Stagecraft, Sanctions, and Serbia’s Shadow

An explosive interview unpacks Kosovo’s drone disputes, KFOR denials, Grenell’s stagecraft, EU pressure, and Albania’s intelligence choices demanding accountability.

In an interview broadcast Saturday, Sept. 27, on Albania’s MCN TV, journalist and editor

Vudi Xhymshiti

sparred with a moderator Sebastian Zonja over contested drone incursions in northern Kosovo, the state of U.S.–Kosovo relations, Serbia’s regional role, and a swirl of protocol questions surrounding recent meetings in New York¹. The conversation, conducted in Albanian, doubled as a critique of media standards and diplomatic stagecraft across the Balkans.

The interview opened with the moderator noting a discrepancy: senior Kosovar officials had alleged the presence of drones in the north, while KFOR rejected that account.

“It is not surprising that KFOR might try to deny such a claim,” Mr. Xhymshiti said, recalling the Sept. 24, 2023, armed incident in Banjska² and arguing that “an entire arsenal” was smuggled “under KFOR’s nose.” He called KFOR’s response “deeply troubling” and pivoted quickly to a broader indictment of the press: “Media in Kosovo are not acting with integrity and dignity to do their…