Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić has put his country's army on standby. About 50,000 Serbs live in four northern municipalities of Kosovo, including Zvečan.
They boycotted the local elections on April 23 – the turnout was 3.5 percent – and refuse to cooperate with the new Albanian mayors. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but the government in Belgrade did not recognize independence. The Serbs living in Kosovo also see themselves as part of the neighbouring country.