Varvarin bridge bombing

The Varvarin bridge bombing was an aerial bombing executed by NATO as part of the Operation Allied Force. Ten people were killed and 17 were severely injured, all of them civilians.

Varvarin bridge bombing
Part of NATO bombing of Yugoslavia
Location
Varvarin
TargetVarvarin bridge
Date30 May 1999 (1999-05-30)
Shortly after noon
Executed byNATO
Casualties
  • 10 killed
  • 17 severely injured[1]

Events

On 30 May 1999, as part of the NATO bombing of Yugoslavia, the NATO bombed a bridge crossing the Velika Morava river in Varvarin. It was Sunday and the streets were full of people going to the market or coming back from the Orthodox church service for the Holy Trinity that had just finished. Soon after noon, two low-flying NATO F-16 warplanes fired the first laser-guided bomb strike against the bridge, killing three people and severely injuring five more. A few minutes after the first strike, as people rushed to the bridge to help the injured, two more bombs were fired. In total, 10 people were killed and 17 were severely injured.[2][3][4]

The 10 fatal victims were Sanja Milenković (15), Milan Savić (28), Vojkan Stanković (30), Zoran Marinković (33), Stojan Ristić (52), Ratibor Simonović (24), Ružica Simonović (55), Milivoje Ćirić (66), Dragoslav Terzić (67) and Tola Apostolović (74).[5]

The nationality of the pilots is unknown and the military purpose of the operation remains unclear.[1]

Reactions
Commemoration of the victims of the Varvarin Massacre

NATO spokeperson Jamie Shea declared that the bridge was a military target. Locals said that the bridge was too narrow for tanks and it was attacked on a clear day instead of during the night, accusing NATO of deliberately killing civilians.[2]

In 2003, families of the victims sued the German government in Germany.[3] The claimants argued that Germany gave assistance to NATO air operations and claimed compensations. German courts dismissed the right of the families to seek compensations in Germany. First in the regional court of Bonn in 2003, then in the higher regional court of Cologne in 2005 and the Federal Court of Justice in 2006. The families filed a complaint to the Federal Constitutional Court in 2007 seeking to reverse previous court decisions. On 13 August 2013, Federal Constitutional Court dismissed the claims again, arguing that victims of military operations abroad did not have the right for individual compensations.[1][6]

See also

References
  1. Ferdinand Gärditz, Klaus (2014). "Bridge of Varvarin". The American Journal of International Law. 108 (1): 86–93. doi:10.5305/amerjintelaw.108.1.0086. S2CID 146947308.
  2. "NATO bombers hit town 'full of people'". The Irish Times. 31 May 1999. Archived from the original on 7 November 2019.
  3. "Serbian Families Sue Germans Over NATO Bombing". Deutsche Welle. 15 October 2003. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017.
  4. Fisk, Robert (9 July 2018). "Nearly two decades on from Nato's deadly bombing of civilians at Varvarin in Serbia, the wait for justice continues". The Independent. Archived from the original on 21 July 2020.
  5. Milojković, M. (30 May 2019). "CRNI PIJAČNI DAN Hiljade ljudi izašlo je u centar Varvarina a onda su se usred bela dana SRUČILE NATO BOMBE". Blic (in Serbian). Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  6. "Varvarin bridge case, Federal Constitutional Court, 13 August 2013". International Committee of the Red Cross.
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