Serbia marks the 25th anniversary of NATO bombing of what was then Yugoslavia.
ADVERTISEMENTOn Sunday, demonstrators gathered in Belgrade to commemorate the 25th anniversary of NATO's aerial bombing campaign against Yugoslavia in 1999. The gathering took place outside the former army headquarters, which bore the scars of the bombardment that halted Serbia’s crackdown on ethnic Albanian separatists, ending Belgrade’s control over its former province of Kosovo.
The protesters waved Serbian and Russian flags, paying tribute with a minute of silence for the victims of the Moscow concert hall attack. Among the flags, a distinctive 'Z' could be seen, symbolising solidarity with the Russian military.
According to rights groups, the NATO bombing claimed the lives of several hundred people, although Serbia says that the casualty count was significantly higher. Additionally, the bombing inflicted severe damage on Serbia's infrastructure.
Since the conflict, Serbia's leadership has remained committed to staying out of NATO and has declined to join Western sanctions against Russia over its actions in Ukraine.