Kosovo Serbs blocked the roads leading to the Serbian border

Kosovo police said on Sunday they had come under fire in the country’s north, where they had barricaded roads leading into Serbia to protest the government’s border policy.

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Police said in a statement that there were no injuries in the shooting.

Both crossings have stopped traffic.

An AFP journalist noted that on Sunday evening, hundreds of Kosovo Serbs were crowding trucks, tankers and other heavy vehicles on roads leading to Zarinje and Branjak crossings.

A group settled around the barricades intending to spend the night there.

Starting Monday, anyone entering Kosovo with a Serbian identity card will have to replace it with a temporary document during their stay in the country, according to a decision by the Pristina government.

In addition, Kosovo Serbs must replace vehicles with registration plates issued in Serbia with Republic of Kosovo plates within two months.

On Sunday, Prime Minister Albin Kurti made it clear that Serbia – which does not recognize its former province’s independence from the Albanian majority declared in 2008 – was a reciprocal measure.

Kosovo Serbs do not recognize Pristina’s authority or Kosovo’s independence and remain loyal to Belgrade, on whom they are economically dependent.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic said in a state of the nation address on Sunday that the situation in Kosovo had “never been more complicated” for Serbia and the Serbs living there.

“The atmosphere is boiling,” Vucic said, adding that “Serbia will win” if the Serbs are attacked.

For his part, Albin Kurti accused Mr Vucic of inciting “embarrassment”.

“The next hours, next days and next weeks will be difficult and problematic,” the Kosovar president wrote on Facebook.

Last September, northern Kosovo was the scene of heightened tensions after Pristina’s decision to ban Serbian license plates on its territory, marred by daily demonstrations and characterized by blocking traffic at two border crossings.