Drecun: Pristina's goal is to erase every trace that Kosovo and Metohija is Serbian land

The Chairman of the Serbian National Assembly's Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs, Milovan Drecun, said today that Pristina's objective is to erase every trace that Kosovo is Serbian land. He added that Albin Kurti and others who are terrorizing the Serbian people would prefer Serbs to come to Gazimestan carrying Ottoman flags, Politika reported.

"Serbs can and will come there only with Serbian flags. Pristina's objective is clear—to erase every trace and every awareness that Kosovo and Metohija is Serbian land. Ahead of the holiday, the Quint countries issued a formal warning that Serbs must not be prevented from displaying their national symbols. Yet, while they were issuing those futile warnings, Kurti launched his operation and arrested more than 30 people, including a minor," Drecun told K1 Television, commenting on the arrest of 36 Serbs at Gazimestan during the Vidovdan commemoration.

He stated that another form of pressure on the Serbian population is the delivery of summonses to the home addresses of citizens whom the authorities in Pristina suspect of war crimes.

"By sending summonses in this manner, Pristina is attempting to circumvent the officially agreed legal assistance mechanism. That mechanism was agreed upon in Brussels and provides that all requests—whether concerning the questioning of witnesses or suspects—must be transmitted through UNMIK to our Prosecutor's Office, and vice versa. Instead, they are completely ignoring that process and are sending summonses directly by mail. The procedure works by Pristina sending the mail to Vienna, from where it is then forwarded here," Drecun explained.

He warned that Pristina sends the summonses by registered mail solely to obtain formal proof that delivery was attempted.

"Pristina is not concerned with whether the summons is actually received. Their intention is to use the attempted delivery as evidence in court in order to establish the legal basis for trying our people in absentia. So far, just over 20 such summonses have been delivered," Drecun said, as reported by Tanjug.

He pointed out that the biggest problem is that Pristina operates on the basis of secret indictments, meaning that no one knows who is included in them until such an envelope arrives.

Commenting on yesterday's display of Serbian Armed Forces equipment and weaponry, Drecun said that the Serbian military is keeping pace with modern trends and adapting accordingly, adding that an appropriate personnel structure and top-level training are essential for successful adaptation.

He stressed that Serbia must have highly trained soldiers capable of using the weapons and military equipment at their disposal in the most effective manner.

Although the Serbian Armed Forces are undergoing modernization and increasingly employing unmanned platforms, Drecun emphasized that all branches of the military must continue to be strengthened because, as he put it, the old military principle still applies: "Where the soldier's boot does not tread, there is no control over the territory."

"The life of every servicemember is invaluable. Every life that is spared—where machines, rather than people, bear the burden—is a major advantage of employing unmanned platforms. This is one segment that is now being introduced intensively into the Serbian Armed Forces' weapons systems and equipment, and it will become increasingly significant, as we can see in the war in Ukraine. But the old rule still stands: 'Where the soldier's boot does not tread, you have no control over that territory.' Therefore, we must strengthen all branches of our armed forces simultaneously," Drecun said.

He noted that during yesterday's demonstration of military equipment and weaponry, the Serbian Armed Forces conducted live-fire exercises and showcased the capabilities of its air defence systems, including the Pantsir-S1, PASARS, HQ-17, as well as the Air Force's modernized Orao aircraft, MiG-29 fighter jets, helicopters, and unmanned units.

He added that increasing emphasis is being placed on smart loitering munitions and GPS-guided weapons systems.

Yesterday also featured a full demonstration of the Pantsir-S1 system.

"It was the command vehicle which, thanks to the surrounding radar network, receives precise information about the operational environment and can correct fire, direct engagements, determine the pace of operations, and coordinate all other functions," Drecun explained.

He stressed that particular emphasis had been placed on artillery and missile units, including a demonstration of the modernized Oganj multiple rocket launcher system.

"The Tamnava system is being prepared. Domestic missiles with a range of up to 250 kilometres are also under development. We saw the Lazar 3 wheeled armored combat vehicle engaging targets while on the move. We also saw the modernized M-84 tanks," the Chairman of the Committee on Defence and Internal Affairs stated.

He emphasized that yesterday marked the first demonstration of the Vampir multiple rocket launcher, which, he said, had proven its effectiveness during the war in Ukraine.

Drecun also noted that the demonstration of unmanned aerial systems included interceptor drones.

"We were shown the 'Mosquito,' swarms of 'Mosquito' drones and swarm operations. We also saw interceptor drones designed to neutralize suicide, or kamikaze, drones. One of our drones intercepted a kamikaze drone and destroyed it in the air. We also demonstrated highly sophisticated loitering drones capable of entering through doorways," Drecun said.

He added that two types of anti-drone rifles were also presented, capable of neutralizing drones and their operators.

According to Drecun, every brigade of the Serbian Armed Forces will have a dedicated unit responsible for drone operations and counter-drone defence.

He concluded that the Serbian Armed Forces have been able to equip themselves with the most advanced combat systems thanks to Serbia's strong economic growth over recent years.

"We had to achieve strong economic growth in order for the armed forces to become this efficient, combat-ready, and possess this level of firepower. At the same time, we had to pursue a strong foreign policy—not to remain merely an object whose actions are dictated by others, but to become a subject that actively and resolutely defends its own national interests," Drecun stressed.