Professor of Security Studies, Avni Islami, highlights the threat posed by the Serbian List to Kosovo’s national security, while discussing the arrest of a Croatian pilot and his Serbian girlfriend from Kosovo, who are suspected of espionage.

They have been placed in pre-trial detention following a decision by the Split County Court, where the Croatian pilot—who also served in KFOR—is suspected of providing information about KFOR troop movements to his Serbian girlfriend, who then allegedly passed it on to the Serbian List.

Islami states that the Croatian pilot was exploited, as he emphasizes, by an infiltrated BIA spy, who is suspected of providing the Serbian List with information on KFOR troop movements in Kosovo.

According to security expert Avni Islami, the Serbian List is the political arm of criminal groups in Kosovo, which, he says, takes directives directly from the government in Belgrade.

“This is not the first time that EULEX and KFOR members have been targets of espionage, generally targeting international institutions operating in Kosovo, which, as is known, enjoy immunity in relation to Kosovo’s security institutions and AKI. In this particular case, following the scandal uncovered in Split, a Croatian pilot who served in Kosovo was exploited by an infiltrated BIA agent under the guise of journalism, and information regarding KFOR, EULEX, and other positions in Kosovo was transferred. These pieces of information are suspected to have been passed on to the Srbska List. There is no doubt that the Srbska List is the political arm of criminal terrorism in Kosovo. This shows how dangerous the Srbska List is for Kosovo’s national security and what the Srbska List is working on… All directives are received from the government of Belgrade, specifically from Aleksandar Vučić,” said Islami.

Furthermore, Islami emphasizes that, in addition to this case, there are many others who, according to him, cooperate with local Serbs by sending information detrimental to Kosovo’s national security.

“This cannot be an isolated case because even a police officer was previously identified and uncovered by Kosovo’s security institutions, AKI, together with the Police and the Prosecutor’s Office. I believe there are many other cases where local Serbs and others are collaborating, and I suspect there may even be Albanians providing classified information detrimental to Kosovo’s national security,” Islami stated.

According to Croatian media outlet Index, the Croatian pilot and his Serbian girlfriend from Kosovo were placed in one month of pre-trial detention due to espionage suspicions.

They were held in custody due to the risk of influencing witnesses and destroying evidence, according to the court’s decision. The suspected Serbian woman was also detained because of the risk of flight, as she is a foreign national in Croatia.

It is suspected that from 2022 to 2025, the military pilot provided his partner with confidential information about the movements of Serbs in northern Kosovo, KFOR troops, and the situation in Zubin Potok. This information was available to her from his time on the KFOR mission.

They are also accused of exchanging information regarding the transport of former Kosovo police officer Dejan Pantić, whose arrest in December 2022 triggered protests and barricades.

Former KLA commander Rrustem Mustafa also reacted to this case, stating that the arrest of a Croatian pilot working with KFOR, along with his girlfriend, is a serious signal. He emphasized that security institutions and intelligence must remain vigilant. According to Mustafa, it has long been clear that the Serbian List is disguised under the guise of politics but, in reality, functions as a center of Serbian intelligence in Kosovo.