukraine. That is the main parallel," Dautovic told Kosovo Online.

He emphasizes that everything else falls within the realm of which truth one chooses to believe.

"The issue is whether you'll believe that genocide occurred in Kosovo or that genocide occurred in Donbas, in eastern Ukraine. Depending on your perspective, you might accept that saving a population from genocide is a higher priority than the sovereignty of a country. And that is consistent with the 'responsibility to protect' doctrine," Dautovic believes.

According to him, this kind of uncertainty opens the door for different interpretations of the Kosovo precedent.

"A skilled diplomat will use all the arguments at their disposal. Yes, it can be said that Russia is certainly using Kosovo, or rather NATO's bombing, precisely as a precedent. Don't forget, when Western countries recognized Kosovo, they said it was a sui generis situation, meaning it was an exception in and of itself and not comparable to other cases. But you know how it goes—once you set a precedent, you can always claim that any new precedent is sui generis. Russia is definitely using the precedent set by Western countries regarding Kosovo to justify its own violations of international law by annexing other countries' territories," Dautovic points out.

On the other hand, he adds, Kosovo is also using Russia, but in a different sense.

"In the sense of a kind of Baba Yaga, scaring the Western alliance into thinking that Serbia is waiting for Russia to somehow enter the Balkans and then, through those Russian forces, presumably invade Kosovo, Montenegro, Bosnia, and thus achieve the plan for a Greater Serbia. And you know, Serbia sends certain signals that could be interpreted this way. At least it could have been interpreted this way in 2022, maybe even in 2023. But this year, 2024, it's undeniable that Serbia has sent signals that it is also in the Western camp, that it stands with Ukraine and Israel. In this way, Serbia has effectively distanced itself from Russia," Dautovic concludes.