PRISTINA — The Basic Court in Pristina sentenced two ethnic Serbs to life in prison and a third to a 30-year jail term on April 24, 2026, for plotting to separate northern Kosovo and unite it with Serbia. The three men were convicted of violating Kosovo's constitutional order and inciting terror activities aimed at separating the predominantly ethnic Serb northern municipalities from Kosovo to unite them with Serbia.

Blagoje Spasojevic and Vladimir Tolic received life sentences, while Dusan Maksimovic was sentenced to 30 years. A total of 45 people were initially charged in connection with the Banjska clash, but the trial was held for only the three individuals who were in custody.

"Through this well-organized plan, they attempted to separate the municipalities in the north from Kosovo and annex them to Serbia," Judge Ngadhnjim Arni said. Spasojevic told the court, "I am not a terrorist."

The case stems from a confrontation in September 2023, when heavily armed Serb men set up barricades in northern Kosovo and engaged in a gunbattle with Kosovo police at Banjska village that lasted several hours. A Kosovo police officer and three gunmen were killed in the clash.

Kosovo has accused Serbia of arming and supporting the group of Serb gunmen. Serbia denied the allegations and said the men acted on their own.

Milan Radoicic, a politician and businessman with ties to Serbia's ruling populist party and President Aleksandar Vucic, is among those still at large in connection with the Banjska clash. Serbia briefly detained Radoicic after the shooting, accusing him of criminal conspiracy and unlawful possession of weapons. He publicly admitted leading and organizing the Banjska attack after being identified in drone footage by Kosovo security officials. Radoicic has not been put on trial despite pressure from U.S. and European Union officials, and has been sanctioned by the U.S. and Britain for alleged financial criminal activity.

Serbia does not recognize Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence. Washington and most EU countries have recognized Kosovo's statehood, while Russia and China have backed Serbia's claim on Kosovo's territory. Belgrade and Pristina have been told they must normalize ties to advance their bids to join the EU.

More than 10,000 people were killed during the 1998-99 war in Kosovo when ethnic Albanian separatist rebels launched an insurgency against Serbia's rule. Belgrade's military response prompted NATO to launch an intervention to end the conflict.