Civil war of bosnia and herzegovina 1992 1995. Bosnian war
In this issue you will see pictures from the book "Bosnia 1992-1995", which will be published in July this year. The book includes the work of photographers who witnessed the Bosnian War, which began 20 years ago. Under each photo there will be captions in the form of personal reflections of photographers about the events in Bosnia at that time.
The collapse of Yugoslavia in 1990-1992 led to a number of conflicts in the breakaway territories: Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina. One part of the population supported the adoption of independence, the other was against such measures. Everyone was trying to pull power in their direction. Against this background, military conflicts arose. Bosnian War broke out as a result of irreconcilable contradictions between Serbs, Muslims, Bosnians and Croats. What then seemed insignificant in the light of the agony of a huge empire, now, 20 years later, looks completely different. It was the birth of a new geopolitical reality.
20 years later, there is still a peacekeeping contingent in Bosnia. This and many other wars that followed it showed that even invasions of the country itself powerful army on the planet is not enough to stop the hostility on religious and ethnic grounds.
(Total 13 photos)
1. Young Bosnians in the cemetery in Brcko, where all their comrades are buried. 1993 (James Nachtwey for TIME)
2. Serb soldiers beat up civilians on Bijelina Street, 1992. (Ron Haviv-VII)
3. Sarajevo, June 1992. "Sniper Alley" is a strip of open space separating the suburbs and the center of Sarajevo. Every day, hundreds of people, risking their lives, crossed this lane at a run. (Paul Lowe Magnum)
4. Mostar, May 1993. Correspondent Christopher Morris: "No other war made such a deep impression on me. Even when I left in 1996, I could not understand how peoples who lived side by side for so many years allowed politicians to control them. How did these politicians so easily manage to awaken in people so blind and stupid nationalist hatred?" (Christopher Morris-VII)
5. July 1995 Tuzla. This photo was published in the Washington Post, and it was Al Gore who mentioned it during a speech at the White House on the day the US decided to intervene in the conflict. (Darko Bandic-AP)
6. September 1993, Mostar. The wounded as a result of the bombing were sent to hospitals located in the basements. Doctors could hardly help them because of the lack of medicines and blood for transfusion. In a besieged city, even extracting water was mortally dangerous - you had to rush to the river and back under sniper fire. (Laurent Van der Stockt-Gamma)
7. Mostar, 1993 Fighting in Mostar was for every house, for every room. In this brutal civil war they shot at each other former neighbors. (James Nachtwey for TIME)
8. Vitez, April 1993 These women are looking at a truck full of corpses as it pulls up to the city. When the corpses were unloaded from the truck, one of them recognized her husband among the dead…
9. Mostar, April 1993 The reporters ran into the house looking for cover and saw this soldier sitting on the stairs. He looked ahead of him and did not even notice them. (John Jones)
Bosnian War (1992-1995)
No sooner had the shots died down in Croatia than the flames of civil war flared up in neighboring Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Historically, in this Yugoslav Republic, as in a cauldron, the most diverse nations and nationalities mixed up, professing, among other things, different religions. In 1991, Muslim Bosniaks (actually the same Serbs, but converted to Islam under the Turks) lived there - 44 percent of the population, Serbs proper - 32 percent and Croats - 24 percent. "God forbid, Bosnia will explode," many in Yugoslavia repeated during the clashes in Slovenia and Croatia, hoping that it might blow over. However, the worst assumptions came true: since the spring of 1992, Bosnia has become the scene of fierce fighting, the likes of which Europe has not seen since the Second World War.
The chronology of this bloody conflict is as follows. Back in October 1991, the assembly of the republic proclaimed its sovereignty and announced its withdrawal from the SFRY. On February 29, 1992, on the recommendation of the European Union (EU), a referendum on the state independence of the republic was held, which was boycotted by local Serbs. Immediately after the referendum, an event took place in the capital of the Republic of Sarajevo, which can be considered the starting point of the outbreak of the war. March 1, 1992 before Orthodox Church masked men fired on the Serbian wedding procession. The groom's father was killed, several people were injured. The attackers fled (their identities have not yet been established). Immediately, barricades appeared on the streets of the city.
The United States and the EU added fuel to the fire by adopting on March 10, 1992, a joint Declaration on the positive consideration of the issue of recognizing the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina, moreover, within the existing administrative boundaries. Although it was already clear to everyone that there could no longer be any talk of a united Bosnia and Herzegovina, demarcation along ethnic lines was the only way avoid war. However, Muslim leader Aliya Izetbegovic, former soldier SS division "Handshar", defending the concept of a single Muslim state, openly admitted that he sacrificed peace for the sake of independence.
On April 4, 1992, Izetbegovic announced in Sarajevo the mobilization of all policemen and reservists, as a result of which Serbian leaders called on the Serbs to leave the city. On April 6, 1992, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, headed by Aliya Izetbegovic, was officially recognized by the West. On the same day, armed clashes began in Bosnia between representatives of the main national-religious groups: Croats, Muslims and Serbs. The Serbian response to Muslims and the West was the creation of the Republika Srpska. It happened on April 7, 1992 in the village of Pale, not far from Sarajevo. Very soon, Sarajevo itself was blocked by Serbian armed forces.
It would seem that the temporarily subdued civil war in Yugoslavia flared up with renewed vigor, since there was more than enough "combustible material" for it in the republic. In the SFRY of Bosnia, the role of a kind of "citadel" was assigned, up to 60 percent of the military industry was concentrated here, there were simply huge stocks of various military equipment. The events around the JNA garrisons in the republic began to develop according to the scenario already tested in Slovenia and Croatia. They were immediately blocked, and on April 27, 1992, the leadership of Bosnia and Herzegovina demanded the withdrawal of the army from Bosnia or its transfer under the civilian control of the republic. The situation developed into a dead end and it was only possible to resolve it on May 3, when Izetbegovic, who was returning from Portugal, was detained by JNA officers at the Sarajevo airport. The condition for his release was to ensure an unhindered exit military units from the blocked barracks. Despite the promise of Izetbegovic, Muslim militants did not comply with the agreements and the JNA columns leaving the republic were fired upon. During one of these attacks, Muslim militants managed to capture 19 T-34-85s, which became the first tanks of the Bosnian army.
Destroyed JNA convoy, Sarajevo, January 1992
The Yugoslav People's Army officially left Bosnia and Herzegovina on May 12, 1992, shortly after the country's independence in April. However, many of the senior officers of the JNA (including Ratko Mladic) went to serve in the newly created Armed Forces of the Republic of Srpska. JNA soldiers who were originally from BiH were also sent to serve in the Bosnian Serb army.
