Recent statements and reports by Serbian analysts and pro-regime media in Serbia have turned the purchase of American systems and Kosovo’s investments in defense and armaments into a major public topic, presenting these developments through an alarmist and panic narrative.
The main cause of these reactions is related to the agreement signed in December between Kosovo and the American company AM General for the purchase of modern HUMVEE Hawkeye 105 mm mobile artillery systems.
The agreement was made public on December 17 by Kosovo’s Defense Minister, Ejup Maqedonci, and was immediately followed by harsh reactions in the Serbian media and public discourse.
Even Serbian security analysts have acknowledged the importance of this purchase.
Serbian security expert Goran Janičević, speaking on the Public Television of Serbia (RTS), emphasized that this is a particularly significant purchase, stating that “this is the first time that someone, as a legal entity, has purchased this type of system.”
However, Janićević presented the modernization of Kosovo’s military equipment as a threat to Serbia.
“Pristina is buying Black Hawk helicopters and Humvee armored vehicles from America. According to announcements, next year it will also have the first of 246 American Javelin anti-tank missiles at its disposal. By the end of 2026, the ammunition factory in Gjakova is planned to be completed, as well as the drone production facility in Gjilan, the first drones of which Albin Kurti presented last month.”
“…In the last four years, the Pristina authorities have invested 430 million euros in strengthening their armed units. Their goal, as Kurti has stated, is to spend twice as much in the next four years – 1 billion euros,” Janiqević said.
The panic narrative was further amplified by Serbian portals and media outlets with a pro-government and pro-President Aleksandar Vučić orientation.
The BLIC portal wrote that “Pristina is arming itself: it buys American artillery systems that combine the 105 mm howitzer with a light military vehicle,” presenting the deal as a threatening development for regional security.
The media outlets B92 and Telegraf RS, known for their closeness to the government in Belgrade, also reported along the same lines, using alarmist tones in their headlines: “Pristina is arming itself! It is buying American Hawkeye howitzers: What are they and why are they considered dangerous?”
Political and media actors in Serbia have also presented as a cause for concern the fact that the Kosovo Government, in recent years, has significantly increased the budget for the defense sector.
For the current year, the budget allocated to this sector amounts to 207.8 million euros, a figure that in Serbian public discourse is interpreted as an indicator of the “militarization” of Kosovo.
These reports and statements are a continuous attempt to build a narrative of fear about strengthening Kosovo’s defense capacities, despite the fact that the investments in question were made in cooperation with the United States and in line with the process of transforming the Kosovo Security Force into a modern and professional force, oriented towards Euro-Atlantic standards.
