NATO bombing 1999 - Aggression against Yugoslavia, an illegal intervention

NATO bombing 1999 - Aggression against Serbia

24 March 1999, 20:06 - NATO (the North Atlantic Alliance) begins the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 78 days of bombing (24 March - 10 June 1999). 2,500+ civilians killed. Infrastructure destroyed. Kosovo "liberated" and handed over to the Albanian terrorists.

The Serbian position: The NATO aggression was illegal, immoral and genocidal. Goal: the breakup of Yugoslavia, support for the Albanian terrorists KLA/OVK, the secession of Kosovo from Serbia. Consequence: the exodus of 250,000+ Serbs from Kosovo (ethnic cleansing).

⚖️ The legal aspect - NATO violated international law

Why is the NATO bombing ILLEGAL?

Conclusion: The NATO aggression of 1999 was a war crime - the use of force without a UN mandate, the bombing of civilians and infrastructure. However, no one from NATO was held accountable before the ICTY. Double standards: Serbs to The Hague, the NATO aggressors free.

🎯 The official NATO reason vs the real goal

The real goal: The breakup of Yugoslavia, the creation of an Albanian "Greater Albania", control of the Balkans, the NATO base Bondsteel (the largest American base outside the US).

📊 Statistics of the bombing (78 days)

• Period: 24 March - 10 June 1999 (78 days, 24 hours a day)
• Sorties: 38,000+ NATO aircraft
• Bombs dropped: 23,000+ (a total of 79,000 tons)
• Cluster bombs: 1,300+ (prohibited by international law - small bombs that kill civilians)
• Depleted uranium: 10-15 tons (radioactive, causes cancer - used in munitions)
• Civilians killed: 2,500+ (Serbs, Albanians, Roma)
• Wounded: 6,000+
• Economic damage: 100+ billion dollars

🎯 The targets of the bombing - not only military targets

NATO claimed: "We are bombing only military targets."

REALITY: NATO bombed civilian facilities:

Infrastructure destroyed:

• Bridges: 60+ (Danube, Sava, Morava)
• Hospitals: 33
• Schools: 344
• Factories: 200+
• Power plants: 5 (all of Serbia without electricity for weeks)
• Refineries: 7
• TV/radio stations: 15

The Serbian question: "Why is NATO bombing hospitals, bridges, schools, factories? That is not a 'humanitarian intervention' - that is GENOCIDE."

🔬 Depleted uranium - NATO leaves radioactivity behind

NATO used 10-15 tons of depleted uranium (DU - Depleted Uranium) in its munitions. DU is a radioactive heavy metal that causes cancer, genetic mutations, leukemia.

Consequences for the Serbian population:

• Rise in cancer: +300% (1999-2015) in southern Serbia and Kosovo
• Children born with deformities
• Leukemia: +200% in the regions bombed with DU
• Contamination of the soil, water, food (the radioactivity remains for 4.5 billion years)

NATO's response: "Depleted uranium is not dangerous." A lie - NATO soldiers who served in Kosovo after 1999 also fell ill with cancer (the so-called "Balkan syndrome").

The Serbian question: "NATO poisoned our land for thousands of years. That is not war - that is ECOCIDE. Where is justice?"

📜 The bombing - a war crime

The Geneva Convention (the law of war) prohibits:

• The bombing of civilians
• Attacks on civilian infrastructure (bridges, hospitals, schools)
• Cluster bombs (they kill civilians)
• Depleted uranium (long-term poisoning)

NATO violated ALL these prohibitions. However, NO ONE from NATO was held accountable before the ICTY.

The paradox of justice:

The Serbian question: "Where is justice? Why is the aggressor (NATO) free, while the defender (the Serbs) is in The Hague?"

🗓️ 10 June 1999 - The end of the bombing, the beginning of the exodus

The Kumanovo Agreement (9 June 1999) - Serbia signs the handover of Kosovo:

• The Serbian army (VJ) and police (MUP) withdraw from Kosovo
• KFOR (NATO troops) enter Kosovo
• UNMIK (the UN Interim Administration Mission) takes over the administration of Kosovo
• Kosovo remains part of Serbia (UN Resolution 1244)

10 June 1999 - NATO stops the bombing. The Serbian army begins its withdrawal from Kosovo.

12 June 1999 - KFOR (NATO troops) enter Kosovo.

Consequence: As soon as the KFOR troops entered Kosovo, the Albanian terrorists KLA/OVK began the mass killing, burning and abduction of Serbs. KFOR watches and does not react. The exodus of 250,000+ Serbs begins (June-October 1999).

🇷🇸 The Serbian perspective

For the Serbian people, the NATO bombing of 1999 is:

• AGGRESSION - an illegal attack on a sovereign state
• GENOCIDE - the killing of civilians, poisoning with depleted uranium
• THEFT - the seizure of Kosovo (the cradle of the Serbian state and culture)
• SUPPORT FOR TERRORISM - NATO helped the Albanian terrorists KLA/OVK
• DOUBLE STANDARD - the NATO criminals free, the Serbs in The Hague

The consequences of the bombing for the Serbian people:

• 2,500+ Serbs killed (civilian and military)
• Infrastructure destroyed (100+ billion dollars in damage)
• Depleted uranium - a rise in cancer +300%
• Kosovo "liberated" and handed over to the Albanian terrorists
• The exodus of 250,000+ Serbs from Kosovo (June-October 1999)
• The destruction of 150+ Serbian churches and monasteries (June-November 1999)

"The NATO bombing of 1999 was not a 'humanitarian intervention' - it was AGGRESSION, GENOCIDE, THEFT. They killed 2,500+ of our people, poisoned our land with depleted uranium, seized Kosovo (the heart of Serbia). And after the bombing - they allowed the exodus of 250,000+ Serbs. That is ETHNIC CLEANSING. WE WILL NEVER FORGET."