Division of Yugoslavia map. Everyone committed war crimes. The bloody collapse of Yugoslavia, the tribunal and its main defendants. History of the civil wars in Yugoslavia

The city was divided into three parts: the Muslims dug in in the center, under the mosques, the Croats - on the outskirts, closer to their church, the Serbs broke through from the river. Dead bodies lay everywhere. It was impossible to pass without stepping on someone's hand or foot; blood flooded the entire pavement in a stream. Women, children, old people were killed in a row simply because some were baptized, while others were praying to Allah. Not a single whole building remained - they either burned or collapsed. The old bridge was blown up, it fell into the water.

"We bathed in blood"

Taxi driver Aziz leads me through Mostar - a city in Bosnia, on its streets in 1992-1995. former citizens of the former Yugoslavia fought for every quarter. Some of the houses have been restored (the signs “Gift of the European Union” have been screwed on), but those that are away from the tourist trails still bear traces of bullets and shrapnel on the walls. The bridge was also restored, and now it is like new. Aziz points to the window where he shot at his Croat neighbor.

But I didn't get in. He is more skilled, and he has a good machine gun. He wounded me in the shoulder.

Why did you even shoot him? Were the relationships bad?

Why? Great guy, drank vodka together. It's just, you know, we used to be Yugoslavs, and then somehow abruptly began to divide the country. And yesterday's neighbor is an enemy. Believe me, I don’t understand why we suddenly grabbed knives to cut each other.

... Now Aziz drinks vodka again in the evenings - with the same neighbor who once successfully put a bullet into him. Both try not to remember the past. It should be noted that people in the former Yugoslavia generally do not like to talk about the war. Not a single person could clearly explain to me the reason why he went to kill neighbors, friends, acquaintances that always lived next to him side by side. Muslims against Serbs and Croats. Croats against Serbs and Muslims. Serbs against everyone. “We bathed in blood and couldn’t stop,” a Croat tells me. Stanko Milanovic. “It was a mass madness - we were devouring human flesh like zombies.” During the fighting in ex-Yugoslavia, 250 thousand people (out of a population of 20 million) died, 4 million fled abroad. The former capital of Belgrade (along with dozens of other cities) was bombed by NATO aircraft, and Yugoslavia broke up into ten states: six “official” and four unrecognized. A handful of weak dwarf countries is all that remains of a powerful power that fought against Hitler, not afraid to quarrel with Stalin and possessing a 600,000th army. Its greatness has turned to dust: some republics survive on beach tourism, others are begging and asking for money from the West, and NATO troops are comfortably located on the territory of Bosnia, Serbia and Macedonia.

"Russian? Get out from here!"

We all ran somewhere, - recalls Maria Kralic, the hostess of a cafe in the Bosnian city of Trebinje. - I lived in Croatian Dubrovnik, our house was set on fire. My husband and I jumped out the window - he was in shorts, I was in a dressing gown. They wanted to kill us just because we are Serbs. Now we are hiding here and it is clear that we will never return home again.

In Trebinje itself, the old center with Ottoman mosques is empty - the Serbs expelled Muslim residents from the city. Dubrovnik, where Maria escaped from, is now a luxurious seaside resort, hotel prices are higher than in Moscow. On the outskirts, far from tourists, empty Serbian churches lurk - smoked with fire, with broken windows, painted with graffiti. It is worth pointing the camera - well-wishers appear: “Russian? It was you who supported the Serbs. Get out of here while you're still alive!" This is still not bad - Orthodox churches in Kosovo are simply blown up. In the capital of Bosnia, Sarajevo, when in 1995 the city was divided into two parts, Serbian and Muslim, the Serbs went to their “own” side, taking even the coffins of their fathers and grandfathers from the cemeteries so that their bones would not be defiled by the Gentiles. The war ended, and the neighbors, who suddenly became enemies, reconciled with difficulty, but did not forgive each other for the massacre. Hell, where the flame went out, still remains hell ... even if it's cool there now.

Can you tell me how to get to Bill Clinton Boulevard?

