Turkey Delivers ‘Kamikaze’ Drones to Kosovo

Kosovo announced on Wednesday that it has taken delivery of “thousands” of kamikaze drones from Turkey, a move that has provoked sharp criticism from neighbouring Serbia and raised fresh concerns about security in the already tense Western Balkans.

In a social-media post, acting Prime Minister Albin Kurti said the weapons arrived at Pristina airport on 8 October and identified them as Skydagger FPV RTF — “ready to fly” loitering munitions. Kurti described the systems as combat drones equipped with explosives, capable of striking both moving and fixed targets, and said they will “significantly increase the army’s strike power” by bringing modern technology into Kosovo’s forces.

Kurti’s announcement emphasised the procurement as a response to the needs of “a modern war,” noting the shipment arrived earlier than expected.

Belgrade reacts angrily

Serbia reacted immediately and strongly. President Aleksandar Vučić accused Turkey of violating the UN Charter and UN Security Council Resolution 1244 — the resolution that governs the international framework for Kosovo — and said Ankara’s actions undermine stability in the region.

“I am shocked by Turkey’s behaviour and by the gross violation of the UN Charter and Resolution 1244, as well as by the continuing arming of Pristina’s authorities,” Vučić wrote online. “It is now absolutely clear that Turkey does not want stability in the Western Balkans.”

Part of a broader security relationship

The delivery follows a pattern of deepening military ties between Turkey and Kosovo in recent years. According to Kosovo officials, Ankara has supplied unmanned aerial systems to Kosovo since 2018; in 2023, Turkey reportedly transferred Bayraktar drones to Pristina, and in 2024 agreed with Kosovo on building a factory to produce artillery munitions.

The latest shipment — loitering munitions sometimes described as “suicide” or “kamikaze” drones because they detonate on impact — is likely to draw fresh international attention to arms flows in the Balkans and to worries about an escalation of tensions between Kosovo and Serbia.

Regional implications

Analysts and officials have long warned that arms transfers in a disputed and ethnically divided region can aggravate old grievances and increase the risk of incidents. Kosovo’s government frames the new capability as a defensive modernisation; Serbia condemns it as destabilising and unlawful.

The delivery underscores how external partnerships and weapons supplies are reshaping military balances in the Western Balkans — a development that neighbours and international actors will be watching closely.