The political confrontation of such superpowers as the United States and the USSR, which lasted from the mid-40s to the beginning of the 90s of the last century, and never turned into a real military conflict, led to the emergence of such a term as the Cold War. Yugoslavia is a former socialist multinational country that began to disintegrate almost simultaneously with the Soviet Union. The main reason that triggered the outbreak of military conflict was the desire of the West to establish its influence in those territories that previously belonged to the USSR.
The war in Yugoslavia consisted of a series of armed conflicts that lasted for 10 years - from 1991 to 2001, and as a result led to the collapse of the state, which resulted in the formation of several independent states. Here the fighting was interethnic in nature, where Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania and Macedonia participated. The war in Yugoslavia began due to ethnic and religious considerations. These events, which took place in Europe, became the most bloody since 1939-1945.
Slovenia
The war in Yugoslavia began with an armed conflict on June 25 - July 4, 1991. The course of events originates from the unilaterally proclaimed independence of Slovenia, as a result of which hostilities broke out between it and Yugoslavia. The leadership of the republic took control of all borders, as well as airspace over the country. Local military units began to prepare for the capture of UNA barracks.
The Yugoslav People’s Army met with fierce resistance from local troops. In a hurry, barricades were erected and the paths followed by the JNA units were blocked. Mobilization was announced in the republic, and its leaders turned to some European countries for help.
The war ended as a result of the signing of the Brion Agreement, which obliged the JNA to end the armed conflict, and Slovenia was supposed to suspend the signing of a declaration of independence for three months. Losses from the Yugoslav army amounted to 45 people killed and 146 wounded, and from the Slovenian, 19 and 182, respectively.
Soon, the administration of the SFRY was forced to admit defeat and reconcile with independent Slovenia. At the end, JNA withdrew troops from the territory of the newly formed state.
Croatia
After Slovenia gained independence from Yugoslavia, the Serbian part of the population living in this territory tried to create a separate country. They motivated their desire to disconnect by the fact that human rights were allegedly constantly violated here. For this, the separatists began to create the so-called self-defense units. Croatia regarded this as an attempt to join Serbia and accused its opponents of expansion, as a result of which large-scale hostilities began in August 1991.
Over 40% of the country's territory was covered by war. The Croats aimed at freeing themselves from the Serbs and driving out JNA. Volunteers wishing to gain long-awaited freedom, united in the detachments of the guards and with all their might sought for themselves and their families to declare independence.
Bosnian war
The years 1991-1992 marked the beginning of the path of liberation from the crisis of Bosnia and Herzegovina, into which Yugoslavia was drawn into it. The war this time affected not only one republic, but also the neighboring lands. As a result, this conflict attracted the attention of NATO, the EU and the UN.
This time, hostilities took place between Bosnian Muslims and their co-religionists advocating for autonomy, as well as Croats and armed groups of Serbs. At the beginning of the uprising, the JNA was also involved in the conflict. A little later, NATO forces, mercenaries and volunteers from different sides joined.
In February 1992, a proposal was made to divide the republic into 7 parts, two of which were to go to Croats and Muslims, and three to Serbs. This agreement was not approved by the head of the Bosnian forces, Aliya Izetbegovic. Croatian and Serbian nationalists said that this was the only chance to end the conflict, after which the Civil War in Yugoslavia continued, attracting the attention of almost all international organizations.
The armed forces of the Bosnians united with the Muslims, thanks to which the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was created. In May 1992, ARBiH became the official armed forces of the future independent state. Gradually, hostilities ceased as a result of the signing of the Dayton Agreement, which predetermined the constitutional structure of modern independent Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Operation Deliberate Power
This code name was given to the aerial bombardment of the positions of the Serbs in the military conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina conducted by NATO. The reason for the start of this operation was the explosion in 1995 in the market of Markale. It was not possible to identify the perpetrators of terrorism, but NATO laid the blame for the incident on the Serbs, who categorically refused to withdraw their weapons from Sarajevo.
Thus, the history of the war in Yugoslavia continued with Operation Deliberate Force on the night of August 30, 1995. Its goal was to reduce the possibility of a Serbian assault on the safe zones established by NATO. Aviation from the UK, USA, Germany, France, Spain, Turkey and the Netherlands began to strike at the positions of the Serbs.
