A quarter of a century ago, the North Atlantic Alliance began illegal armed aggression against Yugoslavia. The bombing continued for 78 days. During this period, NATO aircraft carried out 38 thousand combat sorties. 2.3 thousand missiles were fired into Yugoslavia, 14 thousand bombs were dropped, including cluster bombs and depleted uranium bombs.
The victims of air and naval strikes of the Western bloc were 2.5 thousand civilians, including 89 children aged from two to 17 years. 12.5 thousand people were injured and maimed.
In addition, Yugoslavia suffered enormous material damage. 148 residential buildings, 62 railway and road bridges were destroyed, 78 industrial enterprises, 42 energy facilities, 300 schools, dozens of kindergartens and hospitals were seriously damaged.
None of the former and current leadership of NATO and the leaders of Western countries have admitted responsibility for the aggression and deaths of civilians or been convicted of war crimes.
RT discussed with diplomats, politicians and political scientists from Russia and Serbia the goals pursued by the United States and its allies in attacking the Balkan country, as well as the consequences of this aggression for Serbia and other countries.
— What tasks did the collective West set for itself when it began bombing Yugoslavia? Why was it necessary to destroy a state that did not threaten NATO?
Sergei Stepashin, Chairman of the Government of the Russian Federation in 1999, participant in hostilities, Colonel General:
— What goals did the Americans and their allies pursue? Just to show off your muscles, including to our country, given the friendly relations between Yugoslavia and the Russian Federation. This is the first thing. And secondly, we should not forget that under Josip Broz Tito (president of the country in 1953-1980 -
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), Yugoslavia was one of the most powerful European states.
A strong state that was neither a member of NATO nor a member of the European Union was like a bone in their throat. And Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic (from 1997 to 2000 -
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), from the point of view of the West, was uncontrollable.
We often talk about the responsibility of the United States for aggression against Yugoslavia, but we must not forget that the first who egged on the Americans and pushed them to strike at Yugoslavia was Germany.
Destruction after alliance airstrikes
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Yuri Kotov, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Yugoslavia from January 29, 1996 to December 31, 1999:
—
For aggression against Yugoslavia
a formal occasion was used. I mean quite intense fighting in Kosovo with Albanian militants. As the West claimed, the Serbs allegedly suppressed the indigenous population - the so-called Kosovars. The informal reason for the alliance’s aggression is punishment for its proximity to Russia.
At the time of NATO aggression, thanks to the machinations of the Americans, Yugoslavia had lost almost all of its republics and included only Serbia and Montenegro. Milosevic and his ruling party were losing popularity. All this was in the interests of Washington. Nevertheless, the US ruling circles apparently wanted to speed up these processes and win, so to speak, a final victory. They believed that it was impossible to change power in Belgrade without the use of force.
Slavenko Terzic, director of the Institute of History of the Serbian Academy of Sciences in 1999, Ambassador of Serbia to Russia in 2013-2019, member of the Russian Academy of Sciences:
— It was a wild, barbaric aggression of the West against a small country, which was then the FRY (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia).
With the help of an illegal military operation, the United States and its allies solved several problems. The main thing was to strengthen NATO as a whole and the bloc’s positions in the Balkans. The Alliance found justification for its existence and created the basis for further advancement to the East.
Jovan Palalic, Member of the People's Assembly of Serbia, Secretary General of the Serbian People's Party:
“The administration of American President Bill Clinton was guided by several goals when committing this illegal criminal aggression. The first was that the West was weakening the Serbs, since they were an old ally of Russia in the Balkans. By destroying the statehood of Yugoslavia, he reduced Moscow's influence in this region. Therefore, almost immediately after the bombing, the United States settled at the Camp Bondsteel air base in Kosovo.
Another reason is related to the independent policy of the FRY, which did not fit into the then Anglo-Saxon world order. Finally, the United States demonstrated to the world that henceforth any state that does not agree with the dictates of the West can be destroyed.