Yes, it's in the very center ... see that idol over there? Monument to a former lover Monica Lewinsky in Pristina is hard to miss. The Albanian separatists in Kosovo are extremely grateful to the US president for the decision to bomb Yugoslavia in the spring of 1999. Two million Serbs fled to the north of the republic and huddle there in shabby houses. Walking down the street, we are talking with a Montenegrin driver in a whisper: for speaking Serbian in Kosovo they can get killed - just like that, for no reason. The hostess of the hotel in Pec examines my passport with a double-headed eagle (the same one is on the coat of arms of Serbia) and quietly says: “Be you the devil himself, I need guests. Settle in, just don’t say anywhere that you are Russian.”

... Perhaps the only thing that unites the inhabitants of a country torn to shreds now is a passionate love for its founder Marshal Josip Broz Tito. “We will never live as cool as we lived under Tito,” the Albanian sighs Hassan, driving me to the checkpoint of the Serbian border guards. “You never dreamed of such a thing in the Soviet Union,” the Bosnian echoes him. Jasko. “It was a real paradise: shops are bursting with food, you can travel to Germany and France without a visa, there is almost no crime.” “We were respected in Europe, and now they consider us to be poor relatives,” the Croatian spits Stephen. "Tito was a great man." According to polls, if the leader of Yugoslavia, who died in 1980, wished to become the head of state now, 65 (!) Percent of the population would vote for him. But the dead are forbidden to run for president - and the country itself is already dead ...

"The scenario for the disintegration of Yugoslavia was also prepared for the USSR, and now it is being planned for Russia."

YUGOSLAVIA

(Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)

General information

Geographical position. Yugoslavia is located in the heart of the Balkan Peninsula. It borders Bosnia and Herzegovina to the west, Hungary to the north, Romania to the northeast, Bulgaria to the east, and Albania and Macedonia to the south. The new Yugoslavia includes the former socialist republics of Serbia and Montenegro.

Square. The territory of Yugoslavia occupies 102,173 sq. km.

Main cities, administrative divisions. The capital is Belgrade. The largest cities are Belgrade (1,500 thousand people), Novi Sad (250 thousand people), Nis (230 thousand people), Pristina (210 thousand people) and Subotica (160 thousand people). Yugoslavia consists of two union republics: Serbia and Montenegro. Serbia has two autonomous provinces: Vojvodina and Kosovo.

Political system

Yugoslavia is a federal republic. The head of state is the president. The legislative body is the Federal Assembly consisting of 2 chambers (Veche of Republics and Veche of Citizens).

Relief. Most of the country is occupied by mountains and plateaus. The Pannonian Plain is bordered by the Sava, Danube and Tisza rivers in the northeast. The interior of the country and the southern mountains belong to the Balkans, and the coast is called the "hand of the Alps".

Geological structure and minerals. On the territory of Yugoslavia there are deposits of oil, gas, coal, copper, lead, gold, antimony, zinc, nickel, chromium.

Climate. In the interior of the country, the climate is more continental than on the Adriatic coast in Montenegro. The average temperature in Belgrade is around +17°C from May to September, around +13°C in April and October and around +7°C in March and November.

Inland waters. Most of the rivers flow in a northerly direction and empty into the Danube, which flows through Yugoslavia for 588 km.

Soils and vegetation. The plains are mostly cultivated, large areas in the intermountains and basins are occupied by gardens; on the slopes of the mountains - coniferous, mixed and broad-leaved (mainly beech) forests; along the Adriatic coast - Mediterranean shrub vegetation.

Animal world. The fauna of Yugoslavia is characterized by deer, chamois, fox, wild boar, lynx, bear, hare, as well as woodpecker, dove, cuckoo, partridge, thrush, golden eagle, vulture.

Population and language

About 11 million people live in Yugoslavia. Of these, 62% are Serbs, 16% are Albanians, 5% are Montenegrins, 3% are Hungarians, and 3% are Slavic Muslims. Small groups of Croats, Gypsies, Slovaks, Macedonians, Romanians, Bulgarians, Turks and Ukrainians also live in Yugoslavia. The language is Serbian. Both Cyrillic and Latin are used.

