The Bombing of Kruševac - Civilian Casualties

On 2 April 1999, NATO bombed Kruševac, a city in central Serbia known as the "city of Tsar Lazar".

Striking the Military Barracks and Surrounding Buildings

Although the target was the "Car Lazar" military barracks, the high-capacity missiles struck:

• The military barracks (a military target)
• Residential buildings within a 500m radius
• The "Vuk Karadžić" primary school (damaged)
• A clinic (partially destroyed)

Victims - All Civilians

6 civilians who lived near the barracks were killed:

• Dragoljub Stanković (67 years old)
• Milena Stanković (64 years old) - a married couple
• Jovica Petrović (52 years old)
• Slobodanka Nikolić (46 years old)
• Dragan Ilić (38 years old)
• Zoran Marković (29 years old)

"Collateral Damage"

NATO described the dead civilians as "unintended collateral damage", noting that the barracks was a "legitimate military target".

Historical Irony

The city of Tsar Lazar, who in 1389 defended Christian Europe on the Field of Kosovo, was now bombed by NATO - an alliance of "democratic Christian countries".