Seven Serbs detained in Kosovo, Serbian government says it is 'retaliation'

The apprehended persons will be provided with legal assistance, according to the same government body, which will also inform the international representatives about their detention.

The statement assessed that the operations were carried out "in order to intimidate and create unrest among the Serb families and households who have lived in this area for decades," stressing that special units under full armament "broke down the doors of the Serb-owned houses, conducting searches and raids."

"This is a retaliation by (acting Prime Minister of Kosovo) Albin Kurti against the Serb people in northern Kosovo and Metohija, due to the victory of the Serb people in the recently concluded elections, as well as Pristina's nervousness due to the election debacle that Kurti wants to compensate for at the expense of the Serb people," the statement said.

Kosovo media, on the other hand, reported that the raids in Zubin Potok were conducted in connection with the murder of an EULEX customs officer in 2013.

Lithuanian customs officer Audrius Šenavičius was killed on September 19, 2013 on the Kosovska Mitrovica - Leposavic main road, near the town of Balaban, in the municipality of Zvecan, when, as EULEX stated at the time, two vehicles of the mission, carrying six officers, were covered in gunfire.

The murder case remains unsolved, and was handed over to a Kosovo court after EULEX completed its mandate in the judiciary in 2018. In previous years, EULEX had offered a reward of 82,000 euros for information about the murder.