Religion

Serbs have Orthodoxy, Hungarians have Catholicism, Albanians have Islam.

Brief historical outline

The first inhabitants of this territory were the Illyrians. Behind them here in the IV century. BC e. came the Celts.

The Roman conquest of present-day Serbia began in the 3rd century. BC e., and under Emperor Augustus, the empire expanded to Singidunum (now Belgrade), located on the Danube.

In 395 AD e. Theodosius I divided the empire and the current Serbia was ceded to the Byzantine Empire.

In the middle of the 6th century, during the great migration of peoples, Slavic tribes (Serbs, Croats and Slovenes) crossed the Danube and occupied most of the Balkan Peninsula.

In 879, the Serbs converted to Orthodoxy.

In 969, Serbia separated from Byzantium and created an independent state.

The independent Serbian Kingdom re-emerged in 1217 and during the reign of Stefan Dušan (1346-1355) became a great and powerful power, including most of modern Albania and northern Greece with its borders. During this golden age of the Serbian state, numerous Orthodox monasteries and churches were built.

After the death of Stefan Dusan, Serbia began to decline.

The Battle of Kosovo on June 28, 1389 was the greatest tragedy in the history of the Serbian people. The Serbian army was defeated by the Turks under the leadership of Sultan Murad, and the country fell under Turkish oppression for as much as 500 years. This defeat for many centuries became the main theme of folklore, and the Serbian prince Lazar, who lost the battle, is still considered a national hero and great martyr to this day.

The Serbs were forced out to the north of the country, the Turks came to the territory of Bosnia in the 15th century, and the Republic of Venice completely occupied the Serbian coast. In 1526, the Turks defeated Hungary, annexing the territory in the north and west of the Danube.

After the defeat in Vienna in 1683, the Turks began to gradually retreat. In 1699 they were expelled from Hungary and a large number of Serbs moved north to the region of Vojvodina.

Through diplomatic negotiations, the Sultan managed to return northern Serbia for another century, but the uprising of 1815. led to the declaration of independence of the Serbian state in 1816.

Serbian autonomy was recognized in 1829, the last Turkish troops were withdrawn from the country in 1867, and in 1878, after the defeat of Turkey by Russia, full independence was proclaimed.

Tensions and national contradictions in the country began to grow after Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908. At that time, Serbia was supported by Russia.

In the First Balkan War (1912), Serbia, Greece and Bulgaria united in the struggle against Turkey for the liberation of Macedonia. The Second Balkan War (1913) forced Serbia and Greece to unite their armies against Bulgaria, which had usurped control of the province of Kosovo.

The First World War exacerbated these contradictions, as Austria-Hungary used the assassination of Archduke Ferdinand on June 28, 1914, as a justification for the capture of Serbia. Russia and France sided with Serbia.

In the winter of 1915-1916. the defeated Serbian army retreated through the mountains to Montenegro on the Adriatic, from where it was evacuated to Greece. In 1918 the army returned to the country.

After the First World War, Croatia, Slovenia and Vojvodina united with Serbia, Montenegro and Macedonia into a single Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes, headed by the king of Serbia. In 1929, the state began to call itself Yugoslavia. G

After the invasion of the Nazi troops in 1941, Yugoslavia was divided between Germany, Italy, Hungary and Bulgaria. The Communist Party, led by Josip Broz Tito, launched a liberation struggle. After 1943, Great Britain began to support the communists. Partisans played an important role in the war and the liberation of the country.

In 1945 Yugoslavia was completely liberated. It was proclaimed a federal republic and began to develop successfully as a socialist state, in which "brotherhood and unity" reigned (the slogan of the Yugoslav communists).

In 1991, the republics of Slovenia and Croatia decided to secede from the federal Yugoslavia. This was the reason for the outbreak of hostilities, in which the UN then intervened.

