A year of failure for Serbian espionage in Kosova

Seven individuals faced legal action due to allegations by the Kosova Special Prosecutor’s Office that they were spies serving Serbia

The year 2025 marked the first conviction on espionage charges involving a guilty plea. Seven individuals faced legal action due to allegations by the Kosova Special Prosecutor’s Office that they were spies serving Serbia. Experts estimate that the coming year will be a tense one in terms of security, so the risk of espionage remains significant.

Kosovan citizen Milan Vukashinović had avoided traveling to Serbia for more than five years out of fear for his safety. He did not obey the Serb List, a party with direct ties to Belgrade. However, on 1 November, Vukashinović traveled to the village of Jellakcë, near the border with Serbia, where he is suspected of falling into a trap. There, he was kidnapped by unknown persons and shot with a burst of bullets under circumstances currently being investigated by Kosova authorities. The Prosecutor’s Office in Mitrovica has confirmed that it is conducting an investigation into attempted murder.

His name had previously been mentioned by Aleksandar Vlajić, the first person convicted of espionage in Kosova. In his communications with Serbia’s Security Intelligence Agency (BIA), Vlajić had described Vukashinović as a “long-term collaborator of Kosova’s services.” The past year saw important developments in the fight against espionage in Kosova: seven indictments were filed for this criminal offense, the first conviction was issued, and one person was arrested on suspicion of collaborating with Serbia’s Military Intelligence Agency (VOA).

Former chief inspector of the Kosova Intelligence Agency (AKI), Shkëlzen Sopjani, says Serbia aims to undermine Kosova’s statehood and has taken concrete actions toward this goal in recent years. According to him, the number of espionage arrests is not surprising given the security situation.

Former police officer Aleksandar Vlajić was arrested in June 2022. He was convicted at first instance for a terrorist attack aimed at forcing Kosova institutions not to hold planned elections in the four municipalities north of the Ibër River. Vlajić was also sentenced to five years in prison for espionage after pleading guilty.

The case of the first espionage convict revealed that the BIA, through its spies, had access to data from key security organizations such as NATO’s mission in Kosova (KFOR), the EU Rule of Law Mission (EULEX), and the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).

The indictment against Vlajić mentions that he used a person named Martin for information from EULEX, a person suspected of being named Nikita for KFOR, and Jelena Djukanović for OSCE. These institutions have not provided details on whether they are conducting internal investigations regarding these individuals, but the OSCE has stated that Djukanović is on mandatory administrative leave until the court rules on the case.

“The OSCE Mission in Kosova fully respects the independence of Kosova’s justice institutions and remains committed to cooperating with them in accordance with its mandate,” the OSCE added.

Besides Vlajić, who is serving his sentence, the Special Prosecutor’s Office accuses seven other individuals of espionage. The six accused as BIA collaborators are: Hysri Selimi (also convicted of terrorism), Kosova Police lieutenant Bojan Jevtić, former police officer Muharrem Qerimi, former customs officer Bedri Shabani, OSCE employee Jelena Djukanović, and former head of the “Institute for the Advancement of Interethnic Relations,” Fatmir Sheholli, who was also a member of Serbia’s state security in the 1990s.

According to the indictments issued by the Kosova Special Prosecutor’s Office, those accused of being Serbian spies, among other things, sent information to Serbia about Wahhabis, the identities of AKI officials, police locations, organized crime investigations and suspects, and the identities of UÇK members, with the aim of building a false narrative about a KLA organ-trafficking network extending from Kosova to Albania.

The shortest road route from European countries to Kosova passes through Serbia, but the BIA frequently detains Kosova citizens, accusing them of criminal offenses against the constitutional order.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Diaspora has repeatedly urged citizens to avoid transiting through Serbia. Serbia has also arrested former members of Kosova security institutions on various alleged criminal offenses.

Former Kosova Police officer Arbnor Spahiu was held in pre-trial detention from June 2025 to November 2025, allegedly for anti-constitutional offenses linked to the killing of group members in the terrorist attack in Banjskë.

The indictment to which Vlajić pleaded guilty also reveals the consequences his espionage had for the Serbs whose names he mentioned. The document states that several Kosova citizens mentioned by Vlajić to the BIA were subsequently recruited by Serbia after being detained there.

Forty-two EU citizens have been convicted of espionage (the majority in favor of Russia), according to the Swedish for Research of Security agency report “Espionage by Europeans.”

The war in Ukraine has shifted the security balance, while Kosova has faced terrorist attacks in its north side year after year since then, all blamed on Serbia. Experts warn that 2026 will also be a year of heightened security risks. /Koha/