Russian journalist Daria Aslamova allegedly released after Kosovo arrest on espionage charges

ACCORDING to media reports on Sunday, August 7, Russian journalist Daria Aslamova, who was detained in Kosovo on charges of espionage, has allegedly been released.

The head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo Xhelal Sveçla announced late on Saturday, August 6 that Daria Aslamova had been “detained at the border crossing in the north of the country.”

However, the Russian journalist has apparently now been released, according to Komsomolskaya Pravda, the newspaper she works for. 

Mr Sveçla said on Facebook on August 6, “Today, Daria Aslamova was detained at the border crossing in the north of the country.

“Several countries have proved that she was engaged in spying for Russian military intelligence and that she acted in the garb of a journalist. The same has also participated in the fighting in Ukraine by propagating on the Russian occupation of Ukraine.

“The authorities of the Republic of Kosovo have been aware of its activity, but also that in some countries it is prohibited from entering its activity. In this case, she has been detained and is continuing to engage the relevant actors until her intentions are revealed.”

He added: “We emphasise the fact that it tends to enter the Republic of Kosovo a week after tensions caused by criminal structures in the north of the country and on the same day when the same structures orchestrated by Vucic have shot about 10 times straight to our police officers.

“Her attempt to enter our country in addition to coinciding with the developments in the north of the country clearly testifies her Russian connections and propaganda to which Serbia has already joined and that aim to destabilise our country.”

On Sunday, August 7, Komsomolskaya Pravda said: “Daria Aslamova got in touch with our editorial office and said that she was in the town of Rashka on the Serbian-Kosovo border.

“In the early hours of August 7, the Kosovo authorities released her after being detained, after which she travelled to the border on her own by bus.”

Aslamova told the news outlet: “I got to the border by four in the morning. The Serbian border guards also interrogated me. They found out why there was no deportation mark.”

She added that after her detention in Kosovo, she was told that she could be exchanged for Americans or extradited to Ukraine.

Komsomolskaya Pravda propagandist Daria Aslamova was detained in Kosovo on suspicion of espionage. She is suspected of working for Russian intelligence and involvement in "destabilization" by Serbia. pic.twitter.com/VVub72etQf

— Uliana Bakh 🇺🇦 (@UlianaBakh) August 7, 2022

At the beginning of August, NATO vowed to intervene in Kosovo if rising tensions with Serbia continued.

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