BELGRADE (Sputnik) — A court in the self-proclaimed republic in Serbia’s southwest said Wednesday the Russians and five Serbs had crossed into the region illegally and told them to pay a fine of 250 euros ($294) each before setting them free.
"The situation with the Russian nationals who were detained in Kosovo has been resolved. They paid a fine ordered by the court in the city of Podujevo and left the region’s territory," Yuri Pichyugin said.
The defendants said they wanted to visit their relatives in Kosovo, but Kosovo's prosecutors accused them of taking part in illegal military exercises in the northern part of the partially recognized state.
Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008 and has since been recognized by over 100 UN member states, but dozens of other countries, including Serbia and Russia, do not recognize Kosovo's sovereignty.