JNA handed over to the Bosnian Serb army 73 modern tanks M-84 - 73, 204 T-55, T-34-85 tanks, 5 PT-76 amphibious tanks, 118 M-80A infantry fighting vehicles, 84 M-60 tracked armored personnel carriers, 19 BTR- 50pcs/PU, 23 BOV-VP wheeled armored personnel carriers, some BRDM-2, 24 122-mm 2S1 Gvozdika self-propelled howitzers, 7 M-18 Khelket self-propelled guns, 7 M-36 Jackson self-propelled guns, and much more weapons and military equipment.
Tanks M-84 of the Bosnian Serb army
At the same time, the armies of their opponents were sorely lacking in heavy weapons. This was especially true of the Bosnian Muslims, who had practically no tanks and heavy weapons. The Croats, who created their own Republic of Herceg-Bosna, were assisted with weapons and military equipment by Croatia, which also sent its military units to participate in the war. In total, according to Western data, the Croats brought about 100 tanks into Bosnia, mainly T-55s. It is quite obvious that they could not capture so many vehicles from the JNA. Most likely, here we can already talk about the supply of a certain number of combat vehicles to the zone of armed conflict. There is evidence that from the arsenals of the former army of the GDR.
Croatian T-55 tank in Bosnia
Having received such a large amount of heavy weapons, the Serbs launched a large-scale offensive, capturing 70% of the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. One of the first major battles was the attack on the positions of the Bosnians in the area of the city of Bosanski Brod. 1.5 thousand Serbs participated in it, supported by 16 T-55 and M-84 tanks.
T-55 tanks of the Bosnian Serb army with homemade anti-cumulative rubber screens
Sarajevo was surrounded and besieged. Moreover, on the side of the Serbs, the Muslim detachments of autonomists Fikret Abdich acted.
A column of Serbian armored vehicles (T-55 tanks, ZSU M-53/59 "Prague" and BMP M-80A) near Sarajevo airport
In 1993, there were no major changes at the front against the Serbian army. However, at this time, the Bosnians began a violent conflict with the Bosnian Croats in Central Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Croatian T-55 firing at Muslims
Croatian Defense Council (HVO) began active fighting against the Bosniaks with the aim of capturing areas in Central Bosnia that were under Muslim control. Fierce fighting in Central Bosnia, the siege of Mostar and ethnic cleansing took place almost the entire year. The Bosnian army at that time was in heavy fighting with units of the Croatian Herceg-Bosna and the Croatian army (which supported the Bosnian Croats). However, in these battles, the Muslims managed to capture a certain amount of heavy weapons from the Croats, including 13 M-47 tanks.
This time was the most difficult for the Bosnian army. Surrounded on all sides by enemy Serbian and Croatian forces, the Bosnian army controlled only the central regions of the country. This isolation greatly affected the supply of weapons and ammunition. In 1994 it was concluded Washington Agreement, which ended the Bosnian-Croatian confrontation. From that moment on, the Bosnian army and the HVO fought together against the army of the Bosnian Serbs.
After the end of the war with the Croats, the Bosnian army received a new ally in the war against the Serbs and significantly improved its position at the front.
In 1995, Muslim units suffered a series of defeats in Eastern Bosnia and lost the enclaves of Srebrenica and Zepa. However, in Western Bosnia, with the help of the Croatian army, HVO units and NATO air force (which intervened in the Bosnian war on the side of the Muslim-Croatian alliance), the Muslims carried out a number of successful operations against the Serbs.
The armies of Bosnia and Croatia captured large territories in Western Bosnia, destroyed Serbian Krajina and rebellious Western Bosnia and created a serious threat to Banja Luka. The year 1995 was marked by the successful operations of the Bosniaks in Western Bosnia against the Serbs and autonomist Muslims. In 1995, after NATO intervened in the conflict, the Srebrenica massacre, the Dayton Accords were signed, ending the Bosnian War.
By the end of the war tank park Muslim-Croatian Federation consisted of: 3 captured from the Serbs M-84, 60 T-55, 46 T-34-85, 13 M-47, 1 PT-76, 3 BRDM-2, less than 10 ZSU-57-2, about 5 ZSU M-53/59 "Prague", most of them captured in battles from the Serbs or sent from Croatia.
Tank M-84 of the Bosnian Muslim army
It is worth noting that in the war in Bosnia, armored vehicles were used very limitedly, there were no serious tank battles. Tanks were mainly used as mobile gun emplacements to support infantry. All this made it possible to successfully use even such obsolete models as the T-34-85, M-47, self-propelled guns M-18 "Helkat" and M-36 "Jackson".
Tank T-34-85 with makeshift anti-cumulative rubber screens of the Bosnian Serb army
The main enemy of armored vehicles were various ATGMs and RPGs, for protection against which additional armor and various improvised anti-cumulative screens made from various improvised means, such as rubber, tires, sandbags, were used.
PT-76 amphibious tank with makeshift anti-cumulative rubber screens of the Bosnian Serb Army
Croatian T-55 with additional rubber armor
Under such conditions, the most effective systems armaments were ZSU, used to destroy infantry and light fortifications: ZSU-57-2, and especially M-53/59 "Prague" with its two 30-mm guns. Cases were repeatedly noted that even her first shots with the characteristic "doo-doo-doo" were enough to stop the enemy's attack.
ZSU-57-2 of the Bosnian Serb army with a makeshift cabin on the roof of the tower, designed for its additional protection of the crew
ZSU M-53/59 of the Bosnian Serb army with additional rubber armor, in the background BMP M-80A and ZSU BOV-3
The lack of heavy equipment forced both sides to create and use a variety of hybrids: for example, this Bosnian So-76 self-propelled gun with the turret of the American M-18 Helket self-propelled guns with a 76-mm gun on the T-55 chassis.
Or this Serbian T-55 with a 40-mm Bofors anti-aircraft gun openly installed instead of a turret.
American armored car M-8 "Greyhound" with the tower of the Yugoslav BMP M-80A with a 20-mm cannon of the army of the Muslim-Croatian Federation.
The Bosnian War was probably last war in which an armored train, called the Krajina Express, was used in combat operations. It was created by the Krajina Serbs in the Knin railway depot in the summer of 1991 and was successfully used until 1995, until in August 1995, during the Croatian operation "Storm", it was surrounded and derailed by its own crew.
