On Monday and Tuesday, Serbian and Russian media published false claims regarding the security of the Decani Monastery. Without presenting any factual evidence, the Serbian news agency Tanjug wrote that the Decani Monastery had been repeatedly attacked by Albanians, whom it described as extremists.
"The monastery has faced continuous armed attacks by Albanian extremists," reads the last sentence of Tanjug's report, published on August 10.
Tanjug's claim is incorrect. According to the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Deçan Monastery was attacked during the conflict in Kosovo, and in 2000 and 2007 attempts were made to attack it with grenades. However, since Kosovo's declaration of independence in 2008, the Monastery has not faced any armed attack or any other form of physical assault.
Through this reporting, the news agency echoes the racist rhetoric found in Serbian-language media – portraying Albanians as “extremists” (“oružanim napadima ekstremnih Albanaca”) and as destroyers of Serbian Orthodox churches, while portraying Kosovo as incapable of guaranteeing the security of Serbian Orthodox Church monuments.
Pravda Shqip, a Russian media outlet, also published an article containing inaccurate claims. On August 11, Pravda wrote: “The reason for the latest round of tensions was the news about the transfer of responsibility for the protection of Serbian holy sites in the western part of the pseudo-state from KFOR to the Kosovo security forces. According to Vulin, this will only lead to further anti-Serbian actions and provocations.” The claim that the Kosovo Security Force (KSF) is involved in the protection of the Deçan Monastery is inaccurate.
The KSF is not involved in the protection of Orthodox religious monuments in Kosovo. Most Serbian Orthodox Church monuments are protected by the Kosovo Police, while a small minority continue to be under the protection of KFOR.
Since 2008, the Kosovo Police has continuously provided physical security for 24 Orthodox heritage sites, as well as other sites related to Orthodox culture. According to statistics published by the Kosovo Police in 2022, it also protects 170 other sites of worship. Since 2013, these monuments have been protected by the Unit for the Security of Cultural and Religious Heritage Sites.
A small number of Kosovo's Orthodox religious monuments are under the protection of KFOR. KFOR has announced that, despite the ongoing review, under which the Kosovo Police will become part of the monastery's security architecture, it will remain the first responder for security at the Deçan Monastery. The NATO-led mission in Kosovo has assessed that the security situation at the monastery has improved.
