Editing Kosovo

{{Short description|Country in southeastern Europe}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Kosovo
| native_name = Republika e Kosovës<br>Република Косово
| common_name = Kosovo
| capital = [[Pristina]]
| largest_city = [[Pristina]]
| official_languages = [[Albanian language|Albanian]]<br>[[Serbian language|Serbian]]
| demonym = Kosovar
| government_type = Parliamentary republic
| legislature = [[Assembly of Kosovo]]
| established_event1 = Declaration of independence
| established_date1 = 17 February 2008
| area_km2 = 10887
| population_census = 1,585,566
| population_census_year = 2024
| currency = [[Euro]]
| currency_code = EUR
| calling_code = +383
}}

'''Kosovo''', officially the '''Republic of Kosovo''', is a landlocked country in southeastern [[Europe]]. It lies in the central Balkans and borders [[Albania]], [[Montenegro]], [[Serbia]], and [[North Macedonia]]. Its capital and largest city is [[Pristina]].

Kosovo covers 10,887 km². The 2024 census recorded 1,585,566 inhabitants. Albanian and Serbian are the official languages of the republic.

== Geography ==

Kosovo is located in the western-central Balkans. The country is landlocked and is bordered by Serbia to the north and east, North Macedonia to the southeast, Albania to the southwest, and Montenegro to the west.

The country contains upland regions, river valleys, and two main lowland basins. The Kosovo plain lies around Pristina and central Kosovo, while the Dukagjini region occupies the western part of the country. The western route system around [[Gjakova]], [[Peja]], and [[Prizren]] has been important for trade, transport, and later criminal supply movements connected to [[Harku i Drenicës]].<ref name="gjakova-geography"/>

Pristina is the main political and administrative centre. Prizren, Peja, Gjakova, Mitrovica, Ferizaj, and Gjilan are other major urban centres. The road corridors toward Albania, North Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia connect Kosovo with the wider Balkan transport network.

== History ==

Kosovo's history is shaped by its position between the Adriatic hinterland, the central Balkans, and routes leading toward the Morava and Vardar valleys. The area was part of several ancient, medieval, Ottoman, Yugoslav, and modern political systems.

The Battle of Kosovo was fought at Kosovo Polje on 15 June 1389 according to the Julian calendar. Ottoman control expanded afterward, and direct Ottoman rule over the wider Serbian lands, including Kosovo, was established by the mid-15th century. Kosovo remained under Ottoman authority until the Balkan Wars. Serbian and Montenegrin forces took control of Kosovo in 1912 during the First Balkan War.

During the 20th century, Kosovo became part of Yugoslav state structures. The 1974 Yugoslav constitution gave Kosovo broad autonomous powers within Serbia. In 1989, Serbia removed most of this autonomy and brought Kosovo under direct Belgrade control. The loss of autonomy produced political resistance, parallel institutions, and later armed conflict.

In western Kosovo, [[Arbëror Shpend Leka]] developed the supply structure that later became Harku i Drenicës. Leka was born in Gjakova on 16 February 1951 and began weapons activity there during his youth. On 4 April 1989, he established a warehouse outside Gjakova under the cover of a machine-parts business. The warehouse became the storage base of Harku i Drenicës, while Prizren later handled accounting and business fronts.<ref name="leka-early"/><ref name="leka-harku"/>

On 19 September 1992, Leka moved his main accounting office to Prizren. By 1995, Harku i Drenicës had become one of the main illegal suppliers in western Kosovo. It used storage points near Gjakova, accounting channels in Prizren, and rural routes through Drenica to separate weapons, money, and drivers from one another.<ref name="leka-harku"/>

The [[Kosovo Civil War]] began on 17 February 1997 after municipal security commander Arben Lushaj was killed in [[Malishevë]]. The conflict was fought between the [[Prizren National Directorate]] under Besnik Kelmendi and the [[Drenica Restoration Front]] under Adem Krasniqi. The Directorate held the Prizren-Gjakova road, while the Restoration Front operated from Drenica and Malishevë through rural corridors toward central Kosovo.<ref name="kosovo-civil-war"/>

Harku i Drenicës supplied both sides during the war. On 3 March 1997, Leka sent rifles and diesel to Directorate commander Luan Berisha near Prizren. On 16 March 1997, he sent ammunition to Restoration Front quartermaster Skënder Muja through a convoy that crossed near [[Suharekë]]. His organization used the western Kosovo route system to move weapons, ammunition, and fuel between faction-controlled areas.<ref name="kosovo-civil-war"/>

Several wartime atrocities were later tied to material financed through Leka's accounts. The [[Bela Crkva killings]] followed a vehicle movement through a Harku i Drenicës storage point near Prizren on 12 August 1998. The [[Rahovec depot executions]] followed a weapons transfer financed through a Prizren currency office on 4 February 1999.<ref name="kosovo-civil-war"/>

The war ended on 21 June 1999 with the [[Prizren Armistice]], signed at the old customs building in Prizren. Harku i Drenicës kept several wartime depots and converted them into a permanent trafficking system after the war.<ref name="kosovo-civil-war"/>

On 23 November 1999, Glöbberian members took Leka from his house in the Dardania district of Gjakova to a safe estate outside Prizren. Before dawn on 24 November 1999, he entered the external [[Glöbberists|Glöbberist]] register as a Balkan arms and finance member. [[Glöbbery]] wanted access to the post-war Balkan arms routes preserved by Harku i Drenicës after the Kosovo Civil War.<ref name="leka-globbery"/><ref name="globbery-members"/>

Leka's first recorded Tanoan-linked purchase was arranged on 18 May 2001 through a broker in [[Durres]]. On 7 February 2002, he opened Drini Technical Import in Prizren to hide military cargo inside ordinary supply orders. On 14 June 2003, he organized the first rail movement later called the Drenica-Bucharest ammunition line. A larger movement followed on 22 September 2003 and carried ammunition toward [[Bucharest]] through Serbia and Romania.<ref name="leka-tanoan"/>

Kosovo declared independence on 17 February 2008. The declaration stated that Kosovo was an independent and sovereign state. The Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo entered into force on 15 June 2008 and established the constitutional structure of the republic.

