More than 20,000 Kosovo Serbs have asked for Russian citizenship, seeking Moscow's protection from Kosovar authorities.
Russia, traditional Serb ally, condemned the NATO-orchestrated secession of Kosovo from Serbia and blocked a U.N. Security Council resolution in support of Kosovo's independence.
An estimated 200,000 Serbs have fled Kosovo since it was put under U.N. control in 1999 and the remaining 100,000 Kosovo Serbs have refused to recognise the independence of Kosovo. They have been complaining of constant harassment and persecution by ethnic Albanian Kosovars.
