Dozens of NATO peacekeepers injured during clashes in northern Kosovo

At least 34 soldiers of NATO's peacekeeping mission in Kosovo were injured during clashes with protesters in the northern part of the country Monday, according to the Italian defense ministry.

Tensions have risen in the past week after ethnically Albanian mayors took office in northern Kosovo, a majority Kosovo Serb area, following April elections that Kosovo Serbs had boycotted.

NATO's Kosovo Force (KFOR) said the recent developments prompted them to increase their presence in northern Kosovo on Monday morning, which they later said turned violent.

The Italian defense ministry said 14 of its KFOR peacekeeping soldiers were injured when protesters threw "Molotov cocktails, with nails, firecrackers and stones inside."

Hungarian and Moldovan soldiers were also among the injured peacekeeping troops, according to the Italian defense ministry.

"Italian and Hungarian KFOR contingent were the subject of unprovoked attacks and sustained trauma wounds with fractures and burns due to the explosion of incendiary devices," it said, adding that KFOR medical units treated the soldiers.

Italy's Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni expressed her sympathy for the Italian KFOR soldiers injured in the clashes, adding in a statement, "What is happening is absolutely unacceptable and irresponsible. We will not tolerate further attacks on KFOR."

Kosovo, which is mainly ethnically Albanian, won independence from Serbia in 2008. But Serbia still considers Kosovo to be an integral part of its territory as do the Serbs living in northern Kosovo.

NATO has troops stationed in Kosovo to maintain peace, with tensions often flaring between Serbia and Kosovo.

The NATO-led multi-national contingents had been deployed to four municipalities in the region to contain "violent demonstrations" as "newly elected mayors in recent days tried to take office," KFOR said in a statement.

Kosovo police say protesters had shown violence on Monday as they gathered in the municipalities of "Leposaviq, Zubin Potok and Zveqan." Police added that in front of a facility in Zvecan, protesters had thrown tear gas and "tried to cross the security cordons to enter into the municipality facility by force."

Meanwhile, the United States ambassador to Kosovo, Jeff Hovenier, condemned "violent actions" by protesters, citing the use of explosives.

Russia's Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, also spoke about the situation on Monday, describing it as a "large eruption is brewing up in the center of Europe."

CNN's Josh Pennington, Marcelo Medeiros contributed to this report