Two years have passed since the morning when gunfire broke the silence in the small village of Banjska in northern Kosovo.
On that day, the Kosovo Police reported that “Serbian ‘little green men’ in armed vehicles had advanced 15 kilometres into Kosovo’s territory, leading to a terrorist attack on the Kosovo Police that resulted in the death of one officer and left another wounded.”
In the hours that followed, unverified information spread rapidly, fueling fear among residents who were unsure whether the clashes between the Kosovo Police and armed groups would continue. Most citizens learned about the incident through statements from Kosovo’s officials, while official Belgrade remained silent until the evening.
The Kosovo government immediately labelled the attack a terrorist act, directly accusing Belgrade of involvement.
Just a few hours after the gunfire was first heard in Banjska, images of Milan Radoičić, then vice president of the Srpska Lista party in Kosovo and a close associate of the Serbian government, began circulating on social media, showing him in military attire.
Five days later, Radoičić claimed responsibility for the attack and resigned from his positions within Srpska Lista.
“I personally managed all logistical preparations for the defence of our people against the occupiers, and my actions have no connection to my previous political involvement,” he stated through his lawyer in Belgrade.
Even now, what exactly transpired that day in Banjska remains unclear.
It is known that one Kosovo police officer and three members of the armed group led by Radoičić were killed.
However, questions linger about how the firefight began, why the armed group gathered overnight near Banjska Monastery, who ordered their assembly, and what their intentions were.
The former vice president of the largest Serb party in Kosovo was released after questioning in Belgrade in October 2023, and Serbia’s chief prosecutor announced in late 2024 that a decision on an indictment would be made.
Since then, however, the case has stalled, and no indictment has been filed.
Bringing charges against Radoičić is one of the commitments Serbia made in a non-paper submitted for the opening of EU Accession Cluster 3.
Kosovo authorities, on the other hand, classify the attack in Banjska as a terrorist act, while Radoičić and the other individuals involved are linked to violations of the constitutional order and actions against Kosovo’s legal system.
The indictment names 45 people, but only three who were arrested in Kosovo are currently on trial before the court in Pristina. The others remain at large, and an Interpol notice was issued for them in December 2023.
Reports of Radoičić helping the ruling party amid the ongoing protests
Since the Banjska incident, Radoičić has not appeared publicly. Restrictions on his leaving Serbia have been extended, and he is required to report to the police on the first and fifteenth of every month.
Nevertheless, on several occasions, reports have surfaced that Radoičić’s men, also alleged participants in the Banjska attack, were seen wearing black caps in the so-called “Ćacilend,” a camp erected in downtown Belgrade where SNS supporters have been gathering since March as a response to the anti-government protests.
On 23 September, Radoičić and his men were reportedly spotted in Kosjerić, a small town in western Serbia where the Serbian Progressive Party narrowly retained power in recent local elections.
Citizens of Kosjerić told Nova.rs that Radoičić personally threatened one of the participants in rallies supporting students. According to their accounts, he directly warned the man to tell others that SNS supporters would be marching through Kosjerić on Saturday as a part of pro-government rallies, that he himself would be present, and that “not a hair on anyone’s head should be harmed because we are ready, without hesitation, to die for our beliefs.”
A spokesperson for the European Commission told N1 that the European Union expects Serbian authorities to arrest and prosecute those responsible for the Banjska attack.
He added that the EU is concerned by reports suggesting that individuals allegedly involved in the Banjska attack have been taking part in demonstrations.
