Kosovo is preparing for an armed conflict with Serbia and is ready to take on its opponent, Albin Kurti, who holds the office of prime minister in the breakaway Serbian province, told Reuters on Wednesday.

The government in Pristina and its backers in Brussels and Washington should stop their provocations and respect the rights of ethnic Serbs in Kosovo, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Sunday.

Air raid sirens have been activated in the northern areas of the predominantly Serb-inhabited self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, the Vecernje Novosti website reports.