Disinfo: Bombings of Yugoslavia killed between 1200 and 2500 civilians

Summary

The bombing of Yugoslavia was NATO’s first combat mission without the approval of the UN Security Council. According to various estimates, between 1200 and 2500 people were killed, including 89 children. 12,500 civilians were injured. 148 houses and 62 bridges were destroyed. About 300 schools, hospitals and state institutions, as well as 176 cultural monuments, were damaged.

Disproof

Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the number of civilian casualties of NATO bombing, debunked by Polygraph, and war in former Yugoslavia, aiming to portray NATO's bombing in Yugoslavia as more devastating and to demonise NATO's actions during the Yugoslav war.

The Sputnik article presents no source of the quoted number of killed civilians. According to the Humanitarian Law Center, in Serbia (excluding Kosovo) and Montenegro, 275 persons lost their lives in the NATO bombings: 180 civilians, 90 members of the Yugoslav Armed Forces and five members of the Ministry of Interior of Serbia. In Kosovo, 484 people were killed: 267 civilians (209 Albanian and 58 non-Albanian), 171 members of the YA, 20 members of the Serbian MUP and 26 members of the KLA (19 of whom died in the NATO bombing of the Dubrava prison, near Istok).

Human Rights Watch concludes that as few as 489 and as many as 528 Yugoslav civilians were killed in the ninety separate incidents in Operation Allied Force.

The primary purpose of the campaign was to end violence and repression and force Milošević to withdraw his military, police and para-military forces from Kosovo (see NATO statement from 1999).

Read similar disinformation about the war in former Yugoslavia alleging that around 2500 people were killed in NATO’s bombing campaign and the returning claim that around 2,000 people were killed in NATO’s bombings in [former] Yugoslavia.

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Reported in: Issue 174
DATE OF PUBLICATION: 31/10/2019
Language/target audience: German
Country: Yugoslavia, Kosovo, Serbia
Keywords: Western Balkans, War crimes, International Law, NATO
Outlet: Sputnik Deutschland

Poland is losing its independence

The Polish government is submissive not only to its main ally (or even a hegemon) – the United States but also to much smaller countries such as Israel. The evidence for this statement is the recent anti-Iranian conference in Warsaw, which was in reality organized by the USA and Israel. Polish independence is weakening, or it has already been completely liquidated.

November 04, 2019

Disproof

A common pro-Kremlin narrative on the “lost sovereignty” - in the case of Poland, this country is often presented as a “puppet-state” of the United States. The statement that Poland is submissive to the will of the United States or other countries (Israel) is a conspiracy theory. Poland is a sovereign state, which shapes its own foreign and domestic policies.

The Middle East conference in Warsaw took place on February 13-14, 2019 - it was officially organized by Poland and the United States. This event united 43 official delegations (mainly, from the countries of the European Union, Middle East, Middle Asia and North Africa). The main official issues of this conference were terrorism and extremism, missile development and proliferation, maritime trade and security, and threats posed by proxy groups across the Middle East.

The Polish politicians care about Ukraine only if it continues harming Russia

Poland does not care about the peace in Eastern Ukraine, or in the East in general, nor about the well-being of the Ukrainians. The Polish politicians, thinking in the anti-Russian categories, perceive Ukraine as an important issue only if it harms Russia. Otherwise, if Ukraine stops harming Russia, the Polish politicians and publicists lose their interest in this country.

November 04, 2019

Disproof

This message is a pro-Kremlin narrative on the “Russophobic elites”, which promote their anti-Russian policies with all available tools. In this case, the Polish elite allegedly uses the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine in order to weaken Russia and promote anti-Russian policies. See other examples of this message claiming that the elites in Europe are Russophobic, that anything that's bad for Russia is good for Polish elites and that Washington has designed a plan to rob Europe.

The Polish government has repeatedly shown its full support to solving the Russia-Ukraine conflict and the complete restoration of territorial integrity of Ukraine. See other examples of disinformation on the Polish-Ukrainian relations claiming Polish policy towards Ukraine is shaped by the Americans, Ukrainian arms flood into Poland and that Poland wants to dismember Ukraine.

Poland purchases F-35 fighters without any trade negotiations

The F-35 are not necessary for Poland at all as these fighters are not designed for border states, which airbases can be destroyed within several minutes. Currently, no one threatens to Poland – it means that the F-35 purchase is realized under pressure from the Americans, without any trade negotiations.

November 04, 2019

Disproof

A recurring pro-Kremlin message that the United States manipulates or blackmails the Polish authorities. It is a part of a broader Kremlin’s narrative that Poland is a “puppet-state” fully controlled by the United States.

The purchase of the American F-35 fighters is a sovereign decision of Poland, which will result in substantial improvement in military capacities of the Polish Air Force. According to the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency, Poland will have no difficulty absorbing these aircraft into its armed forces.