The activity of nine stone crushers has been halted following an intervention by the Inspectorate of the Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning, because they were operating without the necessary documentation and in violation of the law.

According to published data, seven of these crushers were operating in Suharekë, while two others were operating in Skenderaj.

The intervention was confirmed by the Government of Kosovo, which announced that work at all nine illegal stone crushers has been stopped due to the lack of relevant documentation.

The Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning, Fitore Pacolli, said the action was taken after the files of more than 200 stone crushers were reviewed.

Pacolli warned that inspections and field actions will continue, and any entity caught operating outside the law will face measures.

She stressed that entities operating without the necessary permits and documentation, thereby damaging the environment, will not be tolerated.

The post Inspectorate Suspends Operations of Nine Stone Crushers Without Documentation appeared first on Albeu.com.

Security expert Drizan Shala has warned that the network of cameras installed illegally in northern Kosovo could constitute a system for collecting intelligence data in real time.

He says such devices could be used to monitor the movements of the Kosovo Police, KFOR and EULEX. In this way, actors seeking to challenge Kosovo’s institutions could gain an information advantage.

Shala praised the Kosovo Police’s intervention to dismantle the cameras, but called for the investigation not to stop at their removal. According to him, the organizers, financiers and individuals who administered the network must be identified, and any possible links to Serbian state structures must be investigated.

The expert stressed that clarifying these elements will determine whether this is an isolated case or a broader hybrid warfare operation directed against Kosovo.

Full article:

Serbia seeks electronic eyes in the north after losing its structures on the ground!

When Serbia loses the ability to operate through its own structures on the ground, it shifts its activities toward hybrid warfare instruments. This approach is not unfamiliar, but it represents the development of methods for gathering intelligence. Traditional surveillance networks are being replaced by technology that enables uninterrupted monitoring and an uninterrupted flow of information. From this perspective, every camera system installed without authorization in northern Kosovo must be analyzed.

If the devices are equipped with functioning SIM cards and have paid internet access in order to transmit 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, then they cannot be considered ordinary recording cameras. Such a system has the capacity to provide real-time intelligence and continuously monitor the area where the security institutions of the Republic of Kosovo and international partners operate.

The objective is not limited to observing events on the streets. Through this monitoring, a detailed operational picture could be created of the movements of the Kosovo Police, its tactical response methods, patrol schedules, the location of checkpoints and operating procedures. The activities of KFOR, EULEX and other international mechanisms that help guarantee peace and stability could also be tracked. The collected data could serve actors seeking to challenge the institutional authority of the Republic of Kosovo for analysis, planning and coordination.

For this reason, the removal of the cameras should not be viewed solely as a technical or administrative intervention. It may represent the dismantling of infrastructure established to gather intelligence. In modern conflicts, dominance over information carries the same weight as control of territory. Monitoring security forces creates an information advantage that could be used to evade police operations, warn criminal networks in advance or compile a complete picture of the state’s capabilities.

The Kosovo Police should be commended for dismantling any system of this kind; however, the matter does not end with the dismantling of the devices. Investigators must reach the people who organized, financed and managed the network. It must be clarified who paid for the SIM cards and internet traffic, where the data was sent and by whom it was analyzed. Given the way hybrid operations against the Republic of Kosovo have developed so far, one of the main lines of inquiry should be to examine every connection with Serbia’s state structures, including intelligence networks linked to Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA).

If the responsible authorities manage to prove such a connection, the case could no longer be treated as isolated criminal activity. It would constitute an organized intelligence-gathering operation supported by a state.

At this point, several issues of strategic importance arise. It must be established who installed the cameras and who was in charge of administering them. It must also be clarified whether, despite the dismantling of the so-called “Civil Defence” structures, human surveillance networks that are financed and coordinated continue to exist on the ground.

Another question is whether the operation was carried out through full inter-institutional coordination. It must also be determined what role KFOR’s intelligence mechanisms and EULEX’s monitoring structures played in detecting and preventing such infrastructure before it became consolidated. Above all, it must be investigated whether individuals or networks still operate within the Republic of Kosovo that cooperate with Serbia’s state structures, providing logistical, technical or operational assistance for activities of this nature.

Clarifying these questions is far more important than merely removing the cameras. The answers will show whether we are facing an isolated incident or a broader hybrid intelligence structure that continues to operate in northern Kosovo through technology, support networks and collaborators from within the country.

The threats facing Kosovo are no longer solely traditional in nature. Today’s challenge is linked to hybrid warfare, in which cameras, mobile networks, communication platforms and technological tools are used to obtain information and endanger national security. Every illegally installed device should be considered a potential threat to the constitutional order and to the ability of security institutions to operate without being monitored by hostile actors.

Hybrid warfare is not waged only with weapons. It is also conducted through information, technology and invisible networks aimed at challenging state sovereignty.

