Pristina, June 12 (Albania Journal) – Kosovo is marking 27 years since the arrival of NATO-led peacekeeping forces, a pivotal moment that brought an end to the 1998-1999 war and paved the way for the return of more than one million displaced Kosovars.
On June 12, 1999, following 78 days of NATO airstrikes led by the United States against Serbian and Montenegrin military targets in Kosovo, Serbia and Montenegro, around 50,000 NATO troops entered Kosovo as part of the KFOR peacekeeping mission. Their deployment, alongside the United Nations Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK), effectively ended the nearly two-year conflict between the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) and Serbian military and police forces.
For many Kosovars, June 12 is remembered as the day of liberation and one of the most significant dates in the country’s modern history. Although it is not officially recognised as a public holiday, military officials and diplomats also recall it as a day of intense geopolitical tension between the West and Russia, with some warning at the time that it had the potential to trigger a wider international conflict.
The first NATO troops to enter Kosovo included Norwegian special forces and Britain’s Special Air Service (SAS). Upon arrival, they encountered Russian forces that had unexpectedly seized Pristina Airport a day earlier in what was widely seen as an attempt to establish a separate Russian-controlled sector in Kosovo.
Moscow had planned to fly in thousands of additional troops, but the effort was blocked after Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania, following diplomatic pressure from Washington, denied Russia access to their airspace. After British and American forces secured the airport runway, the Russian Foreign Ministry later described the move by its troops as “a mistake.”
The deployment of NATO forces opened the door for the return of more than one million Kosovar Albanians who had fled their homes during the conflict, seeking refuge across dozens of countries on several continents.
Since then, nearly 500,000 peacekeepers from numerous countries, mainly NATO and other Western partners, have served in Kosovo. Many spent long periods away from their families, contributing to the country’s security, stability and lasting peace.
