A recent article published by the pro-Kremlin media outlet “TASS” attempts to reinforce false narratives about NATO’s intervention in the former Yugoslavia in 1999, portraying it as a “barbaric” and “colonial” attack on Serbia. The statements included in the article by Sergey Naryshkin, the head of Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR), not only misinterpret the historical context of the intervention but also employ emotional rhetoric to fuel anti-NATO sentiments and downplay the crimes committed by Slobodan Milosevic’s regime during the Kosovo war.
The article claims that NATO’s operation “caused numerous casualties and infrastructural destruction” and describes the intervention as an “atrocity” against Serbia.
But the facts show that NATO’s –goal was to stop ethnic cleansing. Operation “Allied Force” was launched after the failure of diplomatic efforts and in response to documented evidence of mass crimes committed by Serbian forces against Albanian civilians in Kosovo. By March 1999, over 500,000 Kosovo Albanians had been forcibly displaced from their homes, and thousands had been killed. A Human Rights Watch report found that more than 500 Albanian villages were systematically destroyed, and many civilians were killed by Serbian forces during the conflict.
Additionally, both UNHCR and the OSCE documented mass deportations, executions, and systematic rape.
NATO’s targets were military and strategic infrastructure, not civilians. Civilian casualties occurred under complex wartime circumstances and, as noted in international reports, were often a result of the Serbian military using civilian infrastructure for military purposes.
The article attempts to portray NATO’s intervention as part of a “colonial” campaign, reinforcing the long-standing Russian narrative that depicts the West as an aggressor.
However, the intervention was based on broad international humanitarian concerns. Although it was not approved by the UN Security Council due to vetoes from Russia and China, NATO’s intervention was widely seen as necessary to prevent a humanitarian catastrophe. Subsequently, the UN established an international administration for Kosovo through Resolution 1244. Kosovo declared independence on February 17, 2008, and has since been recognized by over 115 countries, including the United States and most EU member states.
Furthermore, in 2010, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled that Kosovo’s declaration of independence did not violate international law.
Another false narrative propagated by TASS is the claim that Serbia is suffering from cancer due to NATO’s use of depleted uranium. The article alleges that “NATO dropped 15 tons of depleted uranium” and that Serbia “ranks first in Europe for cancer-related diseases.”
However, a 2001 UNEP report on Kosovo, where NATO airstrikes also took place, concluded that “there is no immediate threat to human health or the environment from depleted uranium in Kosovo.”
Serbia does not rank first in Europe for cancer-related diseases. According to data from the Global Cancer Observatory (GCO) and the European Commission, countries such as Belgium, Denmark, Germany, and Ireland have higher cancer rates per capita.
The TASS article is a classic example of Russian-style disinformation, in which historical events are distorted to justify today’s geopolitical narratives, incite hatred toward the West, and divert attention from Russia’s aggression against Ukraine and its neighboring countries.
This article deliberately conceals the true context of ethnic cleansing, war crimes, and the failed peace efforts that preceded NATO’s intervention.
*This article is published as part of the Western Balkans Regional Initiative against disinformation. “Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Hub: exposing malign influences through watchdog journalism.”