The post Drizan Shala raises the alarm: Illegal cameras in northern Mitrovica may be serving Serbian intelligence appeared first on Albeu.com.

On the shores of Lake Ujman in Zubin Potok, law enforcement forces escorted excavators that demolished 11 houses.

According to officials, these buildings were erected without permits on land managed by the Ibër-Lepenc company, sparking debate over property rights and institutional jurisdiction.

Faruk Mujka, the general director of this enterprise, in a statement to “Bota sot,” explained that the lands affected by the demolition have belonged to the company since 1973, when the expropriation process for the creation of the Ujman reservoir was completed.

He stressed that operations to free public property will not stop in the face of any usurpation, regardless of the ethnic origin of those involved.

“The lands in question are not just in temporary use, but are the full property of ‘Ibër-Lepenc’ since the expropriation carried out for the lake project in 1973. Our system constitutes vital infrastructure and full control over it is non-negotiable. Furthermore, the lake is an essential water source on which the supply of one-third of the population of the Republic of Kosovo depends,” Mujka stated.

Speaking about future plans, he added that the campaign to clear state lands of illegal constructions will extend to all areas where violations are found, without distinction of nationality, describing this as an unstoppable mission to protect the assets of ‘Ibër-Lepenc’.

The post Head of “Ibër-Lepenc” warns of continued action against unlicensed constructions in Ujman appeared first on Albeu.com.

According to the study prepared by KPMG LLP on behalf of Philip Morris Products S.A., for the first time since 2014, more than one in ten cigarettes consumed in the EU belong to the illegal market. In 2025, this volume reached 41.8 billion cigarettes, or 10.3% of total consumption, while estimated losses in tax revenues amount to 16.7 billion euros. This is the first return above the 10% threshold since 2014.

The same data show that the trend is rising across Europe. In the 38 countries included in the study, illegal consumption was estimated at 55.3 billion cigarettes, with estimated losses for state budgets of 22.4 billion euros. The report stresses that the main share of this market consists of counterfeit cigarettes, which amount to 18.3 billion units, or 44% of total illegal consumption in the EU. Compared with 2024, the quantity of counterfeit cigarettes and tobacco products increased by more than 20%.

According to expert assessments, high levels of taxation and restrictive rules may push consumers toward the illegal market. At a conference on the illegal tobacco trade held in Brussels, Lithuania’s deputy border police commander, Donatas Shkarnulis, said better alignment of laws and administrative methods is needed to tackle this activity more effectively.

“We are doing a lot. However, as shown in the presentations, the production of counterfeits continues to grow over time. Our efforts to reduce this phenomenon are not always sufficient. Better harmonization of laws and administrative methods is needed to preserve our ability to deal with this problem,” Shkarnulis said.

Hristos Harpantidis, general manager for corporate affairs at Philip Morris, also underlined that the fight against illegal trade requires joint action, with stronger law enforcement, cooperation between the public and private sectors, as well as balanced regulations that are evidence-based and practical to implement.

The report singles out France, Belgium and the Netherlands as some of the EU countries where illegal consumption has increased under the impact of tougher regulatory policies. France remains the largest illegal cigarette market in Europe, where 41.4% of total consumption is illegal. In Belgium, this percentage is 24.8%, while in the Netherlands it reaches 22.1%.

On the other hand, the report also highlights cases where illegal trade has declined thanks to balanced policies that combine predictable fiscal approaches, proportional regulation and consistent enforcement. Greece, for example, records a 14.1% share for illegal trade, down from more than 20% in past years. Likewise, Ukraine has posted positive results, reducing illegal trade by almost 1 billion cigarettes despite the difficult security situation.

In Macedonia, the level of illegal cigarette consumption remains relatively low compared with many EU markets, but the clear expansion of its share of the market remains a concern.

The data show that illegal cigarettes account for about 3.6% of overall consumption, while compared with last year this share has increased by approximately 1.3 percentage points. This shows that the market is not remaining stable, but is expanding.

This increase is seen as an early signal of changes in the system. It suggests that illegal cigarettes are becoming more accessible or more attractive to consumers. Although the level remains moderate, the increase shows that pressure on the legal market is growing and that illegal supply is intensifying.

It is also emphasized that this analysis does not include illegal hand-rolled tobacco, which represents a separate and often even greater challenge in North Macedonia, at around 13% in total.

According to the assessment presented, such an increase is rarely linked only to local changes in consumption. Within the framework of KPMG’s analysis, increases are usually accompanied by stronger supply dynamics, implying that products are entering the market more easily and in larger quantities through broader regional flows. This indicates that the country is gradually shifting from a mainly destination market into a link in the movement and redistribution of illegal products in the region.

The post Illegal cigarette trade in the EU exceeds 10% for the first time since 2014 appeared first on Albeu.com.