The Greek Ministry of Defense wants to expropriate fields around four villages in the municipality of Ovcarani in northern Greece populated chiefly with Macedonians in order to expand the assault course. The residents of the villages have already announced an institutional battle both at home and on the international level. In October last year they strongly opposed the holding of the unannounced military maneuvers of the Greek army near the villages by forming a human shield around the village of Zabrdeni (Lofi) and refusing for two days to let the armored vehicles of the Greek army pass through the villages. They resisted the plan of turning the military camp into barracks that would house bigger military units, Dnevnik reports.

After the conflict with the police, seven Macedonians were taken into custody and one sustained light injuries. Proceedings before the local court in Lerin (Florina) against them are still in progress. The public prosecutor from Lerin indicted them for obstructing the movement of military and police vehicles on a public road.