Gurakuç Kuçi, a professor at Universum College and an external associate at ISLH “OCTOPUS,” has rejected claims that Orthodox Serbs face persecution in Kosovo.

According to him, the Kosovo Police continuously oversee the security of around 170 Orthodox sites by conducting regular patrols, monitoring the buildings and cemeteries, and increasing the police presence whenever a potential risk emerges or information about threats is received.

Kuçi said that 24 Orthodox churches and monasteries are guarded through a physical police presence 24 hours a day, seven days a week. He added that more than 40 Orthodox Church sites, together with their surrounding areas, have the status of Special Protective Zones.

In these zones, construction, industry, roads and activities that could undermine the tranquility, operation or historical character of the sites are subject to restrictions or oversight. The implementation of these measures is also monitored by the Implementation and Monitoring Council, which includes Kosovo’s institutions, the Serbian Orthodox Church and international partners.

According to Kuçi, the only exception is the Deçan Monastery, where KFOR has first-response responsibility for security.

He also emphasized that the Unit for the Security of Cultural and Religious Sites and Heritage (NJSOTKF) has been operational since March 2013. This unit was established specifically to protect religious and cultural heritage, with particular attention to Orthodox heritage.

Every attack, theft, act of damage to churches, desecration of cemeteries or threatening inscription is processed as a criminal offense. When a religious or ethnic motive is established, the case is also treated as a hate crime. According to Kuçi, coordinators and investigators have been appointed at every police station to record and process such cases in cooperation with the Prosecutor’s Office.

For various Orthodox holidays and pilgrimages, the Kosovo Police prepare special operational plans. These include securing the sites and participants, managing road traffic, conducting border controls, preventing incidents and involving investigative units.

Kuçi described these measures as a sui generis model, unique and not provided in this form by anyone else in Europe. However, he said Serbian propaganda continues to use claims of persecution in an effort to justify actions that prepare the ground for escalating crises.

Speaking about the event of July 26, 2026, at the Monastery of the Holy Archangels near Prizren, he said the Kosovo Police ensured that the “Divine Liturgy” took place without any incidents. According to him, the police also ensured that the liturgy was not misused for other purposes by either side.

Kuçi claimed that the security measures were portrayed by Serbian propaganda as pressure and violence against Orthodox Christians. He said social media, news outlets and disguised videos were used to spread this interpretation.

According to him, this method constitutes an information and psychological operation that distorts reality. Authentic footage is taken out of context and given a different meaning, portraying security checks as pressure, the police presence as a siege and every protective measure as persecution.

He described this as a semantic inversion through which reality is presented as its opposite. Kuçi said the aim is to delegitimize Kosovo and the lawful and democratic forces that ensure the protection of religious and cultural heritage.

According to him, this approach targets not only domestic opinion but also the international public, even inciting hatred toward Kosovo.

In conclusion, Kuçi said operational security must be accompanied by strategic communication so that no room is left for manipulation. He emphasized that, under conditions of hybrid warfare, an information vacuum does not remain unfilled but is exploited by the adversary, which has usually prepared its course of action in advance.

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