Through a headline of an article published on September 10 in the Russian media outlet "Sputnik" in Serbian, it is claimed that a "dangerous experiment" and a "great purge" against Serbs is underway in Pristina.
The "Sputnik" article relates to developments in the constitutive session of the Kosovo Assembly, where the representative of the Serbian List, Slavko Simić, proposed Igor Simić for deputy speaker of the Assembly "on behalf of the Serbian people."
After this, there were reactions regarding the use of the term “Serbian people” in relation to the “Serbian community” (see here article from REL).
In the Sputnik article, Serbian political scientist Aleksandar Djikic claims that the use of the term “Serb community” is part of a process that, according to him, began after the war and aims to deny Serbs in Kosovo the status of “autochthonous people”. He says that the term “Serb community” has also been used over the years by non-governmental organizations and Serbian politicians who have participated in Kosovo’s institutions. According to Djikic, this terminology has been used continuously and is now being exploited politically.
Đikić further claims that the use of the term “community”, instead of “people”, could lead to the denial of the status and rights of Serbs in Kosovo. He calls this a “political game” and a “dangerous political experiment”, calling on the Serbian authorities to raise this issue with international factors. However, these are Đikić’s assessments and claims, while the article does not present any concrete evidence proving that a “great purge” of Serbs is taking place.
The article "Sputnik"It was later published by the Serbian media."Naslovi.net"and "Vaseljenska.net".
What's wrong?
Although the article is related to a real development in the Kosovo Assembly and to Đikić’s statements on the use of the term “Serb people”, the title does not match the content of the text. The content does not present any concrete process of “great cleansing” and Đikić does not use the term “ethnic cleansing”. The title, through this formulation, presents as a concrete and current process what is presented in the article as a political interpretation of a statement and the use of a term.
This formulation is part of a broader narrative that consistently presents the situation of Serbs in Kosovo as an organized process of expulsion, erasure, or loss of their rights.
The Russian-Serbian narrative of “ethnic cleansing” of Serbs in Kosovo
This is not the first time that political or institutional developments in Kosovo have been presented as part of an alleged process of "cleansing" of Serbs. In February 2026, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova, following the December 28, 2025 elections in Kosovo, alleged that the authorities in Pristina were intensifying what it called the “cleansing” of Kosovo of the Serb population. In that case, the post-election developments, the issue of a parliamentary seat, and the implementation of laws on foreigners and vehicles were presented as part of a deliberate process against Serbs. Hibrid.info had assessed that there was no evidence that these developments constituted part of a state campaign to expel Serbs.
A similar narrative has been promoted by other Russian officials. In August 2026, the Russian ambassador to Serbia, Aleksandar Botsan-Kharchenko, claimed that Russia was doing everything to prevent an “ethnic cleansing” of Serbs in Kosovo. During the same period, Zakharova described the situation of Serbs as “catastrophic” and claimed that “systematic and deliberate terror” was being carried out against them. These statements were linked to various developments in Kosovo, including arrests, property issues and changes in the KFOR presence, presenting them as part of a broader process against the Serbian community.
Similar claims have also appeared in Russian channels on Telegram, where the phrase “silent ethnic cleansing” of Serbs in Kosovo has been used. Thus, in various cases, specific political, administrative or security developments have been combined into a single narrative, according to which Serbs in Kosovo are presented as the object of an organized policy of expulsion or elimination from public and institutional space.
In this context, Aleksandar Đjikić's statements and the title of the "Sputnik" article add to an already repetitive narrative.
facts
The claim of a "major purge" of Serbs in Kosovo is not supported by reports from international missions monitoring the situation in the country.
Reports of UNMIK-ut and OSCE-document interethnic incidents, security problems, issues affecting the Serbian community, and concerns regarding community rights, but do not describe the situation as a process of "ethnic cleansing" of Serbs.