Tensions between Serbia and Kosovo have escalated after Serbian officials accused Kosovan police of assaulting three young Serbian men in North Mitrovica, a predominately Serb area in northern Kosovo, on September 10.

The rising tensions come amid fears of renewed unrest in the region, following Pristina’s decision to shut down five Serbian-run institutions on August 30. Ethnic violence between Serbs and Albanians has flared periodically since Kosovo unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008 — a move Serbia has refused to recognise.

Despite a decade-long EU-mediated dialogue aimed at normalising relations between Serbia and Kosovo, progress has been limited. Washington has voiced concern over the latest developments, with a US State Department spokesperson expressing "disappointment" over what it described as Pristina's "uncoordinated actions". 

Belgrade has consistently accused Pristina of suppressing the ethnic Serb minority in northern Kosovo. Serbia’s office for Kosovo and Metohija described the latest detentions as part of the "ongoing repression and torture experienced daily by Serbs from the north of Kosovo".

Aleksandar Arsenijevic, leader of the Serb Democracy party in Kosovo, posted a video on September 10 showing the arrest of the three young Serbs late on Monday night. He claimed that police beat the young men for about 10 minutes and detained another individual who tried to film the incident.

Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic condemned the arrests, calling them a "brutal attack" on the Serbian population. "Pristina is determined to destroy and persecute the Serbian people from Kosovo," he claimed.

Vucic vowed to present a list of demands to the international community and Kosovan authorities within 72 hours, following meetings with EU envoy Miroslav Lajcak and US Ambassador Christopher Hill on September 10. 

Meanwhile, Kosovo’s Prime Minister Albin Kurti laid the foundation for a new police station in Lesko, signalling Pristina’s intent to go ahead with its policy of integration of the Serbs in northern Kosovo.

Arsenijevic was reportedly arrested on September 10 for blowing a whistle while Kurti was visiting a fast food restaurant.