Russian uses and abuses of Serbia-Kosovo dispute

This chapter analyzes Russia’s strategic manipulation of the Serbia-Kosovo dispute as a central instrument of influence in the Western Balkans. Although Moscow’s direct leverage in the region has diminished since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine, it continues to exploit unresolved interethnic conflicts to obstruct Euro-Atlantic integration and undermine Western legitimacy. Rooted in ‘strategic legalism,’ Russia selectively invokes international law, most notably UN Security Council Resolution 1244, to maintain the dispute in perpetual contestation while positioning itself as an indispensable actor in any future settlement. The chapter traces this strategy from the Kosovo status negotiations of the mid-2000s to recent crises in northern Kosovo, showing how Russia’s rigid legalist stance conceals a pragmatic and realist agenda aimed at counterbalancing Western influence. By situating the Serbia-Kosovo issue within Russia’s broader foreign policy playbook, the chapter demonstrates how Moscow applies similar tactics across the post-Soviet space – from Georgia and Moldova to Ukraine – using the “Kosovo precedent” to justify its own violations of sovereignty, including the annexation of Crimea and recognition of separatist regions. Ultimately, Moscow’s continued interference, enabled by local elites’ opportunism and EU missteps, sustains instability in southeastern Europe while exposing the limits of both Western liberal integration strategies and Russian revisionist ambitions.