Another European flashpoint: Kosovo delays controversial rules as Serbia tensions rise

A new rule on licence plates has led to old hostilities resurfacing, writes David Harding

A man passes by graffiti depicting Russian President Vladimir Putin, reading: ‘Kosovo is Serbia’ in Belgrade (AP)

Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February transformed the European security order, there has been plenty of speculation about where the next flashpoint could be in a continent that has traditionally been a tinderbox.

Attention is now centred on Kosovo.

Tensions in the Balkans are escalating, seemingly revolving around a series of administrative decisions by the Kosovan government but playing on long-established regional faultlines.