Injured Russian UN Employee In Kosovo Being Transferred To Serbia

PRISTINA – The United Nations' mission in Kosovo says that one of its two staff members who was arrested and sustained “injuries” during a police operation earlier this week is being transferred to a medical facility in neighboring Serbia.

In a statement on May 30, the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) said that the man, a Russian citizen, sustained “several injuries” and is being transferred to Belgrade where he will be reunited with his family.

The Russian was arrested along with another UNMIK staff member, an ethnic Serb, during the May 28 police raids in Serb-dominated areas in northern Kosovo.

The Russian national was released later that day and the Kosovo-Serb late on May 29.

In its statement, UNMIK said that its ethnic Serb employee “was taken to a medical facility in Kosovo to be treated for the injuries he sustained during his arrest.”

The man “is in a stable condition and is being closely monitored,” it added.

The police raids sparked clashes between local Serbs and the officers and ignited a diplomatic dispute over the detention of the two UN personnel involved in the incident.