Across the bridge to the north, drivers and passerby read only Cyrillic letters of the Serbian language on street signs, storefronts, food labels, anti-Kosovo graffiti and billboards thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin. People exchange Serbian dinars for coffee and plum brandy instead of euros. Russian and Serbian flags flap against the wind and hang from every building in the city center.

Ismaili first started changing Newborn’s theme in 2013. Previously, the government would not permit Ismaili to repaint it. Overlapping signatures and graffiti buried the faded monument before the government updated it on the 2013 anniversary.

Even something as simple as crossing Agim Ramadani Street becomes a chore for people in wheelchairs. Near Skanderbeg Square, for instance, the curb has no slope leading into the crosswalk. To get across the road there, wheelchair users have to travel a few dozen meters to find an intersection they can roll through without falling into the road.