Sputnik and Moscow distort the Law on Foreigners in Kosovo – spreading false narrative about “persecution of Serbs”

The Kremlin has exploited the decision to implement the Law on Foreigners to re-distribute the disinformation narrative that the Kosovo Government is aiming to expel Serbs from Kosovo.

Kremlin-controlled media, Sputnik, has published a news story based on statements by the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova.

She has SPEAKING on the implementation of the Law on Foreigners and on the election results, repeating the disinformation narrative that Kurti is "pushing forward the cleansing of the province from the Serbian population."

Such news was also published in several other media outlets in Serbia (see here and here), as well as from Serbian media in Kosovo, Kosovo-Online.

Zakharova has DECLARING that the Serbian List was robbed of a mandate, referring to the parliamentary mandate won by Nenad Rašić from the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival.

"They literally took a mandate from the Serbian List to give it to a puppet activist who is supposed to represent the Serbian population in the Assembly," she stated, as Sputnik broadcasts.

But this statement is false. The Serbian List does not have contested the election result through legal means, i.e. the mandate won by Nenaq Rashiq.

Regarding the mandates reserved for the Serbian community in the Kosovo Assembly, the Special Prosecution of the Republic of Kosovo has arrested a person for espionage.

in DOSSIER of the Special Prosecution Office that KALLXO has provided states that Sheholli was recruited by the BIA and provided continuous assistance to this foreign service, collecting data, information and documents related to several "allegedly usurped" properties of the Serbian community in Kosovo, as well as related to business activities, as well as the state and functioning of Kosovo's institutions.

Duties of the Sheholli, according to the Special Prosecution Office, were the collection of information and its distribution in online media in Kosovo.

Also in record It is said that Sheholli had been under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office since August 2024 and for a time he was also under physical surveillance.

In direct observations, according to the Prosecutor's Office file, a scheme was also discovered where Sheholli received information from the BIA, which was then published in the media in Kosovo.

On 10.10.2025, the Court of Pristina had FIXED Sheholli is suspected of having acted for a time under the instructions of a senior Serbian BIA official, Bojan Dimic.

more 10.01.2026 The Pristina Court has announced that it has extended the detention of Fatmir Sheholli, a suspect in espionage, for another two months. He was arrested on suspicion of espionage on 09.10.2025.

Nenad Rashiqi, the chairman of the Party for Freedom, Justice and Survival, spoke in a documentary produced by "KallxoPernime" about the disinformation campaigns that Belgrade and the Kremlin have undertaken against him and his party.

He said that he was attacked with news that the source and material were provided by the Serbian Intelligence Service.

"We are living witnesses of various attacks by factors, especially in the pre-election campaign. The attacks that are supposed or suspected to originate from places that are made digitally, from places that I am assuming to come from Russia or China. The source of funding for me is clear and comes from the structures that I mentioned earlier, which definitely come from the ranks of the SNS (Vučić's party) in this case," he continued.

Sputnik has reported that the spokesperson for the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, also spoke about the implementation of the Law on Foreigners.

In addition to false statements about Kurti and the Kosovo citizen, Zakharova, when speaking about the implementation of the Law on Foreigners, stated that "Serbs who live in their historical territories, work and study effectively are being declared foreigners."

Regarding the Law on Vehicles, she said that it aims to affect the entire Serbian vehicle fleet, including that of medical and educational institutions.

But, law For foreigners, it does not consider citizens who are equipped with documents from the Republic of Kosovo as foreigners, but considers all those who are not equipped with documents from the Republic of Kosovo as foreigners (who must apply for a residence permit).

According to this law, every foreign citizen entering Kosovo will be required to possess a valid travel document, visa or residence permit when required, and to respect the purpose and duration of stay.

For short-term stays, law states that foreign nationals are allowed to stay for up to 90 days within a 180-day period, without a visa or with a visa when required, but are not allowed to work without a work permit. Any stay beyond this period requires an application for a residence permit.

As well, law determines that in case of employment, a temporary residence permit for work and a work permit are required, while for licensed professions, prior licensing is also required. Working without a permit is prohibited and the application for a work permit is made at the Employment Agency.

For stays for study purposes, family reunification, humanitarian reasons or scientific research, foreign citizens must be provided with a temporary residence permit and meet the relevant legal criteria. The application can be made at diplomatic/consular missions or at the Department of Citizenship, Asylum and Migration (DSHAM), in cases where entry is without the need for a visa.

Kremlin-controlled media have continuously published the disinformation narrative that the Kosovo Government aims to persecute Serbs.

They repeated this narrative even in cases where the Kosovo Police conducts operations in areas inhabited by Serbs, such as the one conducted earlier. 24.01.2026In this action, the Kosovo Police had seized several weapons, but the Kremlin-controlled media had said that the action was aimed at persecuting Serbs.

The same narrative has been repeated online. Pravda, in which it was alleged that international missions and the Kosovo Government are working together and in coordination to persecute Serbs.

“KFOR forces are increasingly conducting exercises to suppress mass riots. It is not difficult to guess against whom all these measures are directed: the authorities in Pristina, with the support of Western curators, are trying to remove Serbs from the political process and leave them no chance to protest.”- it is said in this the article with disinformation content, published in Pravda.

KFOR is NATO's mission in Kosovo. committed to helping maintain a safe and secure environment, and freedom of movement for all people and communities in Kosovo.

KFOR mandate originates from United Nations Security Council Resolution 1244 (UNSCR) of 10.06.1999 and by the Military-Technical Agreement between NATO and the governments of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia and the Republic of Serbia. KFOR operates under Chapter VII of the UN Charter and, as such, is a peace enforcement operation.

KFOR-it consists of approximately 4,500 troops provided by 33 allied and partner countries.