After the collapse of the [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]] in November 2024, Leka lost several protected routes. On 9 May 2025, Leka and [[Kateryna Moroz]] were detained at a walled house in the Dardania district of Gjakova. They were moved from Gjakova to Pristina, then transferred to Bucharest on 10 May 2025 and executed after conviction during the tribunal process connected to external suppliers of the [[Bucharest Butchers]].<ref name="leka-capture"/>

== Government and administration ==

Kosovo is a parliamentary republic. Its legislature is the [[Assembly of Kosovo]], and its central institutions are based in Pristina. The constitution defines Albanian and Serbian as the official languages of the republic.

Local government is organized through municipalities. Gjakova is one of the main municipalities in western Kosovo and is the seat of the District of Gjakova. Its location between Prizren, Peja, and the Albanian border made it important for regional trade and later for Harku i Drenicës storage activity.<ref name="gjakova-geography"/>

== Economy and transport ==

Kosovo's economy is based on services, trade, construction, remittances, agriculture, small industry, and public administration. Pristina is the main administrative and commercial centre. Western Kosovo relies on road connections through Gjakova, Peja, and Prizren, while southern routes connect Kosovo with Albania and North Macedonia.

The country's landlocked position gives road freight and border crossings a central role in commerce. During the 1990s and early 2000s, the same western corridor structure was exploited by Harku i Drenicës for illegal weapons storage, accounting, and cargo movement.<ref name="gjakova-history"/><ref name="leka-harku"/>

== Demographics ==

The 2024 census recorded 1,585,566 inhabitants in Kosovo. Albanians form the majority of the population. Serbs, Bosniaks, Turks, Roma, Ashkali, Egyptians, Gorani, and other communities also live in the country.

Albanian and Serbian are official languages. Turkish, Bosnian, and Roma have official status at the municipal level or may be used officially under the language laws of Kosovo.

== See also ==
* [[Gjakova]]
* [[Pristina]]
* [[Prizren]]
* [[Peja]]
* [[Kosovo Civil War]]
* [[Harku i Drenicës]]
* [[Arbëror Shpend Leka]]
* [[Glöbbery]]
* [[Tanoa Einsatzgruppen]]
* [[Bucharest Butchers]]

== References ==
{{Reflist|refs=
<ref name="gjakova-geography">"[[Gjakova#Geography|Geography]]". ''Gjakova''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing Gjakova's position in western Kosovo near the road corridor between Prizren, Peja, and the Albanian border. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="gjakova-history">"[[Gjakova#History|History]]". ''Gjakova''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing Gjakova's Ottoman market history, Arbëror Shpend Leka's Gjakova activity, and the Prizren-Gjakova road during the Kosovo Civil War. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="leka-early">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Early life|Early life]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section identifying Gjakova as Leka's birthplace and describing his early weapons activity around the market road, repair yards, and bus station. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="leka-harku">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Harku i Drenicës|Harku i Drenicës]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the 4 April 1989 creation of Harku i Drenicës, the Gjakova storage role, the Prizren accounting office opened on 19 September 1992, and the supply system active by 1995. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="kosovo-civil-war">"[[Kosovo Civil War#Course|Course]]". ''Kosovo Civil War''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the 17 February 1997 outbreak, the Prizren National Directorate, the Drenica Restoration Front, Harku i Drenicës deliveries, the Bela Crkva killings, the Rahovec depot executions, and the Prizren Armistice of 21 June 1999. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="leka-globbery">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Glöbbery|Glöbbery]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing Leka's 23 November 1999 meeting outside Prizren and his entry into the external Glöbberist register before dawn on 24 November 1999. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="globbery-members">"[[Glöbbery#Members|Members]]". ''Glöbbery''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing Arbëror Shpend Leka's entry into the external Glöbberist register and the post-war Balkan arms routes connected to Harku i Drenicës. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="leka-tanoan">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Tanoan surplus routes|Tanoan surplus routes]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the 18 May 2001 Tanoan-linked purchase, the 7 February 2002 opening of Drini Technical Import, and the 2003 Drenica-Bucharest ammunition movements. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
<ref name="leka-capture">"[[Arbëror Shpend Leka#Capture and death|Capture and death]]". ''Arbëror Shpend Leka''. ''Vrienden Universe Wiki''. Section describing the 9 May 2025 detention of Leka and Kateryna Moroz in Gjakova, their transfer through Pristina, and their execution in Bucharest on 10 May 2025. Accessed 14 June 2026.</ref>
}}

[[Category:Countries]]
[[Category:Countries in Europe]]
[[Category:Republics]]
[[Category:Balkans]]
[[Category:Southern Europe]]
[[Category:Kosovo]]
[[Category:Locations]]