KOSOVO: RUSSIAN K-FOR TROOPS KILL 3 SERBS

In the bloodiest incident of the three-month peacekeeping mission in Kosovo, Russian soldiers killed three Serbs who fired on them after refusing to stop an attack on Albanians. The gun battle took place in the American sector of Kosovo, in the southeastern part of the province. According to a NATO, the Russians rushed to the largely Serb village of Korminjane, northeast of Gniljane, early on Monday after reports of a firefight. Once they got to the scene of the gunfight, the Russian K-FOR soldiers ordered the Serbs to stop beating a wounded ethnic Albanian man. Two other Albanians, one critically wounded and one dead, were found in a nearby car. Instead, the Serbs shot at the Russians, who returned fire, killing three of them. There were no Russian casualties.

SOUNDBITE: (English) "The Russian patrol heard firing nearby, went to that site where the fire was coming from, found three individuals holding rifles beating an individual who was on the ground. At that point, they told the individuals to stop. They (the Serbs) turned and began firing on the Russian patrol. The Russian patrol responded with fire, defending themselves, killing all three individuals." SUPER CAPTION: Captain Larry Kaminsky, U-S Army The incident remains under investigation, but it appears to be in accordance with regulations allowing the 40-thousand NATO-led peacekeepers to use deadly force to defend themselves. NATO Secretary General Javier Solana gave his support for the Russians' decision, saying they had a right to defend themselves in difficult and life-threatening situations. SOUNDBITE: (English) "Let me say something about the Russian contingent. I think they are doing as professionally a job in difficult and dangerous circumstances as all other K-FOR countries, K-FOR troops. That has been very clearly shown. Also, this morning, with the firefight with three armed Serbs in eastern Kosovo. Therefore, they all deserve - the Russian K-FOR troops - our full support and all the support and all the respect."

SUPER CAPTION: Javier Solana, NATO Secretary General Ethnic Albanians accuse Russian troops of favouring the Serbs, fellow Slavs who share the same Orthodox traditions. They claim Russian mercenaries fought with Serbs during the 18-month crackdown against ethnic Albanians, during which an estimated 10-thousand people were killed. Despite the allegations, U-S and NATO commanders have said Moscow's troops have been evenhanded since arriving in Kosovo on June 12 to help enforce the peace agreement.

Girkin-Strelkov on Serbians

Игорь Стрелков. Боснийский дневник (2-й Русский Добровольческий Отряд в Боснии 1992-1993 годы)

Meanwhile, the mood in the detachment (numbering eight people in the ranks) was far from the best. The Russians have already seen that the Serbs do not have any share of the courage that glorified them in the 1st World War; that the “итервентна чета” of Bobán is fighting for the sake of plundering the captured villages, and submit themselves very reluctantly for bullets; it turns out that the Serbs paid well to "recruiters" in Moscow, but did not intend to pay the Russians here. Then, however, they began to pay 100-150 German marks a month. Finally, the Russians had heard enough about the atrocities of the Serbs from themselves, and although Muslims and Croats are no better, they did not make the most favorable impression. Nevertheless, the conviction reigned: we must protect ordinary Serbs who (unlike Boban’s mercenaries) have nowhere to run and who are not involved in any atrocities.

The unsuccessful battle of December 3 largely demoralized the squad. In conversations, not too flattering reviews about the Serbs (especially about the command) sounded constantly. Began cases of drunkenness. Some fighters, using their "volunteer" position, began uncontrolled "trips" to the city, taking drunkenness and shooting there.

Meanwhile, the situation in the Vyshegrad region remained rather unclear. As it turned out from the testimony of the prisoner, the attack of our brigade began less than a day before the same attack from the Muslims. Having lost in the battle all the artillery they have in the area and about 40 people, they, however, did not quite lose their combat capability. So, on the night of the 8th, they approached the positions recently occupied by the Serbs and fired them from small arms. On the "position" was sitting the so-called "Didova army" (elderly militiamen). Naturally, as soon as the shelling started, all their serbian "cohort" unanimously ran, losing one person killed.  

On December 13, the detachment went to Belgrade to rest, where they stayed for 5 days. The city left a not very pleasant impression. Although we were well received (we lived in a private house in Novo-Pazovo and stayed at the club of the Serbian People’s Renaissance - the monarchist party), the “international” market, the abundance of young Russian prostitutes, clashes with individual Serbs (“Go home !") etc. 
 

See also: All Russians were killed, all coward Serbs flew away