A resident of Zvecan on life in the circle of KFOR and barbed wire: Fear, uncertainty, and hope for a better tomorrow

A resident of Zvecan, Punisa Kastratovic, who lives in a building right next to a municipal building that has been surrounded by KFOR soldiers and barbed wire for days, says for Kosovo Online that he has been a resident of this place for 50 years, that "there are tensions and conflicts every now and then", and that he is accustomed to living in fear and anxiety for his family. However, despite everything, he says, optimism and faith in a better tomorrow have not left him.

It's been 14 days since the Kosovo Special Forces broke into the municipal buildings in the north in an attempt to impose illegal Albanian mayors which is why, the citizens of Zvecan, Leposavic, and Zubin Potok have been peacefully protesting for the 11th day against these violent actions of Pristina.

Kastratovic lives in Zvecan with his son and daughter-in-law and three grandchildren but adds that they are now sheltered in a safer part of town. In order to get to his home, he says, he has to go through "the circle of KFOR soldiers, with mandatory identification to prove that he really lives there.

Since the crisis broke out, his grandchildren visit him occasionally, and in the afternoon, but he adds that they don't dare to sleep over.

When asked how he and his fellow citizens coped with the crisis that had arisen after the violent actions of the authorities in Pristina in the north, the invasion of municipal buildings by Kosovo Special Forces, and the imposition of illegal Albanian mayors, he ironically says that in Zvecan there is "prosperity".

"We are so safe and lack nothing. There is so much prosperity, beauty, and enjoyment. We are so happy that I don't know what to say, I wouldn't wish this 'prosperity' to anyone. KFOR soldiers are, I must say, fair. However, we can't enter the main entrance of the building; we can't pass through the main street where we always used to go out. We go around and so they follow us a little bit. It's very unpleasant, it can't be nice if we need to endure someone’s torture," Kastratovic said.

According to him, for the Serbs in these areas, life in fear, suffering, and uncertainty is something they have unfortunately become accustomed to.

"We are used to suffering, obviously it was given to us by birth, but we will endure. I guess. No one dares to come, very rarely. My children and grandchildren are here, I have three grandchildren, and my son and daughter-in-law are with me. They are currently at Grandma's place in another part of Zvecan. They come sometimes, but they are not allowed to sleep because of fear and apprehension of what might happen. Mostly, we get used to something abnormal. That's our life," he explains.

When asked if he saw Kosovo policemen, he points out that he "tries not to look at them".

However, regardless of the circumstances, optimism did not leave Kastratovic, as he says, the life of everyone from this area is anxiety, apprehension, and fear, but with faith in God, they hope for the best.

"I've been here for 50 years and it's nothing new, it's been like that for all those years, numerous 'Black Tuesdays', 'Black Sundays'. We're used to it. That's our life, we don't know how it will be, whether it will be, always apprehension, and anxiety, but we hope for the best. I've always been an optimist and I'm an optimist to this day. That never leaves me in my life," he said.