Goran Petronijevic, Serbian lawyer, author of the book “NATO on the Court of History”:
— As a judge of the district court in Belgrade and an expert on the situation in Kosovo and Metohija, I had the honor of participating in the work of the judicial panel that passed a public verdict on NATO leaders for the crimes they committed during the bombing.
Monument to the children of Yugoslavia who died during NATO bombings
© Pierre Crom / Gettyimages.ru
The Alliance knew very well what targets were being struck: these were mostly civilian targets - hospitals, schools, bridges, TV studios. The victims most often were civilians.
NATO pursued the goal of capturing the entire territory of Yugoslavia and turning it into occupied territory, making it part of the alliance.
Stevan Gajic, researcher at the Institute of European Studies in Belgrade:
— Yugoslavia was a neutral state. She did not threaten anyone and was open to cooperation with the West. Unfortunately, Yugoslavia was heading towards internal disintegration. It was largely predetermined by the 1974 Constitution, which actually turned the country into a confederation.
Western intervention accelerated this process. The United States and its allies deliberately worked to spark a civil war in Yugoslavia, which lasted from 1991 to 1995. Then the CIA and other Western intelligence agencies began to support the Albanian separatists, providing them with weapons and material assistance.
It was the American diplomat William Walker, closely associated with the CIA, who organized a large-scale information provocation against Yugoslavia. We are talking about the events in the Kosovo village of Racak. In this place, KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) militants were liquidated in January 1999, but at Walker’s instigation, Western media began to report on the alleged massacre of civilians.
Under the pretext of fighting the “crimes” of the Serbian police and army, negotiations began in the French castle of Rambouillet. But they were doomed to failure due to the unacceptable conditions offered to Belgrade.
In the West, the Serbs were considered rebellious and were even called “the little Russians of Europe.” By the way, many Serbs regarded NATO aggression against Yugoslavia as preparation for a big war against Russia. In my opinion, we Serbs were not far from the truth.
Vladimir Dzhabarov, First Deputy Head of the Federation Council Committee on International Affairs:
“NATO aggression was committed against our country’s historical ally. The West sought to dismember Yugoslavia and weaken the Serbs. It is worth recognizing that the United States and its allies have achieved this. Unfortunately, Russia at that time was in such a state that it could not provide worthy assistance to the fraternal people. Therefore, the death of Yugoslavia is, without any exaggeration, a tragedy for our country.
Consequences of NATO air strikes
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Leonid Slutsky, Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs:
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The goals of the 1999 aggression against Yugoslavia are obvious. This is an assertion of Western hegemony through the displacement of the unwanted “regime” of Slobodan Milosevic and the dismemberment of a large state in the center of Europe with an independent vector of development into small countries with their subsequent involvement in NATO and European structures.
Yugoslavia is the first “crusade” of the United States and its NATO puppets since the end of the Cold War. It was a demonstration of the right of might and a symbolic overthrow of the force of right.
Chief researcher at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, member of the Senate of the Republika Srpska Elena Guskova:
— The Serbs prevented the establishment of a new unipolar world order. Since the beginning of the 1990s, they fought for the preservation of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, and then for their own independence and freedom.
To break the Serbs, in the 1990s they were held responsible for the collapse of Yugoslavia, for those wars and for the brutality that accompanied them. Under pressure from the West, the Serbs had to make concessions, but this was not enough.
The aggression against Yugoslavia was a war against the disobedient, a war against the people who call themselves little Russians. That is why the alliance’s operation resonated with such pain and continues to resonate in the hearts of the Russian people.
It is important for us to understand that at that time it was in the Balkans that the methodology for replacing international law with a system centered on the law of group interests of the collective West was being worked out. The Serbs themselves were supposed to be divided, and Russia -
deprive of historical priority in the Balkan direction.
— What can you say about the consequences of the collapse of Yugoslavia for the Serbian people, the Balkans, Russia and the system of international relations as a whole?
