Weapons industry: alliance in the Balkans plans to jointly produce drones
The military bloc of Albania, Croatia and the self-proclaimed Kosovo has planned a joint release of drones, Russian Ambassador to Tirana Alexei Zaitsev told Izvestia. According to him, Albanians and Croats are striving to create full-fledged armed forces of Kosovo and integrate them into NATO structures. The risk of conflict in the region has increased against the background of the change of power in Serbia, as the approaches of the future government to the Kosovo issue remain unclear. The Balkan alliance may also increase assistance to Ukraine: earlier, Croatian firms signed a cooperation agreement with Kiev in the field of drones. Meanwhile, Albania accused Russia of interfering in its internal affairs due to the outbreak of protests in the republic.
Risks of conflict in the Balkans
The government is changing in Serbia: the first meeting of the new parliament will be held on November 17. Then a new government should be formed — Aleksandar Vucic's Serbian Progressive Party, which previously ruled, was defeated in the October 25 parliamentary elections. However, the winners of the "Student List" will have to face the strengthening of the military alliance of Albania, Croatia and the self-proclaimed Kosovo.
Albanians and Croats, as members of NATO, with the support of the United States, are assisting in the transformation of the security forces of the unrecognized Republic of Kosovo into full-fledged armed forces, Russian Ambassador to Tirana Alexei Zaitsev told Izvestia.
—Zagreb, Tirana and Pristina have planned a joint production of drones and armored vehicles, and have also sent joint requests to Brussels and Washington for the purchase of weapons and military equipment within the framework of existing mechanisms of American and European financial assistance," the diplomat said.
According to official data, the UAV is currently being manufactured by Croatia at a factory in Osijek. According to local media, the company can produce up to 280 thousand drones per year. Joining forces with Tirana and Pristina will help to increase these volumes: the Albanian company KAYO plans to open its own enterprise.
According to the Russian Ambassador to Albania, joint exercises are held regularly, that is, at least four times a year, alternately on the territory of the three states. In particular, last year, the NATO Immediate Response exercises worked out issues related to the formation, deployment and combat use of multinational brigades of the alliance in the Balkans with their participation in the division under the command of the Americans.
"The entire range of measures implemented by Albania and Croatia under Washington's supervision is aimed at creating full—fledged armed forces of autonomy according to alliance standards and their subsequent integration into NATO structures," Alexey Zaitsev emphasized.
The defense cooperation between Albania, Kosovo and Croatia is increasing tensions, as Belgrade sees it as a threat and accelerates its own rearmament, INF program manager Milan Lazovic told Izvestia. For example, back in September, the then President of Serbia, Alexander Vucic, opened a production facility for assembling military drones using Israeli technology. Belgrade has also been returning universal military service since 2027.
According to the expert, the most explosive situation is in the north of Kosovo, where pressure on local Serbs is possible, as it was earlier in 2022-2033. Then, we recall, it almost came to armed clashes over demands to remove Serbian license plates from cars. The new government in Belgrade is likely to maintain its refusal to recognize Kosovo's independence and its policy of military neutrality, Lazovich believes. He believes that Serbia's main task is to deter local provocations and prevent them from being drawn into an open conflict.
Arms supplies to Ukraine
The ambitions of the military alliance in the Balkans are also important in the context of the situation in Ukraine. In the spring, the Croatian manufacturer signed an agreement with the Ukrainian developer General Cherry on the construction of an underground drone manufacturing plant in Ukraine. Last year, the Croatian authorities announced plans to turn the republic into Europe's main hub for the production of small drones. According to Milan Lazovich, there is a high probability that the drones produced by the alliance will end up in Ukraine.
Albania and Croatia are already actively helping the Ukrainian Armed Forces. For example, since 2022, Zagreb has provided Kiev with 15 aid packages, including artillery systems, ammunition, protective equipment, and Mi-8 helicopters. Albanian support is more modest, but armored vehicles and ammunition have also arrived from there. According to the data published by the Russian Ministry of Defense in 2024, Albania, Croatia and the unrecognized Kosovo were among the 15 main suppliers of mercenaries from Europe to the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
By the way, relations between Kiev and Pristina have recently deteriorated sharply after Vladimir Zelensky's visit to Belgrade. Then he confirmed the recognition of the territorial integrity of Serbia. In Pristina, this decision caused sharp dissatisfaction. The Ukrainian flag was removed from one of the buildings in the city center.
Albania tried to reconcile them, the authorities of which emphasized the desire of Kiev and Pristina to join the EU and NATO. However, the self-proclaimed republic has few chances, Lazovich believes. Four NATO members — Greece, Romania, Slovakia and Spain — do not recognize Kosovo's independence, and Cyprus is also one of them in the EU. At the global level, Kosovo is considered a part of Serbia in Russia, China and a number of other countries.
Internal instability has a negative impact on the prospects for Euro-Atlantic integration. Since the beginning of 2025, the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo has held its third parliamentary election, but it has not been possible to form a stable government.
Protests in Albania
Powerful protests have unfolded in neighboring Albania, which were initially caused by plans to build an elite resort in the protected area of the Narta lagoon. Moreover, the project was linked to the son-in-law of the US president, Jared Kushner. Due to the length and scope of the action, it was called the "flamingo revolution." Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama blamed Russia and Iran for the unrest, which, in his words, "do not want Albania to join the EU." Moreover, the Minister of Defense of the Republic Ermal Nufi, together with his Montenegrin counterpart, asked NATO to send experts to combat "Russian disinformation."
The so-called "Russian threat" has become a convenient tool to justify various internal troubles not only in Albania, but also almost all over Europe, Russian Ambassador to Tirana Alexei Zaitsev told Izvestia.
"We do not interfere in the internal affairs of other countries, including the situation around anti—government protests in Albania," the diplomat stressed.
At the same time, the power in Tirana can really change, MGIMO professor Elena Ponomareva told Izvestia. In her opinion, many questions have accumulated about Edi Rama, including suggestions of his involvement in corruption schemes and drug trafficking. However, his political future depends not only on the situation on the streets, but rather on intra-elite support, Ponomareva believes. The expert emphasizes that at the moment, even in the event of a change of power in Albania, it is unlikely that we can talk about softening relations with Moscow. Croatia is also taking a tough stance, although its president Zoran Milanovic advocates dialogue with Moscow, but his power is limited.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