In 1992, Yugoslavia broke up into several independent states: Slovenia, Croatia, Macedonia, Bosnia-Herzegovina and New Yugoslavia, which included the former union republics of Serbia and Montenegro. Belgrade was again proclaimed the capital of the new state formation.

Brief economic essay

Yugoslavia is an industrial-agrarian country. Extraction of lignite and brown coal, oil, ores of copper, lead and zinc, uranium, bauxites. In the manufacturing industry, the leading place is occupied by mechanical engineering and metalworking (machine tool building, transport, including automobile, and agricultural engineering, electrical and radio-electronic industries). Non-ferrous (copper, lead, zinc, aluminum smelting, etc.) and ferrous metallurgy, chemical, pharmaceutical, woodworking industries. The textile, leather and footwear, food industries are developed. The main branch of agriculture is crop production. Cereals (mainly corn and wheat), sugar beets, sunflowers, hemp, tobacco, potatoes and vegetables are grown. Fruit growing (Yugoslavia is the world's largest supplier of prunes), viticulture. Cultivation of cattle, pigs, sheep; poultry farming. Export - raw materials and semi-finished products, consumer and food products, machinery and industrial equipment.

The monetary unit is the Yugoslav dinar.

A Brief Outline of Culture

Art and architecture. At the beginning of the XIX century. secular art began to take shape in Serbia (portraits of the painters K. Ivanovich and J. Tominets). With the development of the educational and national liberation movement in Serbia in the middle of the XIX century. national historical and landscape painting appeared. It combined romantic features with realistic tendencies (works by D. Avramovich, J. Krstić and J. Jaksic). Since the second half of the 19th century, ceremonial buildings in the spirit of European eclecticism have spread in architecture (University in Belgrade).

Belgrade. Fortress Kalemegdan - the largest museum in the city (Roman baths and wells, exhibitions of weapons, two art galleries and a zoo, as well as the symbol of Belgrade - the statue "Winner"); Cathedral; the Palace of Princess Ljubica, built in the Balkan style in 1831; church of st. Sava - one of the largest Orthodox churches in the world, the construction of which has not yet been completed; the Russian church of Alexander Nevsky (Baron Wrangel is buried in the cemetery at the church); orthodox church of st. Brand (built from 1907 to 1932). Novi sad. Petrovaradinskaya fortress (1699-1780, the work of the French architect Vauban); Fruska Gora - a former island of the Pannonian Sea, and now the National Park - one of the largest linden forests in Europe with 15 monasteries built from the 15th to the 18th centuries; Vojvodina Museum; Museum of the city of Novi Sad; Gallery of Serbian Matica; Gallery them. Pavel Belyansky; building of the Serbian National Theater (1981).

The science. P. Savich (b. 1909) - physicist and chemist, author of works on nuclear physics, low temperatures, high pressures.

Literature. J. Jaksic (1832-1878) - the author of patriotic poems, lyrical poems, as well as romantic dramas in verse ("Resettlement of the Serbs", "Standing Glavash"); R. Zogovich (1907-1986), Montenegrin poet, author of civil lyrics (collections "Fist", "Stubborn stanzas", "Articulated word", "Personally, very personally"). World famous works of the Nobel laureate

Kingdom Yugoslavia It was formed in 1918 as an association of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes after the end of the First World War. After World War II in 1945. Yugoslavia began to be called a socialist federation of six union republics and occupied an area of ​​255.8 thousand square kilometers. and the capital Belgrade. Having existed for about 88 years, the state collapsed and after 2006. no longer existed as a single state space.
The flag of Yugoslavia contained blue, white and red stripes, not in the foreground a large five-pointed star.

2 step

So, Yugoslavia, a European state that existed on the Balkan Peninsula and had access to the Adriatic Sea, now consists of six independent states and two autonomous regions.
Today, the former Yugoslavia is the countries of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, Serbia, which includes 2 autonomous regions of Vojvodina and Kosovo, Slovenia, Croatia, Montenegro.

