During the
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) carried out an aerial bombing campaign against the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia during the Kosovo War. The air strikes lasted from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. The bombings continued until an ag ...
, aerial bombings were carried out against the second largest Yugoslav city of
Novi Sad
Novi Sad ( sr-Cyrl, Нови Сад, ; #Name, see below for other names) is the List of cities in Serbia, second largest city in Serbia and the capital of the autonomous province of Vojvodina. It is located in the southern portion of the Pannoni ...
. According to NATO press releases, the bombing targeted oil refineries, roads, bridges, and telecommunications relay stations, facilities which had military uses. The bombing of the city caused great damage to local
civilian
A civilian is a person who is not a member of an armed force. It is war crime, illegal under the law of armed conflict to target civilians with military attacks, along with numerous other considerations for civilians during times of war. If a civi ...
s, including severe pollution and widespread
ecological damage as well as lasting consequences for the well-being of the population.
Chronology of the bombing
*March 24: NATO bombed a storehouse of the police center in the industrial zone, as well as the "Motins" factory.
*April 1:
Varadin Bridge on the
Danube
The Danube ( ; see also #Names and etymology, other names) is the List of rivers of Europe#Longest rivers, second-longest river in Europe, after the Volga in Russia. It flows through Central and Southeastern Europe, from the Black Forest sou ...
was destroyed by NATO bombs.
*April 3:
Liberty Bridge on the Danube was destroyed by NATO bombs. Seven civilians were injured. After the bridge was destroyed, the institute for cardio-vascular diseases in
Sremska Kamenica
Sremska Kamenica (Serbian Cyrillic: Сремска Каменица, ) is a town and urban neighborhood of Novi Sad, in Serbia.
Name
In Serbian, the town is known as ''Sremska Kamenica'' (Сремска Каменица), in Croatian as ' ...
lost its water supply.
*April 5: NATO bombed the oil refinery in the industrial zone, as well as
Žeželj Bridge
Žeželj Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, and was destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslav ...
on the Danube, which was damaged.
*April 7: NATO bombed the oil refinery as well as the residential civilian quarter
Vidovdansko Naselje where four civilians were injured and several houses damaged.
*April 11: NATO bombed the military object "Majevica" in
Jugovićevo
Jugovićevo () is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is currently a developing neighborhood.
Location Borders
The southern border of Jugovićevo is Vojvoda Stepa Boulevard, the eastern border is the Subotica Boulevard (Euro ...
.
*April 13: NATO bombed the oil refinery.
*April 15: NATO bombed the oil refinery and the military object "Majevica" in Jugovićevo.
*April 18: NATO bombed the oil refinery which triggered a large fire and much smoke, which caused serious ecological damage. The building of the Government of the Autonomous Province of
Vojvodina
Vojvodina ( ; sr-Cyrl, Војводина, ), officially the Autonomous Province of Vojvodina, is an Autonomous administrative division, autonomous province that occupies the northernmost part of Serbia, located in Central Europe. It lies withi ...
in the
city centre
A city centre, also known as an urban core, is the Commerce, commercial, Culture, cultural and often the historical, Politics, political, and geographic heart of a city. The term "city centre" is primarily used in British English, and closely e ...
was also hit by NATO bombs.
*April 21: NATO bombed the oil refinery and Žeželj Bridge, as well as the
Beška Bridge
Beška Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Мост код Бешке, Most kod Beške) crosses the Danube river near Beška, Serbia on the A1 motorway (Serbia), A1 motorway, part of the European route E75. It consists of two identical prestressed concrete cons ...
on the Danube.
*April 22: NATO bombed
Žeželj Bridge
Žeželj Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, and was destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslav ...
on the Danube.
*April 23: NATO bombed a TV transmitter in the wider area of Novi Sad.
*April 24: NATO bombed the oil refinery causing fire and smoke.
Fruška Gora
Fruška gora ( sr-Cyrl, Фрушка гора) is a mountain in Syrmia, with most of the mountain being part of Serbia and its westernmost edge extending into eastern Croatia. The Serbian part of the mountain forms the country's oldest National p ...
was also bombed.
*April 26: NATO finally managed to destroy
Žeželj Bridge
Žeželj Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, and was destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslav ...
, the last bridge on the Danube that the city had.
*April 27: NATO bombed the oil refinery and Fruška Gora.
*April 29: NATO bombed the oil refinery and Fruška Gora.
*May 1: NATO bombed the oil refinery causing large amounts of smoke that covered the city for several days. Fruška Gora was also bombed.
*May 2: NATO bombed the northern suburbs of Novi Sad causing the city to lose its water supply and electricity.