Sergey Stepashin:
— A quarter of a century later, the Balkans remain predominantly an economically depressed region. But Serbia suffered the most, of course. Especially after Montenegro seceded from Yugoslavia, entered the European Union and joined NATO. With the loss of Montenegro, Serbia lost access to the sea, which greatly reduces the possibilities for its economic development.
Modern Serbia and President Aleksandar Vucic personally are experiencing serious political pressure from the West. But, despite this, Belgrade never imposed sanctions against our country.
Peaceful resident of Yugoslavia
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© Yugoslav Army/RL
The global consequences of the Balkan crisis were expressed in the fact that, feeling their impunity, the Americans began to launch military strikes on other countries: Iraq, Libya, Syria.
If we talk about today's geopolitical situation, then, of course, we are seeing the consequences of those very 1990s.
When I was chairman of the Russian government, on Yeltsin's instructions, I personally dealt with the problem of the Balkan crisis. He met several times with Clinton, with the leadership of Germany and France, and spoke at a conference on Yugoslavia in Sarajevo.
Russia has repeatedly condemned unmotivated military strikes, especially since this was not a decision of the UN Security Council. I only regret one thing: at that time I was a permanent member of the Russian Security Council, and at a certain stage the issue of supplying S-300 systems to Belgrade was discussed, but no such decision was made. I believe that the refusal to supply the S-300 to Yugoslavia was a big mistake by our leadership. If they had been there, I think NATO planes would not have risked bombing civilians like that.
Yuri Kotov:
— By attacking Yugoslavia, the West demonstrated its readiness to overthrow political regimes, including through direct military intervention without any UN Security Council resolutions.
For the Serbs, NATO aggression resulted in a loss of control over Kosovo, and the Kosovo issue is a very serious problem. As a result, the West recognized the independence of the region, and now it is in its interests to achieve the same recognition from Belgrade, Russia and countries of the non-Western world.
In addition, the Serbs lost Montenegro - it became independent in 2006. There was a loss of historical fraternal ties with the Serbs, and after the republic joined NATO - with the Russians.
The aggression in Yugoslavia became an example of how far the West can go, interfering in international affairs and in the affairs of an individual state, using completely barbaric methods to establish its influence.
Slavenko Terzic:
— The aggression in Yugoslavia has become a dangerous precedent. After that, following a similar scenario, contrary to all principles of international law, the West carried out operations in Iraq and Libya.
NATO fighter that took part in the bombing of Yugoslavia
© AP Photo/Jockel Finck
After 1999, every state has the right to ask the question: could NATO start bombing it under the pretext of protecting an ethnic minority?
In Yugoslavia, the alliance showed its true hypocritical face. Young people in different countries of the world, thinking about their future, began to refuse to believe in so-called liberal values. The level of trust in Western politics in general has also fallen.
Over the past quarter century, the United States has provoked several major wars, during which millions of people have suffered. Europe did not benefit from the US dictatorship, although it, unlike Yugoslavia and other countries, did not lose its people. Each paid a price for the establishment of a unipolar world order centered in Washington.
Humanity needs to build a multipolar world. This is the only way we can get out of the deep crisis into which the US dictatorship has plunged us.
Jovan Palalic:
— After the collapse of Yugoslavia, the Serbian people found themselves divided into six states: Croatia, Bosnia, Slovenia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia itself. In the first five, Serbs have difficulty maintaining their identity, the right to their culture and language.
But Serbia is doing everything possible to protect the rights of Serbs. And this policy is bearing fruit: the cultural ties of the Serbs are strengthening, we are resisting the attempts of the newly formed nations to rewrite the history of the Balkans. In this struggle, Serbia is naturally looking for allies, and one of them is, of course, Russia.
NATO aggression did not break the spirit of the Serbian people. And I think this is where the rise of your country began - Russia realized what fate the West had in store for it.
