Telekom Srbija CEO Vladimir Lučić declared persona non grata in Kosovo

The Ministry of Internal Affairs of Kosovo has imposed a permanent ban on the entry, transit and stay of Telekom Srbija’s general director, Vladimir Lučić, declaring him persona non grata across Kosovo. The measure was announced after a recent visit to the north of the country.

Kosovo officials justified the step by saying Lučić’s public remarks represent, in their words, "a threat to the sovereignty, territorial integrity and constitutional order of Kosovo", and accused him of openly encouraging hate speech and actions that could destabilize the territory.

His ban follows a visit to North Mitrovica where Lučić announced plans to build six new Telekom Srbija facilities intended to provide the Serbian population there with higher-quality fixed-line telephone service. Kosovo authorities signalled that announcement as a key factor behind the decision.

Regional profile of a telecom executive

Vladimir Lučić is widely regarded as one of the most powerful executives in the telecommunications sector in Southeast Europe. As long-time head of the state-controlled Telekom Srbija, he has driven an expansionist corporate strategy that extended the company’s footprint beyond Serbia into markets across the region and beyond.

Under his leadership Telekom Srbija established or strengthened operations in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and, more recently, Austria, Germany and North Macedonia. Lučić is often described as a skilled strategist with close ties to Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, and his work has blended commercial aims with what the Serbian leadership treats as strategic infrastructure interests.

In North Macedonia, Lučić and Telekom Srbija have been central to the entry of Serbian state capital into the domestic telecom and media sectors. The group launched Mtel in 2021 as a platform that evolved into a mobile virtual network operator, absorbed Lyca Mobile’s customer base, pursued the acquisition of Neotel (a deal still awaiting final regulatory approvals for its optical network), and acquired the satellite service Total TV from United Group.

Telekom Srbija’s media footprint in North Macedonia is significant. Via its Swiss unit Mtel Swiss the group owns the Bloomberg Adria network; regional franchise partnerships distributed channels such as Euronews and Newsmax Balkans into Macedonian homes; and the Arena Sport channels controlled by the Serbian operator hold exclusive rights to major events including the FIFA World Cup, the Champions League, the English Premier League and the Spanish Primera. The film channel Superstar TV is also carried on cable networks under Telekom Srbija’s umbrella in North Macedonia.

Photo: press material from the event