Official Assessment of Civilian Destruction in Yugoslavia March 24 – April 7, 1999

Federal Republic of Yugoslavia
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Belgrade
“YUGOSLAV DAILY SURVEY” 

CIVILIAN CASUALTIES

From the onset of NATO aggression against our country up to 6 April 1999, the North Atlantic Alliance made over 1,000 criminal attacks against the territory of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. 430 warplanes, of which 330 combat planes, were used; more than 800 cruise missiles were launched and over 3,000 tons of explosives were dropped.

About 300 civilians were killed and more than 3,000 sustained serious injuries (e.g., in Kur Yumlija: 13 dead and 25 wounded; in Pancevo: 2 dead and 4 wounded; in Sacak: one dead and 7 wounded; in Vranje; two dead and 23 wounded; in Aleksinac: 12 dead and more than 40 wounded; in Nagavac village, Orahovac municipality: 11 dead and 5 wounded, in Pristina: 10 dead and 8 wounded).

TRAFFIC

The road and railway networks, especially road and rail bridges, most of which were destroyed or damaged beyond repair, suffered extensive destruction. The targets of attacks were such traffic infrastructure as: 

BRIDGES (6 DESTROYED AND 8 DAMAGED): 

1. The Varadin Bridge over the Danube was destroyed (on 1 April 1999); 

2. The “Sloboda” (Freedom) Bridge over the Danube was destroyed (on 4 April 1999); 

3. The “25. maj” Bridge over the Danube, connecting Baska Palanka with Ilok, was damaged (on 4 April 1999);

4. The new railway bridge over the Danube connecting Bogojevo and Erdut was damaged (on 5 April 1999); 

5. The road bridge over the Danube, connecting Bogojevo with Erdut was damaged (on 5 April 1999);

6. The bridge over the Danube along the Beograd-Novi Sad road, near Be Yka, Indjija municipality, was damaged (on 1 April 1999); 

7. The road bridge along the Magura Belasevac road, 15 kilometres from Pristina, suffered extensive damage; 

8. The “Ceseljov” Bridge in Novi Sad was damaged (on 5 April 1999); 

9. The bridge over the Ibar river, Biljanovac municipality, was damaged (on 5 April 1999); 

10. The bridge over the Vrbaska river near Jezgrovic was destroyed (on 5 April 1999); 

11. The “Lozno” railway bridge near Uce was destroyed (on 5 April 1999); 

12. The road bridge on the road leading to Brvenik, near U sce, was destroyed (on 5 April 1999); 

13. The bridge along the Nis-Pristina primary road, near Kursumlija, suffered extensive damage (on 5 April 1999); 

14. The bridge near Zubin Potok was destroyed (on 5 April 1999). 

RAILWAYS (6): 

1. The Kraljevo to Kosovo Polje rail, near Ibarska Slatina; 

2. The Belgrade to Bar rail (dynamited near Strbac village); 

3. The Kur Yumlija to Prokuplje rail, near Pepeljevac village; 

4. The Kraljevo to Kosovo Polje, near Ibarska Slatina; 

5. The Nis to Pristina rail, near Kursumlija; 

6. “Arpelj” tunnel, near Jerinje village, 15 km north of Leposavic towards Raska, was destroyed; 

ROADS AND TRANSPORTERS (3 MAJOR ROADS): 

1. Ibarska primary road, due to damage to the bridge over the Ibar river, Biljanovac municipality; 

2. Belgrade-Zagreb highway, near Stari Banovci; 

3. Traffic suspended on the Kosovska Mitrovica-Ribari_i section of the Adriatic highway due to the destruction of the bridge over the Vrba_ka river; 

4. “Jedinstvo” bus station in Vranje sustained extensive damage; 

5. “Kosmet Prevoz” transporter in Gnjilane (a hangar full of new buses); 

Airports (5): 

– “Slatina” in Pristina; “Batajnica” and “Surcin” in Belgrade; Nis airport; “Golubovac” in Podgorica. 

ECONOMIC AND CIVILIAN TARGETS, PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS

The air strikes have so far destroyed or damaged all over the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia several thousand economic facilities and dwellings. In the Leskovac region alone, over 3,300 industrial facilities and dwellings were either destroyed or damaged.

The devastation of NATO forces was particularly manifest in Pri Ytina, Novi Sad, Djakovica, Prokuplje, Gracanica, etc. Housing blocks on the outskirts of Belgrade – Kijevo Knesevac, Batajnica, Jakovo, Borsa as well as the area around Pancevo, were under attack.

INDUSTRY AND TRADE:

The NATO aggressor’s attacks targeted the factories and industrial facilities which directly cater for the needs of the population, among which are:

1. “Lola Utva” agricultural aircraft factory in Pancevo;

2. “Galenika” drug factory in Belgrade;

3. “Zdravlje” pharmaceutical plant in Leskovac;

4. “Sloboda” white goods factory;

5. “Din” tobacco industry in Nis;

6. “Elektronska industrija” factory in Nis;

7. “Div” cigarette factory in Vranje;

8. Tubes factory in Urosevac;

9. “Jastrebac” machine industry in Nis;

10. “Milan Blagojevic” chemical plant in Lucani;

11. Plastics factory in Pristina;

12. “Bina_ka Morava” hydro construction company in Gnjilane;

13. “Nova Jugoslavija” printers in Vranje;

14. Facilities of the “Beograd” rail company in Nis;

15. Over 250 commercial and crafts shops in Djakovica were destroyed.

Refineries and warehouses storing liquid raw materials and chemicals intended for the oil and chemical industry, were hit in Pancevo, Novi Sad, Sombor and elsewhere, causing large contamination of soil and the air:

1. Fuel storage in Lipovica, which caused a great fire in the Lipovica forest (on 26 March 1999);

2. Power plant belonging to the oil refinery in Pancevo (on 4 April 1999);

3. “Jugopetrol” installations in Smederevo (on 4 April 1999) 

4. “Jugopetrol” storage in Sombor (on 7 April 1999);

5. “Beopetrol” storages in Belgrade nd Bogutovac (on 4 April 1999);

6. “Beopetrol” fuel storage in Pristina (on 7 April 1999);

7. Fuel storage of the boiler plant in Novi Beograd (on 4 April 1999);

8. Thermo electric power station/boiler plant in Novi Sad (on 5 April 1999).

9. Oil Refinery in Novi Sad, storage of bitumen (5 and 6 April 1999);

10. Fuel storage “Naftagas promet” which is located 10 km from Sombor (5 April 1999)

Note: After these barbaric attacks, hundreds of thousands of citizens were exposed to gas poisoning, which may have lasting consequences to overall health of citizens and environment.

By totally destroying business facilities across the country, 500,000 workers were left jobless, and 2 million citizens without any source of income and possibility to ensure the minimum living conditions.

AGRICULTURE:

1. PIK “Kopaonik” in Kursumlija;

2. PIK “Mladost” in Gnjilane;

3. Agricultural Complex “Malizgan” in Dolac.

HOSPITALS (13):

NATO aviation also targeted many hospitals and health-care institutions, which have been partially damaged or totally destroyed, including:

– Hospital and Medical Centre in the territory in Leskovac;

– Hospital and Poly-clinic in Nis;

– Gerontological Centre in Leskovac;

– General Hospital in Djakovica;

– City Hospital in Novi Sad;

– Gynaecological Hospital and Maternity Ward of the Clinical Centre in Belgrade;

– Neuropsychiatric Ward “Dr. Laza Lazarevic” and Central Pharmacy of the Emergency Centre in Belgrade;

– Army Medical Academy in Belgrade;

– Medical Centre and Ambulance Centre in Aleksinac.

SCHOOLS (MORE THAN 150 FACILITIES)

Over 150 schools and facilities for children were damaged or destroyed, including:

– Elementary schools “16. oktobar” and “Vladimir Rolovic” in Belgrade;

– Day-care centre in settlement Petlovo Brdo in Belgrade;

– Two secondary schools in the territory of Nis;

– Elementary schools “Toza Markovic”, “Djordje Natosevic” and “Veljko Vlahovic” and a day-care centre “Duga” in Novi Sad;

– Four elementary schools and a medical high school in the territory of Leskovac

– Elementary school in Lucane, as well as a larger number of education facilities in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija;

– Faculties of Law and Economics and elementary school “Radoje Domanovic” in Nis.

PUBLIC AND HOUSING FACILITIES (TENS OF THOUSANDS)

– Severe damage to the facilities of the Republican and Federal Ministry of the Interior in Belgrade (3 April 1999),

– Damage to the building of the Institute for Security of the Ministry of the Interior in Banjica (3 April 1999);

– Severe damage to the TV RTS studio in Pristina;

– Heavy damage to Hydro-Meteorological Station (Bukulja, near Arandjelovac);

– Post Office in Pristina destroyed (7 April 1999);

– Refugee centre in Pristina destroyed (7 April 1999);

– Several thousand housing facilities damaged or destroyed, privately or State owned, across Yugoslavia – most striking examples being housing blocks in downtown Aleksinac and those near Post Office in Pristina.

INFRASTRUCTURE

– Electrical Power Supply in Batajnica (26 March 1999);

– Damage to water supply system in Zemun (5 April 1999).

Note: When Petrovaradin bridge in Novi Sad and Petrovaradin were destroyed, Novi Sad and Petrovaradin were left without water (600,000 citizens) since the main and city water supply system was built in it. In the country on the whole, water supply network for around 1 million citizens was severed.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

TV TRANSMITTERS:

1. Jastrebac (Prokuplje

2. Gucevo (Loznica

3. Cot (Fruska Gora)

4. Grmija (Pristina

5. Kutlovac (Stari Trg)

6. “Cigota” (Uzice)

7. “Tornik” (Uzice)

8. Transmitter on Crni Vrh (Jagodina)

9. Bogutovac (Pristina)

CULTURAL-HISTORICAL MONUMENTS AND RELIGIOUS SHRINES MEDIEVAL MONASTERIES AND (10):

1. Monastery Gracanica from 14th century (24 March – 6 April 1999);

2. Monastery Rakovica from 17th century (29 March 1999);

3. Patriarchate of Pec (1 April 1999);

4. Church in Jelasnica near Surdulica (4 April 1999);

5. Monastery of the Church of St. Juraj (built in 1714) in Petrovaradin (1 April 1999);

6. Monnastery of Holy Mother (12th century) at the estuary of the Kosanica in the Toplica – territory of municipality of Kursumlija (4 March 1999);

7. Monastery of St. Nicholas (12th century) in the territory of the municipality of Kursumlija (4 March 1999);

8. Monastery of St. Archangel Gabriel in Zemun (5 April 1999);

9. Roman Catholic Church St. Antonio in Djakovica (29 March 1999);

10. Orthodox cemetery in Gnjilane (30 March 1999).

CULTURAL-HISTORICAL MONUMENTS (6):

1. Severe damage to the roof structure of the Fortress of Petrovaradin (1 April 1999);

2. Heavy damage to “Tabacki bridge”, four centuries old, in Djakovica (5 April 1999);

3. Substantial damage to the building in Stara Carsija (Old street) in Djakovica (5 April 1999);

4. Destroyed archives housed in one of the Government buildings in Belgrade (3 April 1999);

5. Memorial complex in Gucevo (Loznica);

6. Memorial complex “Sumarice” in Kragujevac.