3 step

Bosnia and Herzegovina, state capital Sarajevo. The area of ​​the country is 51.129 thousand square kilometers, there are several official languages ​​in the country - Bosnian, Serbian, Croatian.
Sarajevo hosted the 1984 Winter Olympics, and then the city became the center of hostilities during the civil war in Yugoslavia in 1992-1995.
Today the country is popular for its medical balneological resorts, ski resorts and beach holidays. has a narrow outlet to the Adriatic Sea.

4 step

Macedonia, state capital Skopje. This is an ancient city that arose in the 3rd century BC. The area of ​​the country is 25.7 thousand square kilometers, the state language is Macedonian. Macedonia is a mountainous country, almost the entire area is occupied by mountain ranges of various heights. Macedonia did not get access to the sea, but on its territory there are several ski resorts and historical monuments associated with the Roman Empire and Turkish domination in this part of the Balkan Peninsula.
Macedonia

5 step

Serbia, state capital Belgrade. The area of ​​the country is 88.361 thousand square kilometers, the state language is Serbian.
Belgrade arose in the first century AD, since 1284 it fell under the rule of Serbia and today is its capital. Of all the countries of the former Yugoslavia, Serbia has the most flat fertile lands and deciduous forests. There is no access to the Adriatic Sea, but there is an artificial Belgrade Sea. Also, rivers of extraordinary beauty flow through Serbia, on the mountainous part of which you can raft on rafts, the largest river in Serbia is the Danube.
Serbia also includes two autonomous provinces Kosovo, capital Pristina and Vojvodina, capital Novi Sad.
Serbia

6 step

Slovenia, state capital Ljubljana. The area of ​​the country is 20.251 thousand square kilometers, the state language is Slovenian.
Slovenia is a small but very beautiful country. It has everything, and the snow-capped Alpine peaks, and valleys with orchards and vineyards, and the coast of the Adriatic Sea. Even the capital of Slovenia, Ljubljana, has an unusual history: according to legend, the city was founded by the Argonauts when they returned from Colchis after a journey for the Golden Fleece.
Slovenia today mainly lives on tourism, and also has a developed industry, including pharmaceuticals.
Slovenia.

7 step

Croatia, state capital Zagreb. The area of ​​the country is 56.538 thousand square kilometers, the state language is Croatian. Zagreb is quite a large but cozy city with many architectural and historical sights.
Croatia is a country that has the longest Adriatic coast of all the countries of the former Yugoslavia. That is why it is famous for its resorts around the cities of Split, Shebenik, Trogir, Dubrovnik. On the territory of Croatia there are unique nature reserves Krka, Paklenica, Kornati and others. One of the cities of Croatia, Split is one of the oldest cities in Dolmatia (region of Croatia), its age exceeds 1700 years. In the center of the city of Split is the Diocletian's Palace, which still houses the residential apartments of the inhabitants of the city.

The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) was formed in 1945 as a result of the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany. Partisans of many nationalities, peoples, who later became part of the new state, made a great contribution to this on their own land. It is worth recalling that the liberation army, merciless to the Nazis, under the leadership of the only marshal (1943) Josip Broz Tito, the permanent leader of Yugoslavia until his death in 1980, was fundamentally different from the French Resistance, the significance of which is greatly exaggerated, including in order to taste delicious feeding, in every possible way appeasing the German occupiers, at the end of World War II, France suddenly miraculously, incomprehensibly entered the close circle of victorious countries, becoming a permanent member of the UN Security Council with the right of veto (!) On a par with the countries of the anti-Hitler coalition -, Great Britain, the USA, really, seriously , who fought hard with the Empire of Japan, China. What states did Yugoslavia break up into? Part of the answers to this difficult question can be found if you remember how it was created.

Words from the poem by A.S. Pushkin's "Poltava" fully reflect what socialist Yugoslavia was, created, directed and "wisely" led by the country's Communist Party.

The peoples and nationalities included in its composition were too different - Serbs, related Montenegrins, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Bosnians, Albanians, as well as Slovaks, Hungarians, Romanians, Turks. Some were Orthodox Christians, others were Catholics, others professed Islam, and others did not believe in anything or anyone. For the majority, Cyrillic was their native language, and for the rest, it was Latin.

