'Kosovo is Serbia': RT Editor-in-Chief Announces Launch of Serbian-Language News Portal in Balkans

RT and Sputnik Editor-in-Chief Margarita Simonyan announced the launch of the Serbian-language portal on Tuesday to cover the most pressing global issues and provide an alternative viewpoint to other international outlets.

Simonyan greeted Serbian readers, noting that "probably, we were never expected anywhere in the world as much as here."

"We launched RT in the Balkans. Because Kosovo is Serbia," she wrote on her Telegram channel.

RT Balkan Chief Editor Jelena Milincic noted that the portal will allow people in the region to get a broader picture regarding the most important events across the globe, adding that the team is up to the challenge.

Moreover, the agency is planning to launch Serbian-language TV broadcasting by 2024. In addition, RT Balkan is also available on Telegram in Serbian and Russian - as well as on Twitter, TikTok and YouTube.

The launch comes amid bans and restrictions on RT and Sputnik broadcasting, as well as the outlets' social media channels, adopted by EU countries in March 2022 after the beginning of the Russian special military operation in Ukraine.

While the EU slapped several rounds of sanctions on Moscow, Serbia refused to join the restrictions, stressing that Belgrade would maintain an independent foreign policy. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic explained that should Belgrade give in to western pressure and join sanctions against Russia, the West would demand it "give up on Kosovo and Metohija" next.