The armored train included:
- anti-tank self-propelled artillery installation M18;
- 20-mm and 40-mm anti-aircraft gun mounts;
— launcher 57-mm rockets;
- 82 mm mortar;
- 76-mm gun ZiS-3.
War in Kosovo (1998-1999)
On April 27, 1992, the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY) was created, which included two republics: Serbia and Montenegro. The newly created armed forces of the FRY received the bulk of the JNA's heavy weapons.
The armed forces of the FRY were armed with: 233 M-84, 63 T-72, 727 T-55, 422 T-34-85, 203 American 90-mm self-propelled guns M-36 "Jackson", 533 BMP M-80A, 145 armored personnel carriers M-60R, 102 armored personnel carriers-50PK and PU, 57 wheeled armored personnel carriers BOV-VP, 38 BRDM-2, 84 self-propelled anti-tank systems BOV-1.
Tanks M-84 of the Armed Forces of the FRY
In 1995, after the signing of the Dayton Accords, an order came to reduce offensive weapons in accordance with regional quotas determined by the United States and the United Nations. For "thirty-fours" Yugoslav army, it was tantamount to a verdict - the tanks of 10 tank battalions went for remelting. However, the number of modern M-84s has increased, some of which were transferred to the FRY by the Bosnian Serbs in order to avoid their transfer to NATO forces.
The outdated M60R armored personnel carriers were handed over to the police, and some were destroyed.
M-60R armored personnel carrier of the Serbian police in Kosovo
The West was not satisfied with the existence of even such a "small" Yugoslavia. A bet was made on the Albanians living in the Serbian province of Kosovo. On February 28, 1998, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) proclaimed the start of an armed struggle against the Serbs. Thanks to the unrest in Albania in 1997, a stream of weapons poured into Kosovo from the looted warehouses of the Albanian army, incl. anti-tank: such as RPG "Type 69" (Chinese copy of RPG-7).
Fighters of the Kosovo Liberation Army in ambush with RPG "Type 69"
The Serbs promptly responded: additional police forces with armored vehicles were brought into the region, which launched a counter-terrorist struggle.
A column of Serbian police forces: in the foreground is a BOV-VP wheeled armored personnel carrier, followed by two armored UAZ vehicles and self-armored trucks
In the fighting by the Serbian police Active participation accepted light armored cars based on UAZs.
Homemade armored vehicles were also created, for example, based on a standard TAM-150 army truck.
However, the army soon came to the aid of the police, providing heavy weapons.
Serbian police, supported by an M-84 tank, are cleaning up an Albanian village
By the beginning of 1999, through the joint efforts of the Serbian army and police, the main Albanian terrorist gangs were destroyed or driven back to Albania. However, unfortunately, the Serbs did not manage to completely take control of the border with Albania, from where weapons continued to be supplied in a stream.
ZSU BOV-3 of the Serbian police during the operation in Kosovo, 1999
The West was not satisfied with this state of affairs and a decision was made on a military operation. The reason for it was the so-called. "incident in Racak" on January 15, 1999, where there was a fight between Serbian police and Albanian separatists. All those who died during the battle, both Serbs and terrorists, were declared " civilians, shot by the bloodthirsty Serbian military." From that moment, NATO began to prepare for a military operation ..
In turn, Serbian generals were also preparing for war. The equipment was camouflaged, false positions were set up, models of military equipment were made.
Camouflaged Yugoslav 2S1 "Gvozdika"
Yugoslav "tank", which was destroyed on the third attempt by an A-10 attack aircraft.
Yugoslav "anti-aircraft gun"
200 obsolete American M-36 Jackson self-propelled guns, delivered in the 50s under Tito, and about 40 Romanian TAV-71M armored personnel carriers, which were still subject to reduction under the Dayton agreements signed by the FRY, were used as decoys.
"Destroyed" by NATO aircraft Yugoslav self-propelled guns M-36 "Jackson"
On March 27, the NATO operation, called "Decisive Force", began. Air raids targeted military strategic facilities in major cities Yugoslavia, including the capital - Belgrade, as well as numerous civilian facilities, including residential. According to the first estimates of the US Department of Defense, the Army of Yugoslavia lost 120 tanks, 220 other armored vehicles and 450 artillery pieces. Estimates of the SHAPE European Command on September 11, 1999 were slightly less optimistic - 93 tanks destroyed, 153 various armored vehicles and 389 artillery pieces. The American weekly "Newsweek" published a refutation with detailed clarifications after the statements of the US military about the success. As a result, it turned out that the losses of the Yugoslav army in NATO were in individual cases exaggerated tenfold. A special American commission (Allied Force Munitions Assessment Team), sent to Kosovo in 2000, found the following destroyed Yugoslav equipment there: 14 tanks, 18 armored personnel carriers, half of which were hit by Albanian fighters from RPGs, and 20 artillery pieces and mortars.
Yugoslav BMP M-80A destroyed by NATO aircraft
Such insignificant losses, of course, could not affect the combat capability of the Serbian units, which continued to prepare to repel the NATO ground offensive. But, on June 3, 1999, in t.s and under pressure from Russia, Milosevic decided to withdraw Yugoslav troops from Kosovo. On June 20, the last Serbian soldier left Kosovo, where NATO tanks entered.
Yugoslav tank M-84, transporter is taken out of Kosovo
The throw of our paratroopers to Pristina did not solve anything either. Serbia has lost Kosovo. And as a result of NATO-inspired street demonstrations in Belgrade on October 5, 2000, which went down in history as the "bulldozer revolution", Milosevic was overthrown. On April 1, 2001, he was arrested at his villa, and on June 28 of the same year he was secretly transferred to the International War Crimes Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia in The Hague, where he died under mysterious circumstances in 2006.
However, the Conflict soon broke out in the Presevo Valley. Albanian militants created the Presevo Liberation Army, Medvedzhi and Buyanovac, located already on the territory of Serbia directly, fought in the 5-kilometer "ground security zone" created in 1999 on the territory of Yugoslavia as a result of the NATO War against Yugoslavia. The Serbian side did not have the right to keep armed formations in the NZB, except for the local police, who were allowed to have only small arms. After the overthrow of Milosevic, the new leadership of Serbia was allowed to clear the area of Albanian gangs. From May 24 to May 27, during Operation Bravo, the Serbs of the police and special forces, with the support of army armored units, liberated the occupied territories. Albanian fighters were either destroyed or left for Kosovo, where they surrendered to NATO forces.