The SFRY included six socialist republics:

• Serbia. The leader of the united Yugoslavia, including because 40% of the population of the new state were ethnic Serbs. By the end of the country's existence in 1991, other members of the Federation did not like it very much. Conflicts and strife began in the country on any, at least slightly significant occasion.
• Croatia.
• Slovenia.
• Montenegro.
• Macedonia.
• Bosnia and Herzegovina.
• As well as two autonomous regions - Kosovo and Vojvodina, where the first was mainly inhabited by Albanians, and the second - by Hungarians.

During the years of Yugoslavia's existence (1945–1991), its population grew from 15.77 to 23.53 million people. It must be said that ethnic and religious strife has become one of the main reasons for the collapse of a single country into separate, independent states. A good example: basically, only children from mixed marriages, which in 1981 accounted for 5.4% of the total population of the SFRY, officially recognized and identified themselves as Yugoslavs, in contrast to the remaining 94.6% of citizens.

For many years, the SFRY was, along with the GDR, the leader of the socialist part of Europe, often called the Eastern, both geographically and figuratively, opposed to the Western, led by the FRG, and other satellites of the United States. The economy, the standard of living in Yugoslavia and the GDR favorably differed from most countries that were part of the socialist "European Union", united as part of the Council for Mutual Economic Assistance and the military Warsaw Pact. The army of Yugoslavia was a well-armed, trained formidable force, reaching a maximum of 600 thousand soldiers and officers during the years of the country's existence.

The general economic, ideological decline, later called stagnation, which struck the Soviet Union and other countries of the socialist camp, could not bypass Yugoslavia. All the problems (interethnic, economic, ideological) kept under the veil of a tough state broke free in 1990, when nationalists came to power as a result of local elections throughout the country. The centrifugal forces that are destroying the state, ideological foundations, successfully fueled by the West, began to rapidly gain momentum.

This multinational, multi-confessional state (Orthodox, Catholics, Muslims) could not resist the collapse in 1991. However, to our great regret, simultaneously with the "big brother" - the Soviet Union. The most daring, such long-awaited aspirations of the enemies of the Slavic world have come true. Fortunately, the fate of the SFRY did not befall the RSFSR, from which modern Russia was reborn, a worthy successor to the might of the USSR and the Russian Empire.

From one SFRY, at first six independent states turned out:

With the withdrawal in early 2006 of Montenegro from Lesser Yugoslavia, the union state - the successor, the last territorial remnant of the SFRY, the former Yugoslavia finally ceased to exist.

Later in 2008, after years of armed conflict between Serbs and ethnic Albanians, Kosovo seceded, which was an autonomous province within Serbia. This became largely possible as a result of brazen, unprincipled pressure on Serbia, starting in 1999 during the war in Kosovo, accompanied by "high-precision" bombing of Yugoslavia, including Belgrade, by NATO led by the United States, which was the first to recognize the absolutely illegitimately created state entity on par with the extremely democratic but duplicitous European Union.

This example, as well as the situation with the armed pro-fascist seizure of power in Ukraine, inspired by the unanimous non-recognition of Crimea as part of the Russian Federation, the imposition of economic sanctions against our country clearly showed the rest of the world how convenient it is to be, in every sense, a tolerant "common" European or North American , with an externally customizable, selective outlook.

The answer to the question "Into what states did Yugoslavia break up?" simple and complex at the same time. After all, behind him are the fates of millions of fellow Slavs, whom Russia, torn apart by its own problems, could not help in its time.

The Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, which was formed on the Balkan Peninsula in 1918, have always been linked by fairly close, but complex relations.

Initially, the monarchy dominated the state, which included Croatia, Slovenia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Dalmatia, Serbia and Montenegro, and the country itself was called the Kingdom of Serbs, Croats and Slovenes (KSHS).

However, everything changed in 1945: on that day, a declaration was adopted, according to which the monarchy was liquidated, and the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia was formed on the territory of the former kingdom. Later, in 1963, the country received a new name - the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY). This state lasted until 1992, and then split into six independent countries and one partially recognized state - Kosovo.

