Lazar Petrovic from Cernica: Despite enormous pressure, we will not leave, people hope for a brighter future

Russian language teacher Lazar Petrovic from the village of Cernica, Gnjilane municipality, says that he is very proud of his children, who only hang out at school and live in strictly controlled conditions, Blic reports.

New Year's and Christmas holidays in Kosovo and Metohija are completely different from holidays in other places, points out Petrovic, who despite the enormous pressure does not want to leave his family home in Cernica.

"After fifteen years, I welcomed the New Year in Belgrade and it's a big difference compared to the the enclaves. We don't have long-term plans for a better future," says Petrovic.

He notes that today, compared to earlier periods, the situation before Christmas is slightly better.

"We are not sure that we can carry out the rites because of everything that is happening. I am a teacher of the Russian language in Cernica, where there are now about eighty Serbs. It is a village that gave seven victims and is known as a synonym for the suffering of Serbs," says Petrovic, who states that they live surrounded by Albanians.

As he states, although there is communication between Serbs and Albanians, constant vigilance is necessary.

"There is some communication with them, however, their calmness, reticence and weak movement have always been fatal for us," says Petrovic.

Lazar adds that the latest events in the north of Kosovo seem terrible and bring additional unrest.

"People hope for a brighter future, and every morning we hear news about the fight in the north to keep what is ours. Nobody likes war. The very word war - we all know what losses it causes. As for the Albanians, I have heard them how they talk about the barricades and they said that no one wanted war, they were not ready for it, they already had their own companies. Everyone wants to do their job. It also happened that my friends' car was broken, a group of Albanians came and helped him. We are not all the same, there are people who want us to continue living normally," says Petrovic.

He points out that even today everyone wakes up with the same thoughts as before.

"The attacks left a big mark on everyone. If I said that there is no fear, I would be lying to you. Fear, being careful where we move, whether anyone is near us. We have to use the enclave we have carefully," says Petrovic.

A tragedy that shook the whole village

In 2000, Albanians killed his four-year-old brother, and Petrovic says that event changed everything.

"It was hard for us, it was hard for all the people in the village. The first moments of the evening and he was waiting for my uncle to bring him ice cream. I was on the bridge and watched everything, shooting started, they picked me up so that nothing happens to me, and I only heard in the morning that he passed away," says Petrovic.

One person was arrested, but released very quickly, he adds.

"We see him, I live there and I don't want to hold a grudge, but I hope the truth will find its way. But as the years go by, I think it will be difficult. Before the war, we had good relations with the Albanians, someone died just because he went to look after the sheep, but he was a Serb," says Petrovic.

His people, as Petrovic adds, never agreed to leave Cernica, they don't talk about it.

"I'm like them too, I don't think I'll ever leave it. It's their daily routine to have fun by making our day miserable. There was an Albanian beggar, my father gave him money saying he didn't want us to be like them," says the Russian teacher from Cernica.

Children in the enclaves also live in completely restricted conditions, and everything they read on the Internet deeply disturbs them, explains Petrovic.

"Children gather only at school, after home, they live in limited circumstances. When there was tension in the north, anxiety was also felt among the children. To them, every news sounds like the truth, which brings back fear among people," points out for TV Prva Petrovic, who is also engaged in humanitarian work.