Serbian special forces, with the support of the M-80A infantry fighting vehicle, carry out a cleansing operation in Presevo
On February 4, 2003, the army of the FRY was transformed into the army of Serbia and Montenegro. The last Yugoslav military association essentially ceased to exist. After the referendum on the independence of Montenegro on May 21, 2006, as a result of which 55.5% of voters voted for the republic's withdrawal from the union, Montenegro on June 3, 2006, and Serbia on June 5, 2006 declared independence. The State Union of Serbia and Montenegro broke up into Serbia and Montenegro, and ceased to exist on June 5, 2006.
Macedonia (2001)
Surprisingly, Macedonia was the only state of that period that had a “soft divorce” with Yugoslavia in March 1992. Only five T-34-85s and 10 M18 Helket anti-tank self-propelled guns remained from the JNA to the Macedonians, which could only be used for training personnel.
Withdrawal of JNA units from Macedonia
Since nothing else was foreseen in the near future, all tanks were put in for overhaul, and in June 1993 the army received the first combat-ready T-34-85. During next year two more tanks of this type were received, which allowed the Macedonians to continue training until the start of deliveries of 100 T-55 medium tanks from Bulgaria in 1998.
Weapons seized from Albanian militants
The association of these organizations was called the National Liberation Army. In January 2001, the militants began active operations. The Macedonian army and police tried to disarm the Albanian detachments, but met with armed resistance. The NATO leadership condemned the actions of the extremists, but refused to help the Macedonian authorities. During the armed conflict, which lasted in November 2001, the Macedonian army and police used T-55, BRDM-2 tanks, German armored personnel carriers TM-170 and BTR-70 also delivered from Germany.
German armored personnel carrier TM-170 of the Macedonian police during an operation against Albanian militants
Macedonian special forces actively used 12 BTR-80s purchased in Russia.
During the fighting, several Macedonian T-55s, BTR-70s and TM-170s were destroyed or captured by Albanian militants.
Macedonian T-55 captured by Albanian militants
Parade of sovereignties turned into genocide
Early 90s. The Republic of Yugoslavia has only a few days left in the international arena, the authorities are struggling to contain the growth nationalist sentiment. Unprecedented popularity comes to right-wing parties. Serbs living in Croatia defend the rights to their culture and language. The result is sad: famous public figures end up behind bars school curriculum Serbian poets disappear, Orthodox clergy are regularly attacked.
Memories of the Serb genocide during World War II are still alive in society. Then they were burned, shot, thrown into rivers and mountain gorges. These reminiscences are by no means conducive to the reconciliation of the Balkan peoples. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, meanwhile, the ideas of Islam are flourishing, which is practiced by almost half of the inhabitants. Cooperation with Saudi Arabia and others Arab States promises mountains of gold to the Bosnians. New mosques are being built in the country, young people are being sent to study in the east. Bosnian Muslims, encouraged by their allies, are in favor of preserving the integrity of their state. When war breaks out, Islamic extremists from abroad will join their ranks. Blinded by faith, they will not spare their opponents.
The region has always been considered explosive due to ethnic diversity, but in Yugoslavia it was possible to maintain peace thanks to effective levers of control. Paradoxically, the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was considered the most "calm" in relation to ethnic conflicts. Now the idea of national unity is seriously seizing the minds of the Balkan peoples. The Serbs are demanding unification within one state, the same is being sought by the Croats. These claims involve the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina, where Bosnians, Serbs and Croats live side by side.
Sarajevo was shelled every day for 44 months
A little more, and the ideas of nationalism will result in bloody ethnic cleansing. Events are developing rapidly: on March 1, 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina was proclaimed an independent republic following a referendum. The Serbs living in the country do not recognize this decision and create the Republika Srpska on its territory with autonomous bodies management. Radovan Karadzic becomes President of the Republic: he will later be accused of genocide and sentenced to 40 years in prison.
Croats in Bosnia and Herzegovina proclaim the Republic of Herzeg-Bosna. The country is fragmented.
44 months of fear
On March 1, 1992, the people of Sarajevo meet in high spirits: the weather is fine, independence has just been gained. A luxurious wedding procession rides along the central streets, the Serbian flag flaunts on cars. Suddenly, armed Bosnian Muslims attack the participants in the celebration. The groom's father is killed, the city is engulfed in riots.
One of the most tragic pages of the Bosnian war begins - the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted 44 months. Bosnian Serbs leave the townspeople without water and electricity. Those who go outside Sarajevo in the hope of getting food are dealt with. The city is shelled every day for 44 months. Schools, markets, hospitals - snipers consider any target suitable, as long as there are as many victims as possible.
Citizens walk along the street, which is under constant shelling / photo istpravda.ru
The war quickly goes beyond Sarajevo. Entire villages are being slaughtered. Women are raped by representatives of all warring parties. Often they are kept in military camps for months, forcing them to "serve" the soldiers. A Serbian woman who wished to remain anonymous told the website that young women were often subjected to forced sterilization. “And the most terrible symbol of this war for all of us was the death of an 11-year-old boy, Slobodan Stoyanovich. Fearing persecution, his family left their home. Once safe, the child remembered that he forgot to pick up his dog. He rushed back and fell into the hands of an Albanian woman who lived next door. She mutilated his body with a knife and then shot him in the temple. The prosecutor's office of Bosnia and Herzegovina opened a case against this woman, but she has not yet appeared before the court, ”the site’s interlocutor noted.
There is evidence that young women were subjected to sterilization
The warring parties, apparently inspired by the example of the Third Reich, open concentration camps. Bosnian Muslims were imprisoned in Serbian camps, and Serbs were imprisoned in Muslim camps. The Croats also had a concentration camp. The prisoners were treated extremely cruelly.
Prisoners of the Serbian camp Trnopolje / materials of the International Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The war is dragging on because the division of Bosnia and Herzegovina along ethnic lines was initially an idea that was difficult to implement. However, the parties to the conflict do not lose hope and periodically enter into alliances with each other. So, in 1994, Bosnian Muslims and Croats unite against the Serbs. But the war continues, by 1995 about 100 thousand people become its victims. For the small states of the Balkan Peninsula, this is an unthinkable figure. For example, the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1991 (including the autonomous regions) was only 5 million more than the population of Moscow today. In addition to human losses, the war completely paralyzed the economy of the state.
