Kosovo authorities say they have closed all so-called parallel institutions used by the ethnic Serb minority and supported by neighboring Serbia in a move condemned by the European Union

Kosovo’s government shut down more than two dozen Serb-run institutions on its territory, risking a potential flare-up in tensions in the Balkan nation less than four weeks before it holds a parliamentary election.

Kosovo police on Wednesday raided 10 Belgrade-linked government offices in ethnic Serb areas, the interior ministry said, the latest move by Pristina to dismantle a Serbian system of social services and political offices in the country ahead of parliamentary elections.

By Valentina Dimitrievska in Skopje Kosovo’s Minister of Interior Xhelal Svecla announced on January 15 the closure of Serbian municipal offices and parallel institutions operating within the country,