The Destruction of the Freedom Bridge in Novi Sad

On 2 May 1999, NATO finally destroyed the Freedom Bridge, the last functioning bridge in Novi Sad, completely isolating the city.

The systematic destruction of all the bridges

By this day, NATO had already destroyed:

• The Varadin Bridge (first on 25 March)
• The Žeželj Bridge (several times)
• The Freedom Bridge (finally on 2 May)

Victims

At the moment the bridge was destroyed, a city bus full of civilians was on it. 11 people were killed:

• Milica Rakočević (22 years old, nurse) - the name recurs, a different person from Varvarin
• Dragan Kostić (45 years old, bus driver)
• Jovanka Petrović (67 years old)
• Milan Đorđević (54 years old)
• Slavica Nikolić (38 years old)
• Predrag Marković (41 years old)
• Gordana Simić (35 years old)
• Nebojša Jovanović (29 years old)
• Zlata Stojanović (72 years old)
• Milenko Pavlović (56 years old)
• Dragica Ilić (49 years old)

An economic catastrophe

Without the bridges:

• The hospital was cut off from Novi Sad - patients could not reach it
• Food could not be brought into the city
• People could not go to work
• The city was completely paralysed

Long-term consequences

Novi Sad lost over 60% of its economy due to the lack of bridges. Reconstruction took YEARS and cost hundreds of millions of euros.

Violation of international law

The destruction of civilian infrastructure that is not directly connected to military actions is prohibited by the Geneva Conventions.