Photo Associated Press
In July 1995, an event occurs that radically changes the attitude of the world community towards the Bosnian Serbs. This is the Srebrenica massacre. The city, by the way, was previously recognized by the UN as a security zone. Bosnian Muslims flock here to wait out the terrible war. However, some of them, under cover of night, raid the surrounding area and set fire to Serbian villages. And yet Srebrenica remained an island of calm in a country in flames. Serbs attack him.
Inspired by the example of the Third Reich, the belligerents open concentration camps
The city is protected by peacekeepers, but they do not interfere in the conflict. The Army of the Republika Srpska kills up to 8,000 people in and around the city. General Ratko Mladic, who is giving orders, is sure of his impunity. However, here he miscalculated: the trial of him continues to this day. The International Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia recognized the events in Srebrenica as genocide.
Meanwhile, the Serbs deny the fact of the genocide. As evidence of Mladic's innocence, they cite documentary footage in which the general takes part in the evacuation of civilians, enters buses and asks the Bosnians to leave the city:
In response to the massacre in Srebrenica and the explosion in the market in Sarajevo, NATO launches a large-scale military operation against the Bosnian Serbs. However, according to a number of historians (including American ones), the West intervened in the war much earlier, giving the Bosnian Muslims military equipment. This is also stated in the State Duma's resolution on Russia's position on the Bosnian settlement (1995).
The Serbs themselves are convinced that NATO intervention in the war on the side of the Bosnian Muslims means only one thing: the West takes into account the interests of Saudi Arabia in this region. By the way, today Saudi Arabia is the main investor in the economy of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Bosnian Serbs killed up to 8,000 people in and around Srebrenica
In 1995, the United States initiates peace negotiations that end with the signing of the Dayton Agreement. In order to prevent the repetition of bloody events, peacekeeping forces are sent to Bosnia and Herzegovina. The state is divided into the Serbian Republic and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The functions of the head of state are performed by the presidium, which includes one representative each from Croats, Bosnians and Serbs. In addition, the post of UN High Representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina is being introduced. The Dayton Agreement is still in effect today.
The 90s became another era of bloodshed in the Balkans. Several ethnic wars began on the ruins of Yugoslavia. One of them unfolded in Bosnia between Bosnians, Serbs and Croats. The complicated conflict was resolved only after the international community intervened, primarily the UN and NATO. The armed confrontation became infamous for its numerous war crimes.
Prerequisites
In 1992, the Bosnian War began. It happened against the backdrop of the collapse of Yugoslavia and the fall of communism in the Old World. The main warring parties were Muslim Bosnians (or Bosniaks), Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats. The conflict was multifaceted: political, ethnic and confessional.
It all started with the collapse of Yugoslavia. In this federal socialist state lived the most different nations- Serbs, Croats, Bosnians, Macedonians, Slovenes, etc. When it fell Berlin Wall, and the communist system lost the Cold War, the national minorities of the SFRY began to demand independence. A parade of sovereignties began, similar to what was then happening in the Soviet Union.
Slovenia and Croatia were the first to secede. In Yugoslavia, in addition to them, there was the Socialist Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. It was once the most ethnically diverse region united country. About 45% of Bosnians, 30% of Serbs and 16% of Croats lived in the republic. February 29, 1992 local authority(located in the capital Sarajevo) held a referendum on independence. The Bosnian Serbs refused to participate in it. When Sarajevo declared independence from Yugoslavia, tensions escalated.
Serbian question
Banja Luka became the de facto capital of the Bosnian Serbs. The conflict was exacerbated by the fact that both peoples lived side by side for many years, and because of this, in some areas there were many ethnically mixed families. In general, Serbs lived more in the north and east of the country. The Bosnian war was a way for them to unite with their compatriots in Yugoslavia. Army socialist republic left Bosnia in May 1992. With the disappearance of a third force that could at least somehow regulate relations between opponents, the last barriers to bloodshed have disappeared.
Yugoslavia (where it lived mainly from the very beginning supported the Bosnian Serbs, who created their own Republika Srpska. Many officers of the former unified army began to move into the armed forces of this unrecognized state.
Which side Russia is on in the Bosnian War, it became clear immediately after the start of the conflict. The official authorities of the Russian Federation tried to act as a peacekeeping force. The rest of the influential powers of the world community did the same. Politicians sought a compromise by inviting adversaries to negotiate on neutral territory. However, if we talk about public opinion Russia in the 90s, it is safe to say that sympathy ordinary people were on the side of the Serbs. This is not surprising, because the two peoples have been connected and are connected by a common Slavic culture, Orthodoxy, etc. According to international experts, the Bosnian War has become a center of attraction for 4,000 volunteers from former USSR who supported the Republika Srpska.
The beginning of the war
The third party to the conflict, in addition to the Serbs and Bosniaks, were the Croats. They created the Commonwealth of Herceg-Bosna, which existed as an unrecognized state throughout the war. Mostar became the capital of this republic. In Europe, they felt the approach of war and tried to prevent bloodshed with the help of international instruments. In March 1992, an agreement was signed in Lisbon, according to which power in the country was to be divided along ethnic lines. In addition, the parties agreed that federal center share powers with local municipalities. The document was signed by the Bosnian Serb Radovan Karadzic and the Croat Mate Boban.
However, the compromise was short-lived. A few days later, Izetbegovic announced that he was withdrawing the agreement. In fact, this gave carte blanche to start the war. All that was needed was a reason. Already after the beginning of the bloodshed, opponents named different episodes that served as an impetus for the first murders. It was a serious ideological moment.
For Serbs, the shooting of the Serbian wedding in Sarajevo became the point of no return. The assassins were Bosniaks. At the same time, Muslims blamed the Serbs for starting the war. They claimed that the Bosnians participating in the street demonstration were the first to die. The bodyguards of Republika Srpska President Radovan Karadzic were suspected in the murder.
Siege of Sarajevo
In May 1992, in the Austrian city of Graz, President of the Republika Srpska Radovan Karadzic and President of the Croatian Republic of Herceg-Bosna Mate Boban signed a bilateral agreement, which became the most important document the first stage of the armed conflict. The two Slavic unrecognized states agreed to cease hostilities and rally to establish control over Muslim territories.
After this episode, the Bosnian War moved to Sarajevo. The capital of the state, torn apart by internal strife, was populated mainly by Muslims. However, the Serb majority lived in the suburbs and surrounding villages. This ratio determined the course of the battles. On April 6, 1992, the siege of Sarajevo began. The Serbian army surrounded the city. The siege continued throughout the war (more than three years) and was lifted only after the signing of the final Dayton Accords.