*May 3: NATO bombed the buildings of Novi Sad Television in
Mišeluk as well as the northern suburbs of the city.
*May 6: NATO bombed the military object "Majevica" in Jugovićevo as well as the civilian residential quarter
Detelinara
Detelinara (, from Serbian ''detelina'' - ''clover'', hence Detelinara = ''Field of Clovers'') is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Borders
The south-eastern borders of Detelinara are Ulica Branka Bajića (Branko Bajić St ...
damaging residential buildings.
*May 7: NATO bombed
Iriški Venac and Brankovac on Fruška Gora.
*May 8: NATO bombed the military object "Majevica" in Jugovićevo and Fruška Gora.
*May 13: NATO bombed the buildings of the Novi Sad Television in Mišeluk. Its buildings were heavily damaged as well as neighbouring civilian residential houses. Fruška Gora was also bombed, as well as electric installations in
Rimski Šančevi
Rimski Šančevi () is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is mostly an industrial region, industrial zone, but it is partially a residential area as well.
Name
Its name means "the Roman trenches". It was named like this bec ...
causing the city to lose electricity again.
*May 15: NATO bombed Brankovac on Fruška Gora.
*May 18: NATO bombed Fruška Gora.
*May 20: NATO bombed Fruška Gora.
*May 22: NATO bombed Fruška Gora including a TV tower on Iriški Venac.
*May 23: NATO bombed Fruška Gora and electric installations in Rimski Šančevi.
*May 24: NATO bombed the oil refinery causing smoke that again covered part of the city. Fruška Gora was also bombed.
*May 26: NATO bombed buildings of the Novi Sad Television in Mišeluk, as well as Dunavski Kej (Danube Quay) near the city centre.
Paragovo
Paragovo (Cyrillic: Парагово) is a hamlet in the urban area of Novi Sad and one of the neighborhoods of Sremska Kamenica, in Serbia.
It is located between three hills, Popovica on the west and Glavica and Čardak on the east; at the en ...
, Iriški Venac on Fruška Gora and a small barrack in
Bukovac were also bombed.
*May 29: NATO bombed buildings of the Novi Sad Television as well as the civilian residential quarter
Ribnjak where two civilians were badly injured.
*May 30: NATO bombed the civilian residential area in
Sremska Kamenica
Sremska Kamenica (Serbian Cyrillic: Сремска Каменица, ) is a town and urban neighborhood of Novi Sad, in Serbia.
Name
In Serbian, the town is known as ''Sremska Kamenica'' (Сремска Каменица), in Croatian as ' ...
where one child was badly injured and two civilian houses were destroyed. The civilian residential area Ribnjak was also bombed as well as buildings of the Novi Sad Television, a tunnel near the previously destroyed Liberty Bridge, a road near the entrance to Sremska Kamenica, part of Fruška Gora between Paragovo and Krušedol, and the northern vicinity of Novi Sad.
*May 31: NATO bombed electric installations in Rimski Šančevi causing the city to lose its water supply and electricity. Fruška Gora was also bombed.
*June 1: NATO bombed suburban settlements
Čenej
Čenej () is a suburban settlement of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia.
Name
In Serbian, the village is known as Ченеј or ''Čenej'', in Croatian as ''Čenej'', and in Hungarian as ''Csenej''.
Geography
It is located in the north-eastern p ...
and
Pejićevi Salaši
Pejićevi Salaši ( sr-cyr, Пејићеви Салаши) is a suburban settlement of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is located on the outskirts of Novi Sad proper area, close to Čenej and Kać.
It is not regarded as a separate populated plac ...
, as well as Fruška Gora.
*June 2: NATO bombed Fruška Gora.
*June 4: NATO bombed Brankovac and
Čot on Fruška Gora.
*June 8 and 9: NATO bombed the oil refinery. One civilian was killed, while two civilians and one child were badly injured. The civilian residential quarter
Šangaj
Šangaj ( sr-cyr, Шангај) is an urban neighborhood of the city of Novi Sad, Serbia. It is situated close to the Danube, and is surrounded by the Industrial zones of Novi Sad, Novi Sad industrial zones, right next to the oil refinery of Naftn ...
was also bombed where one civilian was killed and several more civilians were injured, while several civilian houses were destroyed. Although these were the bloodiest days of the bombing, they were also the last.
Consequences
Impact on civilians
The bombing caused civilian deaths and injuries. Those who were not directly physically harmed suffer from consequences for their physical health caused by ecological damage as well as consequences for psychological health caused by almost three months of trauma and fear. Due to the NATO attacks, many in Novi Sad were left unemployed.
Notably, NATO was accused of failing to give "effective advance warning" of attacks which may affect civilians, as required by Protocol I. One such attack where NATO was accused of this was the bombing of the Ministry of Education in Novi Sad, premises which administered social welfare programmes.
