The Death of Milica Rakić - a Three-Year-Old Girl

On 17 April 1999, in a family apartment in Batajnica near Belgrade, three-year-old Milica Rakić was killed - one of the youngest victims of the NATO bombing and a symbol of the innocence that perished in the war.

A Tragic Moment

Milica was sitting on the toilet in her apartment when a missile with depleted uranium pierced the wall and struck her. She died on the spot in the arms of her mother Dušica.

Milica - a Symbol of the Innocent Victims

The image of little Milica went around the world. Her father Miroslav Rakić, an engineer, showed a fragment of the missile that had killed his child - marked "Made in USA".

NATO's Denial

NATO at first denied that they had targeted civilian facilities. They claimed that Milica had died from a "Serbian anti-aircraft defense missile". However, forensic analyses showed that the missile had come from the sky at an angle consistent with an air attack.

Depleted Uranium

Analysis of the fragments showed the presence of depleted uranium - munitions that were widely used during the bombing, particularly in the attacks on Batajnica.

Remembrance

Milica was buried in the town cemetery in Batajnica. Every year, on 17 April, the family and citizens mark her death by lighting candles.