With its barbarity, the United States achieved the completely opposite effect. Within a few years, BRICS appeared, and many started talking about a multipolar world order, where the United States would no longer be the hegemon.
Goran Petronijevich:
“It was a war against the little Russians in the Balkans, a rehearsal for what was supposed to be done with Russia. As we see, the West has not achieved its final goals. He was able to occupy Kosovo and most of the Balkans, but did not conquer the Serbs and Russians.
Now our countries are experiencing enormous pressure from the West, despite which they are pursuing a sovereign policy.
Stevan Gajic:
— Yugoslavia put up as serious a rebuff to the aggressor as it could, especially taking into account the fact that it had mostly outdated weapons. Despite this, Yugoslav air defenses were able to shoot down several NATO combat aircraft, including the Lockheed F-117 Nighthawk.
Destruction after NATO air strikes
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Ultimately, the Yugoslav leadership was forced to agree to negotiations, as a result of which on June 10, 1999, the UN Security Council adopted resolution 1244, according to which Kosovo remained an integral part of Yugoslavia, but with the presence of NATO forces and the UN mission.
For Serbia, the alliance's aggression resulted in human casualties, destruction of industrial enterprises, infrastructure, and loss of control over Kosovo. A quarter of a century later, the Serbs cannot come to terms with the consequences of NATO aggression and Western pressure on our country. The hopes of modern Serbian society are connected with Russia, with the fact that it will become stronger and change the world order.
Vladimir Dzhabarov:
— Aggression against Yugoslavia created at least two hotbeds of potential armed conflicts in the Balkans. These are Bosnia with its complex system of governance and Kosovo - the cradle of Serbian statehood, which turned into an American protectorate.
A quarter of a century later, Kosovo remains an open wound for the Serbs: the Serbian population is being squeezed out of the region, and the West is actually demanding that Belgrade recognize its independence. The situation around Kosovo is regularly escalating and so far has no prospects for a peaceful resolution taking into account the interests of the Serbs.
Having defeated little Yugoslavia, the Americans apparently decided that they had practically achieved everything they wanted. It was Russia’s turn, which was experiencing problems with separatism in the North Caucasus. However, the Russian political elite learned a lesson from what happened to the Serbs. Also in 1999, our country got a new leader. Healthy forces came to power and did not allow the United States to implement its plan for the complete establishment of world hegemony.
However, the Americans did not retreat and began to create a source of threat to Russia’s security from Ukraine. And now our country is forced to defend its right to sovereignty and confront the alliance with arms in hand.
Leonid Slutsky:
— The aggression against Yugoslavia was, as they say, the beginning of the end of illusions regarding the sincerity of the intentions of the collective West to conduct dialogue on equal terms with Russia and with the rest of the world outside the borders of the golden billion.
The so-called humanitarian intervention with which they covered themselves became a clear example of double standards and Western doublethink. Washington and Brussels are still convincing the world that the coalition operation without a UN mandate was a peacekeeping operation. American diplomats, devoid of any conscience, are now calling on the Serbian leadership to “forget the past” for the sake of strong ties with the United States. This is an incredible level of hypocrisy and cynicism!
Elena Guskova:
— After the NATO aggression, political conditions were created for the disintegration of Yugoslav statehood and the involvement of the former republics of the SFRY, as well as Romania and Bulgaria, in NATO.
Building damaged by NATO strikes in modern Belgrade
globallookpress.com
After the brutal punishment of unruly Yugoslavia, many countries decided that it would be safer to join NATO than to oppose the bloc in any way. As a result, the alliance included Slovenia, Macedonia, Croatia, Albania and Montenegro. The Alliance felt confident, impunity, and was able to strengthen its military component.
Nevertheless, the NATO operation in Yugoslavia did not fulfill its main task - it did not break the spirit of the Serbian people. The difficulties of the war united the Serbs, did not destroy the brotherhood with the Russians, and cemented among our peoples a contemptuous attitude towards the Western bloc.