PRISTINA, Kosovo, March 10 (UPI) -- NATO forces in Kosovo announced a series of military maneuvers would be run this week in the newly independent country.

A statement from KFOR, the NATO command in Kosovo, said mechanized units would be on the roads around Lake Gazivode Tuesday and Wednesday.

Tanjung reported Monday that the maneuvers are aimed at keeping KFOR units sharp and practiced in rapid deployment around all of Kosovo.

The exercises come in the wake of a vote by Kosovars to separate from Serbia, a move that angered the Serbs and caused a difference of opinion between the West and Russia, a traditional Serb ally.