Incident at Pristina airport

Part of the aftermath of the Kosovo War

Russian medal for participants

Date	12 June 1999
Location	Pristina International Airport, Kosovo, FR Yugoslavia
Result	NATO–Russian agreement

Belligerents

NATO

Russian Federation

Commanders and leaders

Mike Jackson

Anatoly Volchkov

Casualties and losses

None

The Incident at Pristina airport was a confrontation between the NATO forces and Russian forces over the Pristina International Airport on 12 June 1999, in the aftermath of the Kosovo War. Russian troops occupied the airport ahead of a NATO deployment, resulting in a tense stand-off, which was resolved peacefully.

The Kosovo War ended on 11 June 1999, and a joint NATO-Russian peacekeeping force was to be installed in Kosovo. Russia had expected to receive a peacekeeping sector independent of NATO, and were angered when this was refused. There was concern that a separate Russian sector might lead to a partition of Kosovo between a Serb-controlled north and Albanian south.

The Allied Rapid Reaction Corps (ARRC) deployed to Skopje in the Republic of Macedonia during early March 1999. The purpose was to provide unified NATO command for several national contingents including a United States battalion which had been in Macedonia for some years, together with newly arrived British, German, French and Italian battalions. The force was known as Kosovo Force (KFOR). The commander of KFOR was British lieutenant general Mike Jackson, with 3-star rank. His superior officer was US Admiral James O. Ellis, NATO commander for southern Europe, based in Naples. Ellis reported to Wesley Clark, the Supreme Allied Commander Europe. In practice Clark often bypassed Ellis to talk directly to Jackson.

Early on 11 June 1999 a column of about thirty Russian armoured vehicles carrying 250 Russian troops, who were part of the international peacekeeping force in Bosnia, moved into Serbia. At 10.30 am this was confirmed by SHAPE and by pictures from CNN which showed that the Russians had hastily painted "KFOR" in white letters on their vehicles where they had previously been "SFOR". It was assumed that the column was heading for Pristina and Pristina International Airport ahead of the arrival of NATO troops.

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Wikipedia