At first, the communist regime introduced by Josip Broz Tito evoked the approval of the USSR, but in 1948 the seemingly strong relationship cracked.

In the context of the Cold War with the United States, which began in 1947, he sought to maximize control over the countries of Eastern Europe. In particular, he insisted on the inclusion of Yugoslavia in the Balkan federation. Tito, on the contrary, after the Second World War, during which he managed to organize a mass partisan movement, felt his independence and refused to obey Stalin.

As a result, the Soviet Union stopped all cooperation with Yugoslavia and began an active campaign of criticism of Tito, which was later joined by all the communist parties.

This conflict had important consequences for Yugoslavia. After the break with the USSR, the country's leadership began to actively cooperate with Western countries, especially with the United States.

The complex history of these relations, from the formation of Yugoslavia to its collapse and the conflict in Kosovo, was described in an interview with Istorii.RF by Elena Yuryevna Guskova, Doctor of Historical Sciences, head of the Center for the Study of the Modern Balkan Crisis at the Institute of Slavic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.

It was forbidden to talk about love for Russia for entire generations

Elena Yuryevna, our country and Yugoslavia had a rather long and difficult relationship. How did they influence modern contacts with Serbia, Croatia and other countries that are now in the place of the SFRY?

Many Orthodox peoples in the former Yugoslavia, including Serbia, have a long history of friendship, patronage, and mutual assistance going back to the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. And we have always been on the same side with the Serbian people. But, for example, we could not build good relations with the Croats or the Muslim people of Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were in the opposite camp in World War I and World War II. After the Second World War, our cooperation with the partisan movement of Josip Broz Tito became apparent. But the relationship developed quite difficult, they are divided into several periods.

- Tell us about these stages.

The first period began immediately after the Second World War, it was, let's say, the first five-year plan. Relations were very good, because Josip Broz Tito simply copied our Soviet system, borrowed all this socialist model and became very similar to Stalin himself - in the manner of management, in the manner of rejection of the opposition, etc. But in 1948 between Stalin and Tito there was a conflict that affected all subsequent periods of development of our relationship. Therefore, after 1948, several generations grew up in Yugoslavia who were forbidden to talk about love for Russia, and in the Soviet Union they spoke very little about Yugoslavia in general, practically did not speak at all. In the newspapers, if they wrote about this country, then only about sports and a little about culture.

- But then there was a favorable period?

The relationship leveled off in the mid-1950s and was fairly even, but with few periods of complications. For example, this was the case after the entry of Soviet troops into Czechoslovakia. This greatly influenced the period of our relationship in the late 1980s. - the early 1990s, and especially at the beginning of the disintegration of Yugoslavia.

According to a number of historians, there are some similarities in how the USSR and the SFRY ceased to exist. What was the significance of the collapse of Yugoslavia for our country? And why did it even happen?

Our periods of collapse practically coincided: at the end of 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed, at the beginning of 1991, Yugoslavia began to disintegrate. Moreover, an external factor played a very important role in the collapse of Yugoslavia. The United States of America (now we can talk about it) carried out practically an entire special operation to break up Yugoslavia. In addition, they tried to do everything so that the Soviet Union and later Russia, God forbid, did not help Serbia in this situation. Therefore, when the country's leadership (especially the military leadership) at the end of 1990 turned to Moscow with a request for help, Moscow responded with a categorical refusal. The answer came from Mikhail Gorbachev and from our Ministry of Defense.

Yugoslavia began to disintegrate in a bloody way: there was a short but still significant war in Slovenia, then there was a very bloody war in Croatia in 1991, from 1992 to 1995 there was a war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. All this time, Russia has taken a very pro-Western stance. The entire system of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs served the purpose of trying to bring Russia into a new, democratic society led by the United States. Therefore, in this situation, the Serbs themselves had to defend, as they believed, justice and do it without the support of Moscow.