During the siege of Sarajevo, the city was subjected to intense artillery fire. The craters that remained from those shells are already in Peaceful time filled with a special mixture of resin, plastic and red paint. These "marks" were called "Sarajevo roses" in the press. Today they are one of the most famous monuments of that terrible war.
total war
It should be noted that the Serbian-Bosnian war ran in parallel with the war in Croatia, where a conflict broke out between local Croats and Serbs. This confuses and complicates the situation. Deployed in Bosnia total war, that is, the war of all against all. The position of local Croats was especially ambiguous. Some of them supported the Bosniaks, the other part - the Serbs.
In June 1992, a UN peacekeeping contingent appeared in the country. Initially, it was created for the Croatian War, but soon its powers were extended to Bosnia. These armed forces took control of Sarajevo airport (before that it was occupied by the Serbs, they had to leave this important transport hub). UN peacekeepers delivered humanitarian aid here, which was then distributed throughout the country, since there was not a single area untouched by bloodshed in Bosnia. Civil refugees were protected by the mission of the Red Cross, although the efforts of the contingent of this organization were clearly not enough.
War crimes
The cruelty and senselessness of war became known to the whole world. This was facilitated by the development of the media, television and other ways of disseminating information. The episode that took place in May 1992 became widely publicized. In the city of Tuzla, the combined Bosnian-Croat forces attacked a brigade of the Yugoslav People's Army, which was returning to its homeland due to the collapse of the country. Snipers took part in the attack, shooting at the cars and thus blocking the road. The attackers killed the wounded in cold blood. More than 200 members of the Yugoslav army were killed. This episode, among many others, clearly demonstrated the violence during the Bosnian War.
By the summer of 1992, the army of the Republika Srpska managed to establish control over the eastern regions of the country. The local Muslim civilian population was repressed. For the Bosnians, concentration camps were created. The abuse of women was commonplace. The merciless violence during the Bosnian War was not accidental. The Balkans have always been considered the explosive barrel of Europe. The nation-states here were short-lived. Multiethnic population tried to live within the framework of empires, but this option of “respectable neighborhood” was eventually swept aside after the fall of communism. Mutual grievances and claims have been accumulating for hundreds of years.
Unclear prospects
The complete blockade of Sarajevo came in the summer of 1993, when the Serbian army managed to complete Operation Lugavac 93. It was a planned attack, which was organized by Ratko Mladic (today he is tried by an international tribunal). During the operation, the Serbs occupied the strategically important passes leading to Sarajevo. outskirts of the capital and most of countries - mountainous terrain with rugged terrain. In such natural conditions, passes and gorges become places of decisive battles.
Having captured Trnov, the Serbs were able to unite their possessions in two regions - Herzegovina and Podrinje. The army then turned west. The Bosnian War, in short, consisted of many small maneuvers by warring armed factions. In July 1993, the Serbs managed to establish control over the passes near Mount Igman. This news alarmed the world community. Western diplomats began to put pressure on the leadership of the Republic and personally Radovan Karadzic. At the Geneva talks, the Serbs were given to understand that if they refused to retreat, NATO airstrikes would await them. Karadzic gave up under such pressure. On August 5, 1993, the Serbs left Igman, although the rest of the acquisitions in Bosnia remained with them. On a strategically important mountain, peacekeepers from France took their place.
The split of the Bosnians
Meanwhile, an internal split occurred in the camp of the Bosnians. Some Muslims advocated the preservation of a unitary state. Politician Firet Abdić and his supporters took the opposite view. They wanted to make the state federal and believed that only with the help of such a compromise would the Bosnian War (1992-1995) end. In short, this led to the emergence of two irreconcilable camps. Finally, in September 1993, Abdic announced the creation of Western Bosnia in the city of Velika Kladusa. It was another unrecognized republic, who opposed the government of Izetbegovic in Sarajevo. Abdić became an ally of the Republika Srpska.
Western Bosnia is good example how all the new short-term political formations that the Bosnian War (1992-1995) gave birth to appeared. The reasons for this confusion were huge number conflicting interests. Western Bosnia lasted two years. Its territory was occupied during operations "Tiger 94" and "Storm". In the first case, the Bosnians themselves opposed Abdić.
In August 1995, at the final stage of the war, when the last separatist formations were liquidated, Croats and a limited contingent of NATO joined Izetbegovic's government troops. The main battles took place in the Krajina region. An indirect result of Operation Storm was the flight of about 250,000 Serbs from the border Croatian-Bosnian settlements. These people were born and raised in Krajina. Although there was nothing unusual in this emigrant flow. Many were removed from their homes by the Bosnian war. The simple explanation for this population turnover is as follows: the conflict could not end without the definition of clear ethnic and confessional boundaries, so all small diasporas and enclaves were systematically destroyed during the war. The division of the territory affected both the Serbs, the Bosnians, and the Croats.
Genocide and tribunal
War crimes were committed by both Bosnians and Serbs and Croats. Both of them explained their atrocities as revenge for their compatriots. Bosniaks to terrorize Serbian civilian population created detachments of "pouchers". They carried out raids on peaceful Slavic villages.
The most terrible Serbian crime was the massacre in Srebrenica. By decision of the UN, in 1993 this city and its surroundings were declared a security zone. Muslim refugees flocked there from all regions of Bosnia. In July 1995, Serbs captured Srebrenica. They perpetrated a massacre in the city, killing, according to various estimates, about 8 thousand peaceful Muslim residents - children, women and the elderly. Today, all over the world, the Bosnian War of 92-95. best known for this inhumane episode.
It is still under investigation at the international tribunal for the former Yugoslavia. March 24, 2016 ex-president Republika Srpska Radovan Karadzic was sentenced to 40 years in prison. He initiated many of the crimes for which the Bosnian War is known. The photo of the convict again spread throughout the world press, as in the previous 90s. Karadzic is also responsible for what happened in Srebrenica. The secret services caught him after a ten-year life under a secret false name in Belgrade.
Military intervention by the international community
With each passing year, the Serbo-Bosnian war with the participation of the Croats became more and more chaotic and confusing. It became clear that neither side of the conflict would achieve its goals through bloodshed. In this situation, the US authorities began to take an active part in the negotiation process. The first step towards resolving the conflict was a treaty that ended the war between Croats and Bosniaks. The relevant papers were signed in March 1994 in Vienna and Washington. The Bosnian Serbs were also invited to the negotiating table, but they did not send their diplomats.
