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As the war in Ukraine continues to drag on, clouds of war are once again gathering over Eastern Europe.
As tensions between Serbia and Kosovo, longtime rivals in the Balkans, escalate again, the Serbian government even ordered the military to prepare for combat.
Reporter Won Jong-jin reports.
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On the 26th local time, the Serbian government upgraded the combat readiness of the military to the highest level.
Conflict erupted when Kosovo police arrested a Serbian police officer in the country.
Serbian police officers in Kosovo resigned as a group last month when the independent government of Kosovo, which was a territory of Serbia, banned the use of license plates issued by the Serbian government, after which Kosovo police arrested a Serbian police officer for assaulting the police.
Kosovo's Serb residents have been protesting against this, blocking roads in major cities in northern Kosovo since the 10th.
As the confrontation between the Kosovo government and the Serbian population continued, the Serbian government eventually announced an increase in troops in the name of protecting the population.
[Alexandar Vucic/President of Serbia: The Kosovo government wanted conflict.
They tried to kill the Serbs.]
Kosovo, which was a territory of Serbia, promoted secession in 1998, and 13,000 people were slaughtered as Serbian ethnic cleansing was committed.
Kosovo eventually declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but Serbia's constitution still defines Kosovo as its territory, making it Europe's powder keg.
(Video editing: Lee Seung-hee)