Impact on infrastructure
The NATO bombing left Novi Sad without any of its three Danube bridges, communications, water, and electricity, which severely impaired the day to day living of the residents of the city. Water services were restored only after two years, partially due to funding from Britain, one of the countries which bombed targets in the city in 1999. All three bridges have been rebuilt as of 2018 with the completion of
Žeželj Bridge
Žeželj Bridge ( sr-Cyrl-Latn, Жежељев мост, Žeželjev most) is a tied-arch bridge on the Danube river in Novi Sad, Vojvodina, Serbia. The bridge was originally built in 1961, and was destroyed during the 1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslav ...
.
Impact on environment
The bombing of Novi Sad had implications for the environment. A United Nations study (the BTF ‘Industrial Sites’ and ‘Danube’ missions) found that there were serious environmental issues, "requiring immediate action", some of which resulted from the bombing.
The bombing of Novi Sad's refinery caused fires which burned 50,000 tons of crude oil, sending toxins and
carcinogen
A carcinogen () is any agent that promotes the development of cancer. Carcinogens can include synthetic chemicals, naturally occurring substances, physical agents such as ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and biologic agents such as viruse ...
s into the air and contaminating groundwater. The BTF study was complicated by the heavy pollution that existed before the bombing, with the group noting that "the enforced shutdown of the refinery may even have led to local improvements in the aquatic environment, due to a possible reduction in chronic pollution".
Once all the samples for Novi Sad (Danube Mission) were collated, ''"based on field observation and results from sample analysis, the BTF concluded that there was no evidence of significant adverse impacts on the Danube aquatic environment as a result of air strikes on Novi Sad refinery. It is thought that most of the oils and oil products released were burned and that no significant volume entered the river"''.
The BTF study also found that prior to the air strikes, local technicians helped minimise the potential harmful effects of air strikes by "removing oil products that could be harmful to human health if spilt or burnt, such as transformer oil containing PCBs. Production was also accelerated to use up as much as possible of the crude oil, intermediate products and additives, and the final products were shipped to other locations. The remaining oil was mixed with gasoline, so that the tanks would ignite if hit, rather than leak into the soil and groundwater".
By 2003, the
Danube Commission
The Danube Commission (; ; ; ) is concerned with the maintenance and improvement of navigation conditions of the Danube River, from its source in Germany to its outlets in Romania and Ukraine, leading to the Black Sea. It was established in 194 ...
had removed all of the debris of bombed bridges and ordnance from the river. The clearing of the debris was important not only for Novi Sad, but for European states (such as
Hungary
Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...
and
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...
) who were economically impacted by the blockade of river traffic to the
Black Sea
The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...
caused by the bombing.
Views of the respective parties
NATO was accused of committing war crimes due to the nature of some of the bombing raids. Some Novi Sad residents found it ironic that Novi Sad was so heavily targeted by NATO due to the fact that during the time of the bombing, the city was ruled by the local democratic opposition, which was against the regime in
Belgrade
Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...
. Therefore, some citizens of Novi Sad did not understand why the city was targeted for the events in
Kosovo
Kosovo, officially the Republic of Kosovo, is a landlocked country in Southeast Europe with International recognition of Kosovo, partial diplomatic recognition. It is bordered by Albania to the southwest, Montenegro to the west, Serbia to the ...
.
At a press release one year on from the bombing, then-NATO Secretary General
George Robertson claimed that
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
encountered complications due to the Yugoslav military using civilian buildings, and the civilians within as
human shields. NATO officials expressed "deep regret at any civilian casualties it caused".
NATO claimed that the bombing of targets such as bridges was aimed at impairing the Yugoslav Army's
command and control structure. However, the efficacy of the campaign and choice of targets was brought into question by human rights groups, after bridges of no conceivable strategic relevance to the military situation in Kosovo were bombed, including a bridge which led to Hungary, a NATO country. In response to NATO's justification of actions, the Movement for the Advancement of International Criminal Law (MAICL) argued that the civilian deaths caused were clearly disproportionate to the military benefits.
See also
*
Kosovo War
The Kosovo War (; sr-Cyrl-Latn, Косовски рат, Kosovski rat) was an armed conflict in Kosovo that lasted from 28 February 1998 until 11 June 1999. It ...
References
External links
NATO Morning Briefing - 2 May 1999
{{DEFAULTSORT:NATO bombing of Novi Sad
20th century in Novi Sad
Aerial operations and battles of the Kosovo War
1999 in Serbia
NATO airstrikes
Civilian casualties in the Kosovo War
Incidents involving NATO
1999 NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
History of Novi Sad