The Bosnian war, photos from the fields of which regularly got into the foreign press, shocked the West, but in the Balkans it was perceived as commonplace. Under these conditions, the NATO bloc took the initiative into its own hands. The Americans and their allies, with the support of the UN, began to prepare a plan for aerial bombing of Serbian positions. The military operation "Deliberate Force" began on August 30. The bombing helped the Bosnians and Croats to push back the Serbs in strategically important regions on the Ozren plateau and in Western Bosnia. The main outcome of NATO intervention was the lifting of the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted several years. After that, the Serbian-Bosnian war came to an end. All sides of the conflict were bled. There is no whole residential, military and industrial infrastructure left on the territory of the state.
Dayton Accords
The final negotiations between the opponents began on neutral territory. A future ceasefire agreement was agreed upon at the American military base in Dayton. The formal signing of the papers took place in Paris on December 14, 1995. The main characters of the ceremony were the President of Bosnia Aliya Izetbegovic, Slobodan Milosevic and the President of Croatia Franjo Tudjman. Preliminary talks were held under the patronage of the observer countries - Great Britain, Germany, Russia, the USA and France.
According to the signed agreement, a new state was created - the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as the Republika Srpska. Internal boundaries were drawn in such a way that each subject got equal part territory of the country. In addition, a NATO peacekeeping contingent was sent to Bosnia. These armed forces have become the guarantor of maintaining peace in particularly tense regions.
The violence during the Bosnian War was hotly debated. Documentary evidence of war crimes was transferred to the international tribunal, which is still working today. It judges both ordinary perpetrators and the direct initiators of atrocities "above". Politicians and the military, who organized the genocide of the civilian population, were removed from power.
According to official version, the causes of the Bosnian War were ethnic conflict in the disintegrated Yugoslavia. The Dayton Accords served as a compromise formula for a divided society. Although the Balkans remain a source of tension for all of Europe, open war-scale violence has finally come to an end there. It was a success of international diplomacy (though belated). The Bosnian war and the violence that it caused left a colossal imprint on the fate of the local population. Today there is not a single Bosnian or Serb whose family has not been affected by the inherently terrible conflict of twenty years ago.
| Bosnian conflict 1992-1995. The beginning of the conflict
Bosnian conflict 1992-1995. The beginning of the conflict
The policy of the leaders of the national movements of the republics that were part of the SFRY, guided by the formula one nation - one state and one state for each nation, led to the fact that interethnic problems came to the fore. However, for the leaders of various parties, the transition to nationalism was largely associated with the struggle for power. The situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina was especially difficult: three peoples participated in the conflict there: Serbs, Croats and Muslims. In addition, they did not live in separate enclaves, but were strongly mixed. Muslims lived in economically more developed regions and cities, while Serbs and Croats lived in more backward ones. Serbs occupied territory in western, northwestern Bosnia and eastern Herzegovina, and in eastern and part of central Bosnia, the Serb population is heavily mixed with the Muslim. Muslims predominated in central Bosnia (in its eastern and northeastern parts mixed with Serbs, and in the western and southeastern parts - with Croats), in eastern Bosnia (mixed with Serbs), in part of western Bosnia (on the territory of the Serbian Bosnian Krajina) , in part of northern Bosnia (mixed with Serbs and Croats), in the lowland part of Herzegovina, in the valley of the Neretva River. Croats live compactly in western Herzegovina (in the Dubrovnik area), they are also in central Bosnia (mixed with Muslims), in northern and western Bosnia (mixed with Serbs). In general, according to the 1991 census, Muslims made up 43.7% of the population of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbs - 31.4%, Croats - 17.3%, 5.5% self-identified as Yugoslavs.
At the same time, Serbs made up the majority of the population in 53.3% of the territory of the republic. Thus, no one people made up the majority of the population, in addition, due to strong intermingling, it was not possible for any people to consolidate their territory in order to separate from Bosnia and Herzegovina. Therefore, during an armed conflict, the parties begin to seize the territory, carry out ethnic cleansing on it in order to achieve national homogeneity.
National disengagement began as early as the 1990 parliamentary elections. Their result very accurately reflected the balance of power in the republic: the Muslim Democratic Action Party won 86 seats, the Serbian Democratic Party- 72, the Croatian Democratic Commonwealth - 44. A coalition government was created, and the leader of the SDA, A. Izetbegovic, became the chairman of the presidium. Back in 1970, he put forward the idea of creating a Muslim state. He believed that Western-style progress was an artificial process for the Islamic world and could not lead to constructive change. Therefore, it is necessary to form a new intelligentsia, which would be Islamic in spirit and way of thinking, and with its help to establish an Islamic order, including two functional concepts: Islamic Society and Islamic Government. The main function of the Islamic order was the desire to unite all Muslims and Muslim communities. This means fighting for an Islamic Federation from Morocco to Indonesia. Islamic order can only be established in those countries where Muslims make up the majority of the population. Non-Muslim minorities in a Muslim state enjoy freedom of religion and government protection, subject to loyalty to the regime.
The struggle for the creation of an Islamic state is, first of all, the Islamization of Kosovo, Sandzhak and the very territory of Serbia. According to Izetbegovic, the territories that were ever part of the Islamic states (Ottoman Empire) should return there. Based on the Declaration, Izetbegovic drew up a political program with which his party came to power. The implementation of the program was planned to be carried out in three stages: to carry out a spiritual revolution in society; gradually introduce Sharia law; at the last stage, the unification of all Muslims, or at least the creation of a confederation of Muslim countries, was to take place. Non-Muslims, although they enjoy freedom of religion, are significantly limited in their civil rights. They cannot take part in the election of the head of state; if they serve in the army, they cannot occupy higher command positions; of course, a non-Muslim cannot become the head of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Izetbegovic, having come to power, begins to act, guided by these provisions. He led a policy of separation from the SFRY and the creation of a Muslim state, with the Serbs and Croats assigned the role of national minorities. This naturally aroused discontent among both Serbs and Croats, especially since Muslims did not constitute an absolute majority of the population, and under the 1974 constitution, all three peoples of Bosnia and Herzegovina were considered state-forming, constituted the general population of the republic and were equal.
On March 1, 1992, Bosnia and Herzegovina declared its independence. In protest, the Serbs left parliament and boycotted the independence referendum held at the end of February. The Serbs were in favor of a united Bosnia and Herzegovina and were against secession from the SFRY. However, despite the boycott, the referendum took place: a little more than 60% of the population came to it and about 60% of them voted for the independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Not agreeing with this, the Serbs proclaimed the creation of the Republika Srpska as part of Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Croats also formed their own republic - Herceg-Bosna with its center in Mostar. The Muslims began to organize fighting units - the "Green Berets", later united in the Patriot League. A confrontation begins, although it has not yet reached the point of a military clash.
