The Incident at Pristina was a confrontation between the NATO forces and Russian forces over the Pristina International Airport in the aftermath of the Kosovo War. Russian troops occupied the airport ahead of a NATO deployment, resulting in a tense stand-off, which was resolved peacefully.
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On the night of July 12, 1999, 200 Russian airborne troops arrived in Yugoslavia to assist their ally Serbia, and occupied Pristina International Airport Adem Jashari ahead of the arrival of NATO troops. NATO Command had closed airspace, making it impossible to send support and ammunition from Russia to Serbia, which could have led to World War III involving Russia and the block CIS. NATO eventually gave control of the airport to Russia.
The Kosovo War ended on June 11, 1999, and a joint NATO-Russian peacekeeping force was to be installed in Kosovo. Russia had expected to receive a peacekeeping sector independent of NATO, and were angered when this was refused.
A contingent of 200[1] Russian troops deployed in Bosnia and Herzegovina then crossed into Kosovo and occupied Pristina International Airport in Pristina, the capital city of Kosovo.
Upon hearing of the deployment, American NATO commander Wesley Clark called NATO Secretary-General Javier Solana, and was told "you have to transfer authority" in the area. Clark then ordered a contingent of 500 British and French paratroopers to seize the airport by force, an order that is still debated. British officer (later singer-songwriter) James Blunt, who commanded the contingent, questioned and did not carry out this order. His delay was sanctioned by British General Mike Jackson. Jackson refused to enforce Clark's orders, reportedly telling him "I'm not going to start the Third World War for you".[2][1] Jackson instructed the paratroopers to encircle the airport instead.
Russia placed several airbases on standby, and prepared battalions of paratroopers to depart for Pristina on Il-76 military transport planes. Fearing that Russian aircraft were heading for the airport, General Clark planned to order British tanks and armored cars to block the runway, and requested American Admiral James O. Ellis for helicopter support. His orders were not carried out, and the United States instead put political pressure on neighboring states not to allow Russia to use their airspace to ferry in the reinforcements. Russia was forced to call off the reinforcements after Bulgaria, Hungary and Romania refused requests by Russia to use their airspace.[3][2]
Negotiations were conducted throughout the standoff, during which Russia insisted that its troops would only be answerable to Russian commanders, and that it retain an exclusive zone for its own peacekeepers. NATO refused, predicting that it would lead to the partition of Kosovo into an Albanian south and a Serbian north. Both sides eventually agreed that Russian peacekeepers would deploy throughout Kosovo, but independent of NATO.[2]
After securing an agreement, Pristina Airport was reactivated by 53 Field Squadron (Air Support) Royal Engineers as a military airbase on 15 October 1999 and then started to operate international air transport to several European cities. During that period of time the Russian KFOR along with other NATO forces were in charge for security of the airport. Airport Pristina initially began its operations with 45 employees.