DISINFO: With the illegitimate war against Yugoslavia, NATO made the world a theatre of war
SUMMARY
With the war against Yugoslavia 20 years ago, which was contrary to international law, NATO made the world a theatre of war.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the war in former Yugoslavia. The primary purpose of the NATO campaign was to end violence and repression and force Milosevic to withdraw his military, police and para-military forces from Kosovo (see NATO statement from 1999). The NATO operation for Kosovo followed over a year of intense efforts by the UN and the Contact Group, of which Russia was a member, to bring about a peaceful solution. The UN Security Council on several occasions branded the ethnic cleansing in Kosovo and the mounting number of refugees driven from their homes as a threat to international peace and security. NATO's Operation Allied Force was launched to prevent the large-scale and sustained violations of human rights and the killing of civilians. At the North Atlantic Council meeting on 12 April 1999, NATO expressed support for the "political aims of the international community: a peaceful, multi-ethnic and democratic Kosovo in which all its people can live in security and enjoy universal human rights and freedoms on an equal basis."