Kosovo receives "thousands" of suicide drones/ Vučić criticizes Turkey

2025-10-08 22:05:00, Kosova & Bota CNA

Kosovo receives "thousands" of suicide drones/ Vu?i? criticizes

Kosovo received containers of "thousands" of Skydagger suicide drones on Wednesday, announced acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti.

Kurti said on Facebook that the drones have arrived ahead of schedule and that dozens of Kosovo Security Force (KSF) soldiers have already been trained in their use.

Kosovo signed the contract in December last year with the well-known Turkish company Baykar, which is the parent company of the manufacturer Skydager, Kurti said.

"The Skydagger drones were scheduled to arrive in January 2026, but we received them three months early," he said.

"These suicide drones, also known as RTF (Ready to Fly) Skydagger FpVs procured by us, are combat drones equipped with explosive devices with the aim of hitting moving and static enemy targets," Kurti wrote.

Kurti said that, with the purchase of these drones, Kosovo is continuing to "raise and increase the striking power of our army with the aim of building a capable and coherent force with new technological developments and contemporary warfare tactics."

Serbian President Aleksandar Vu?i? has criticized Turkey, saying he is appalled by the country's behavior and believes it has violated the United Nations Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244.

"It is now completely clear that Turkey does not want stability in the Western Balkans and is dreaming again of the revival of the Ottoman Empire. Serbia is a small state, but we understand their real intentions ," the Serbian president said in a post on X - formerly Twitter.

Later, the Serbian Ministry of Defense said that, after the Turkish drones were sent to Kosovo, the Chief of the General Staff of the Serbian Army, General Milan Mojsilovi?, had an urgent telephone conversation with the Commander of KFOR, Major General Ozkan Ulutas.

The press release stated that during the conversation with the KFOR commander, Mojsilovic expressed strong protest against the "continued armament of Kosovo".

"The Chief of General Staff emphasized that such actions constitute a very negative signal and endanger not only security in Kosovo, but also in the entire Western Balkans region," the statement said, among other things.

Radio Free Europe has reached out to Turkish authorities for comment and is awaiting a response.

Osmani responds to Vu?i?

Kosovo President Vjosa Osmani has reacted to the Serbian president's statements, saying that Vu?i? is shamelessly attacking Turkey, a country that, as a NATO member, is helping Kosovo maintain peace.

"I am proud to have worked closely with President [of Turkey, Recep Tayyip] Erdogan, who has always shown deep concern for the people of our region, and has made an extraordinary contribution to maintaining peace and security. Vu?i?, on the other hand, seems to believe that he can threaten a major NATO country, such as Turkey, just as he threatens neighboring countries. Instead of working closely with NATO member states, he is advancing cooperation with Russia, China and Iran in the field of defense," Osmani said in a Twitter post.

She has pledged that Kosovo will continue to strengthen ties with NATO allies, modernizing its defense capacities, based on NATO standards, an alliance it aims to join.

"Vu?i? should try to do the same, instead of constantly attacking his neighbors. But it seems that for his hegemonic mindset that is stuck in the past and is constantly fixated on bullying others, such prudence seems beyond reach ," Osmani said, among other things.

What is Skydagger RTF?

The Skydagger RTF is a "ready-to-fly" drone, often also a combat drone, equipped with an explosive device for use against stationary and moving targets, although it also has professional applications such as surveillance and search and rescue.

RTF means that the drone is fully assembled and includes all necessary components, such as the drone itself, a radio transmitter, a receiver, and batteries, making it ready to fly immediately upon purchase.

This drone can fly at a maximum speed of 130kmh at a maximum distance of up to 10 kilometers. The Kosovo Security Force is currently in the process of transforming into an army. This process began in 2018, after the adoption of legal changes, and is expected to last ten years.

Ministry of Defense spokesperson Liridona Gashi had not previously revealed to REL how much was spent on armaments this year, but stressed that this government has invested "many times more" than in the past.

In September, the KSF received drones purchased from the United States - the RQ-20 Puma LE model. In August, the KSF was also equipped with armored vehicles, purchased from the United States. Last year, it submitted a request to purchase 200 more Javelin anti-tank missiles, and is now in the process of paying.

Kosovo has also purchased a fleet of Turkish drones, Bayraktar, in 2023. In 2018, military vehicles of the Humvee type also arrived in Kosovo from the US. The Kosovo government, at that time, signed a contract with the American company AM General for the purchase of 51 vehicles of this type.

Two years later, Kosovo purchased other military vehicles from the US, while in 2021, the US Government donated 55 ASV (Armored Security Vehicles) vehicles to Kosovo.

In recent years, the Government of Kosovo has increased the budget for the defense sector - this year it reached 207.8 million euros.

The KSF trains continuously at American and European bases, and also participates in multinational exercises such as "Defender Europe".

At the end of last year, Kosovo also signed an agreement with Turkey to build its first ammunition factory.

Gashi, from the Ministry of Defense, says that the expectations are for it to be operational “within two years.” Meanwhile, regarding the military cooperation announced in March between Kosovo, Albania and Croatia, he says that “a joint plan of activities is currently being compiled.”

The United States has supported the transformation of the KSF into an army from the beginning, but not NATO, which insists that the KSF stick to its original tasks, such as crisis response or civil protection./REL