"Our Minister of THEIR Foreign Affairs"

You said that our leadership refused to help Yugoslavia. Why? Did we have any opportunity to intervene in this conflict at all? Didn't we conclude some new cooperation agreement with Yugoslavia to replace the one that was terminated in 1949?

No, we didn't have any contract. If there could be some kind of agreement, then with the SFRY, but the country was disintegrating. About his withdrawal (from Yugoslavia - approx. ed.) declared Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Macedonia, and Serbia and Montenegro remained with us (on friendly terms - approx. ed.). And in this situation, out of old friendship, remembering the 19th century and the first half of the 20th century, they call Moscow and ask: “Can you help us in this situation?” They understood perfectly well that the West was helping these republics (Croatia, Bosnia and others - approx. ed.) secede from Yugoslavia. And then Russia refused. Why? Because the Minister of Foreign Affairs then was Andrei Kozyrev. At that time, he was even called "our minister of their foreign affairs." Kozyrev did not defend the national interests of Russia, he did not know about them at all and asked American politicians about them! There are documents that confirm this.

Why did Kozyrev deal with such important state issues that the head of state had to decide?

The position of the entire leadership of the country was as follows. Despite the fact that, according to the Constitution, Russia's foreign policy should be formed by the president, Yeltsin completely left foreign policy at the mercy of the foreign minister, and even a special decree was issued for this. Therefore, it was Kozyrev who formed and implemented the entire foreign policy of Russia.

Some experts note that when Tito ruled Yugoslavia, the country played the role of a kind of intermediary between the West and some communist countries - for example, China during the reign of Mao Zedong. How did Yugoslavia manage to become such a link?

When Yugoslavia left the socialist camp after the 1948 conflict, it continued to build socialism but remained isolated. Therefore, Yugoslavia had to maneuver between the restoration of relations with the Soviet Union and the support of the West, which immediately gave the "green light" to relations with it. The West dreamed that Yugoslavia would become the wedge that would break the entire Soviet bloc. Therefore, Yugoslavia received money from the US and other countries and politically created a system of non-alignment, which was indeed a serious factor in foreign policy.

Kosovo: not unique, but a precedent

On one of the sites dedicated to Serbia, I came across the following statement: “The Russian Federation is currently the most active force that refuses to recognize the independent Kosovo state. The issue of Kosovo's status thus becomes one of the contentious issues in cooperation between Moscow and the West. Is it so?

When Kosovo announced its desire for independence, Russia immediately spoke out against it. Kosovo was immediately supported, first of all, by the United States. In general, Kosovo is a project of Washington. Russia justified its position by saying that this fact should become a precedent in international law. That is, this case should concern not only Kosovo, but become universal for all mankind. International organizations should develop criteria for the exit of territories from multinational and multi-confessional states. And every territory that wants to secede will know whether it meets these criteria or not.

- What should be the criteria?

For example, can a territory exist economically independently, are there ethnic clashes, is there a war, is there a genocide against some population, etc. Many such criteria can be developed. So, if such criteria existed, then Kosovo would never be able to claim independence. But the Americans said that this would only apply to Kosovo, as this is an exceptional case for humanity. Russia warned that after Kosovo, a whole movement for independence would begin in the world. Therefore, in 2007, Russia in the UN Security Council blocked the project of Martti Ahtisaari (President of Finland, Finnish diplomat, UN employee - approx. ed.) for the independence of Kosovo. But the Americans ignored the decision of the Security Council and began to implement the Ahtisaari plan, but in parts and ignoring the instructions of the UN.

- Is our diplomacy in terms of relations with the West suffering from this situation?

No, our diplomacy does not suffer in any way. On the contrary, it becomes independent if we compare it with the 90s: now it acts both in the interests of its country and in the interests of our friends - in this case, Serbia. We told Serbia that we will never change our position on Kosovo and will never vote for the independence of this region in the Security Council, unless Serbia itself decides this issue in favor of Kosovo.

- Does such a possibility exist?

Belgrade and Pristina are negotiating, and there is a tendency for Serbia to slowly recognize Kosovo after all. In this case, we will support the position of Belgrade.