Citizens of northern Kosovo on NATO bombing: Memories of fear and horror

On this day 25 years ago, the government of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia declared a state of immediate war danger. Memories of the NATO bombing in 1999 among residents of northern Kosovo remain bitter and painful to this day. Many of them didn't believe until the last moment that the NATO alliance would bombard them with missiles for 78 long and agonizing days, and they coped, they say, as best as they could.

During the bombing, residents of North Mitrovica and Leposavic were mostly in their homes, hiding in basements, and many went outside the populated areas to the countryside, thinking it was safer there.

Stojanka Pesic still doesn't understand why the world rained bombs on such a small Orthodox people, and she says she doesn't understand what bothers the world about Serbs to this day.

"During the bombing, I was at home, in the basement, that's where we hid and spent the nights. We darkened the windows, protected ourselves, and when a bomb fell on Jabukovica, we got a little scared because we could see a lot of smoke, it was terrifying," this resident of Leposavic says.

Pesic adds that she didn't expect the world to strike Serbs with bombs like that.

"I didn't expect the world to strike us like that because everything done was illegal. I don't know what we Serbs are doing to them or what we're guilty of when everyone strikes us like that, except that we're Orthodox and a good people, honest, peaceful, and defending our own, and that is probably why they hate us. We extend a helping hand to everyone, but what can we do," Pesic says.

During the bombing, Vidosav Bojovic was in his village, and he says that everyone came to him, thinking it was safer in the countryside.

"How can I forget, I was at home in the village of Tvrdjan, and people came to me from here, I remember, not good moments, but bad ones, we were afraid. No one expected it, I didn't, but what can we do, what won't we go through," Bojovic said briefly.

An older resident of North Mitrovica told us that he never believed that bombing could happen.

"I never believed it could happen, but you see, it did. Look at what's happening in the world today, the whole world is at war. It could happen here again because this can't be endured anymore, this oppression we experience. Those international, so-called, communities that want peace and justice in the world, it's laughable," he says.

Nesko Vlahovic states that he endured the bombing difficultly, just like all the other residents.

"It was something unprecedented until then. A decision was made without the United Nations Security Council to bomb a sovereign country, and they forcibly took away a part of our territory. I hope that our Albanian neighbors remember the same, because they also went through that hell just like us. The memories are quite ugly," Vlahovic concludes.

Retiree Jovan from North Mitrovica remembers this period for the difficult situation that befell his family.

"From my apartment, you can see Pristina in the evening, and when the first bomb shone and lit up the gas station, that was a sign. After that, the war and gunfire started. I knew 10 years in advance that there would be war. I speak Albanian perfectly, I understood everything that was being prepared and done. It lasted for 70-something days, I had three small children. Maybe you know how I feel, my wife took medication, my elderly mother was with me and told me not to be afraid. However, they don't ask who is righteous and who isn't, people do that, not God," he says and adds that the situation was even worse after the war.