The Bombing of Zastava Kragujevac - destruction of industry

On 28 May 1999, NATO bombed the Zastava car factory in Kragujevac, completely destroying one of the largest factories in Serbia.

Economic blow

Zastava was:

• The largest employer in Kragujevac (124,000 workers)
• Serbia's main exporter
• A symbol of Serbian industry

Victims

6 workers on the night shift were killed:

• Milan Jovanović (45 years old, mechanic)
• Dragan Petrović (52 years old, specialist)
• Goran Nikolić (38 years old, technologist)
• Slobodan Marković (49 years old, engineer)
• Nebojša Đorđević (41 years old, operator)
• Zoran Pavlović (55 years old, foreman)

Total destruction

The factory was completely destroyed:

• Production halls - collapsed
• Machines - destroyed
• Warehouses - burned down
• Vehicles - scorched

124,000 unemployed

After the war, 124,000 workers were left without work. Kragujevac became a ghost town. Many emigrated.

A legitimate target?

A civilian car factory is not a legitimate military target. This was pure economic terrorism.