Within two weeks, more than three thousand sorties of NATO aircraft were made. The result of the bombing was the destruction of radar installations, stockpiles of ammunition and weapons, bridges, telecommunications and other vital infrastructure. And, of course, the main goal was achieved: the Serbs left the city of Sarajevo, together with heavy equipment.
Kosovo
The war in Yugoslavia continued with the armed conflict that broke out between the FRY and the Albanian separatists in 1998. The inhabitants of Kosovo sought to gain independence. A year later, NATO intervened in the situation, as a result of which an operation called "Allied Force" began.
This conflict was systematically accompanied by violations of human rights, which led to numerous casualties and a massive flow of immigrants - a few months after the outbreak of the war, there were about 1 thousand killed and wounded, as well as more than 2 thousand refugees. The outcome of the war was the 1999 UN resolution, which guaranteed the prevention of a renewal of fire and the return of Kosovo to the rule of Yugoslavia. The Security Council ensured public order, mine clearance, demilitarization of the KLA (Kosovo Liberation Army) and Albanian armed groups.
Operation Allied Force
The second wave of the invasion of the North Atlantic Alliance in the FRY took place from March 24 to June 10, 1999. The operation took place during ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. Later, the International Tribunal reaffirmed the responsibility of the FRY security services for the crimes committed against the Albanian population. In particular, during the first operation, “Deliberate Force”.
The authorities of Yugoslavia witnessed 1.7 thousand dead citizens, 400 of whom were children. About 10 thousand people were seriously injured, and 821 were missing. The signing of the Military-Technical Agreement between the JNA and the North Atlantic Alliance put an end to the bombing. NATO forces and the international administration have taken control of the region. A little later, these powers were transferred to ethnic Albanians.
South serbia
The conflict between the illegal armed group, which was called the “Army for the Liberation of Medveja, Preshev and Buyanovac,” and the SR of Yugoslavia. The peak of activity in Serbia coincided with the aggravation of the situation in Macedonia.
The wars in the former Yugoslavia almost ended after some agreements were reached between NATO and Belgrade in 2001, which guaranteed the return of Yugoslav troops to the land security zone. In addition, agreements were signed on the formation of police forces, as well as amnesty for militants who decided to surrender voluntarily.
The confrontation in the Preshevsk valley took the lives of 68 people, 14 of whom were police officers. Albanian terrorists carried out 313 attacks, of which 14 were victims (9 of them were saved, and the fate of four remains unknown to this day).
Macedonia
The cause of the conflict in this republic is no different from previous clashes in Yugoslavia. The confrontation took place between the Albanian separatists and the Macedonians throughout almost the whole of 2001.
The situation began to escalate in January, when the republic’s government witnessed frequent cases of aggression against the military and the police. Since the Macedonian security service did not take any action, the population threatened to independently purchase weapons. After that, from January to November 2001, there were constant clashes between Albanian groups and the Macedonians. The bloodiest events took place in the city of Tetovo.
As a result of the conflict, there were 70 victims from Macedonia and about 800 Albanian separatists. The battle ended with the signing of the Ohrid Agreement between Macedonia and the Albanian forces, which led the republic to victory in the struggle for independence and the transition to a peaceful life. The war in Yugoslavia, whose chronicle of events officially ends in November 2001, actually continues to this day. Now it has the character of all kinds of strikes and armed clashes in the former republics of the FRY.
War Results
In the post-war period, the International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia was established. This document restored justice to victims of conflicts of all republics (except Slovenia). Specific individuals, not factions directly involved in crimes against humanity, were found and punished.
During 1991-2001 throughout the territory of the former Yugoslavia, about 300 thousand bombs were dropped and about 1 thousand missiles were fired. In the struggle of individual republics for their independence, NATO played a large role, which in time intervened in the arbitrariness of the Yugoslav authorities. The war in Yugoslavia, the years and events of which claimed the lives of thousands of civilians, should serve as a lesson for society, since even in our modern life it is necessary not only to appreciate, but also to support such a fragile world peace with all our might.