In this situation, on April 6, 1992, the Council of Ministers of the EU adopts the Declaration on the Recognition of the Independence of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In early May, Bosnia and Herzegovina becomes a member of the CSCE, and on May 22 - the UN. It should be noted that as early as December 17, 1991, the EU adopted a Declaration on the criteria for the recognition of new states in Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. A number of conditions were put forward there, only after the fulfillment of which the new state could be recognized. Under this Declaration, the new state was obliged: to respect the provisions of the UN Charter and the obligations assumed on the basis of the Final Act adopted in Helsinki and the Charter of Paris, especially in matters rule of law, democracy and human rights; guarantee the rights of ethnic and national groups and minorities; respect the inviolability of all borders, which can only be changed peacefully and by mutual agreement; recognize all relevant obligations relating to disarmament and non-proliferation nuclear weapons, as well as security and regional stability; solve all problems concerning the legal heritage of states and regional disputes through negotiations. The EU and its member states also required each Yugoslav Republic (prior to its recognition) to accept firm constitutional and political guarantees of non-territorial claims against any neighboring EU member state and an obligation not to conduct hostile propaganda against any neighboring country, a member of the EU.
Despite the fact that Bosnia and Herzegovina did not fulfill most of the conditions, its independence was recognized. This was done for political reasons, a big role here was played by the pressure of Germany, which played a major role in the EU and sought to demonstrate a new status after unification. The foreign policy goals of a united Germany were formulated by German Foreign Minister G.D. Genscher, who declared that "the Germans now, more than ever, need territory ... We want to turn central Europe into a conglomerate of small states completely dependent on Bonn ... these countries will be completely dependent on German capital and will turn into puppets of this great power ... "Germany in the Yugoslav conflict pursued the goal of regaining control over the northwestern part of the Balkans and the northeastern coast of the Adriatic Sea. In existence it was impossible for a united Yugoslavia to achieve these goals, because the SFRY has always been an opponent of German expansion in the Balkans.Therefore, Germany supports the separatists, who, if they come to power, will become allies of the FRG and the conductors of its policy in the Balkan region.Pursuing its policy, Germany puts pressure on the EU countries so that they recognize the independence of the Yugoslav republics.In order to preserve the unity of the EU, its members are forced to recognize Croatia, Slovenia and Bosnia and Herzegovina.This policy of the international community led to the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, which began on May 8 , one day after the recognition of its independence.
The Serbs advocated the preservation of Bosnia and Herzegovina as part of the SFRY, but since. this did not work out, they are trying to occupy certain territories with a predominantly Serbian population, separate from the Muslims and create their own state in order to later join the FRY.
For Muslims, the maximum goal was to create a unitary Muslim state, and in the event of the collapse of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to expand the territory as much as possible and try to raise the Muslims of Sandzhak, Kosovo, Macedonia, and Montenegro to fight.
Croats also seek to increase their territory and annex Herceg-Bosna to Croatia.
The conflict in Bosnia and Herzegovina is characterized by strong influence international factor, at this stage mainly from the European and Islamic countries and organizations, while the United States begins to intensify the policy of not the Balkans later. Croatia is actively intervening in the conflict, helping the Bosnian Croats with troops and weapons. Muslim countries were assisted by Islamic countries, they, despite the embargo introduced on September 25, 1991, supplied them with weapons (mainly through Croatia). Yugoslavia helped the Serbs at the first stage of the war (before the imposition of sanctions). In addition, the Serbs used the weapons of the JNA, which remained in the territory of Bosnia and Herzegovina. This gave them a significant advantage, made it possible to deploy active hostilities and capture a large territory.
In general, the world community has taken a clearly expressed anti-Serb position. It proclaimed the Serbs the aggressor, although it is difficult to speak of any aggression in a civil war. All actions were clearly anti-Serb and anti-Yugoslav in nature, so, referring to the fact that the FRY is providing assistance to the Bosnian Serbs, on May 30, 1992, the UN imposes sanctions against Yugoslavia. Such a policy could take place if it were not so one-sided. The world community turned a blind eye to the fact that the Croatian army was fighting on the side of the Bosnian Croats, and did not impose any sanctions against Croatia. All the conflicting parties seized territory and carried out ethnic cleansing, but they clearly blamed the Serbs for everything, despite the fact that they suffered from the purges even more than the Croats and Muslims.
The Balkans is Russia's traditional sphere of interests, but in the Yugoslav crisis it takes a rather strange position: until the beginning of 1992, it advocates the preservation of the SFRY, but does not take independent steps. Then its policy changed dramatically and Russia, following the EU, recognized the independence of Slovenia, Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina. In the future, she was never able to develop an independent position and follows in the fairway Western politics. Russia has not defined its foreign policy priorities in the Balkans, it declares its desire to cooperate with the West. However, as a result, this cooperation resulted in a complete loss of initiative. Russia joins all anti-Serbian measures by voting for sanctions, which, according to A. Kozyrev, allowed it to get "for the first time in history into an unprecedentedly favorable international environment during a period of severe internal trials. Of course, the domestic political situation in Russia was difficult, but nevertheless it was more beneficial, including for Russia's international prestige, to take a more balanced position.As a result, the Serbs found themselves in complete political and diplomatic isolation.
A major role in shaping the image of the Serbs-aggressors was played by means mass media(including Russian ones). They were real information war, accusing the Serbs of all mortal sins and calling for an end to Serbian aggression. This further strengthened the position of Croats and Muslims in the eyes of the world community.
The UN is trying to resolve the conflict, various peace plans are being developed. Moreover, the Croats are supported by Germany, England, France (this was one of the political miscalculations of the Serbs, who counted on the help of the British and French), Muslims - Muslim countries, EU (particularly Germany). So the options that are most beneficial to Croats and Muslims are being imposed on the Serbs. In the fall of 1992, the ICFY co-chairs proposed another plan for a way out of the current situation, Special Envoy of the UN Secretary General and former US Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs S. Vence and EU Commissioner D. Owen. They set themselves the task of establishing a lasting and just peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Negotiations are held in Geneva in December 1992 - January 1993, at which Vance and Owen present a peace plan, including a set of agreements: on the cessation of hostilities and demilitarization, a constitutional device, maps with new borders and treaties on humanitarian issues.
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