Kosovo- partially recognized state located in South-Eastern Europe. Kosovo is located on the territory of the Balkan Peninsula, therefore it is one of the Balkan countries. According to the Constitution of Serbia, Kosovo is part of this country and is called the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija. Most of Kosovo is not subject to Serbia. The population of Kosovo is 1,733,000 people. The capital is the city of Pristina. Other big cities countries - Pecs, Prizren. The largest city in Kosovo is Pristina. There are no cities with more than 1 million inhabitants in Kosovo. Kosovo is located in the same time zone. The difference with universal time is one hour.

Kosovo is landlocked. The partially recognized country borders Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and Croatia.

Kosovo is a country with mixed relief. There are mountains and there are plains.

Forests cover half of the country's territory. Most of the forests are located on mountain slopes.

The Shar Planina mountain range and the Kopaonik mountains pass through Kosovo. The highest point in Kosovo is Mount Deravica. The height of this peak is 2556 meters.

The largest river in Kosovo is the White Drin. Other famous rivers in the country are Sitnica, South Morava, Ibar. There are many lakes in Kosovo. The largest lakes are man-made. The largest lake in Kosovo is Gazivoda. Other large lakes are Radonich, Batlava, Badovac.

Kosovo has its own administrative-territorial division, divided into seven districts: Dzhakovitsky, Gnjilansky. Kosovsko-Mitrovitsky, Pech, Pristinsky, Prizren, Uroshevatsky.

Map

Roads

Kosovo's railway network is functioning, although all roads are in poor condition, trains are slow and often late. Main route in Kosovo —from Pristina to another large Kosovo city - Pec. Kosovo has no direct passenger communication with other countries, although the country is connected by railways with Croatia and Serbia.

The roads in the country are in poor condition. There are no autobahns in the country.

Story

Kosovo has its interesting story, divided into historical epochs:

a) Prehistoric Kosovo - the conquest of the territory of the country by the Romans and joining the Holy Roman Empire (5th century BC), the invasion of the Celts and barbarians, the collapse of Ri ms Koi Empire (5th century AD), becoming part of the Byzantine Empire;

b) The period of the migration of the Slavs to the territory of modern Kosovo (the end of the 6th century) - the Christianization of the lands of Kosovo with the assistance of Byzantium;

c) Kosovo as part of the Bulgarian kingdom (X century) - the war of the Bulgarian kingdom and the Serbian kingdom for Kosovo, the defeat of the Serbs, the annexation of the region to the Bulgarian kingdom;

d) Secondary return to the Byzantine Empire (1018);

e) Kosovo within Serbia (since 1218);

f) Kosovo as part of the Ottoman Empire - since 1389, the forced Islamization of the population, the Austro-Turkish war (1593-1606), the resettlement of Albanians to Kosovo lands, the Albanian colonization of the region;

g) return to Serbia (since 1912);

h) Kosovo during the First World War (1914 - 1918) - military operations on the side of Serbia, defeat in the war;

i) Kosovo as part of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (since 1929);

j) Kosovo during the Second World War (1939 - 1045) - entry into the Great Albania (1941), Italian occupation of the region (since 1941), occupation by the troops of the German Wehrmacht (1943), liberation from the Nazi invaders (1944 year);

k) Kosovo as part of socialist Yugoslavia - since 1946;

l) Kosovo after the collapse of Yugoslavia (since 1991) - declaration of independence (1991), the beginning of the war with the army of Yugoslavia (1998), the accession of NATO countries to the war (1999), the end of hostilities, elections to the parliament of Kosovo (2004 ), the secondary declaration of independence of Kosovo (2008), the recognition by the International Court of Justice of the legality of the declaration of independence from Serbia by the authorities of Kosovo (2010).

Minerals

Kosovo is rich in minerals. Of the strategic types of minerals in the country, there is only a lot of hard coal, but its mass production is not organized. There is no oil and natural gas in Kosovo, the country is forced to import them from other countries. The country has many deposits of other minerals: lead, zinc, nickel, cobalt, magnesite, bauxite. There are reserves of rare metals: indium, cadmium, germanium, thallium. There are many brown coal deposits in Kosovo. Chromium, copper, silver and a small amount of gold are also mined in the country.

Climate

The climate of Kosovo is continental. The winter here is cold and snowy. Summer, on the other hand, is very hot and dry.

KOSOVO (REPUBLIC OF KOSOVO)
KOSOVA (REPUBLIKA E KOSOVЁ)

D.V.ZAYATS, A.O. KOSHELEV

(The article is given in abbreviation)

The self-proclaimed state of Kosovo occupies the territory of the autonomous province of Kosovo and Metohija, which is part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (FRY). Kosovo lies inland, 85 km from the Adriatic coast. In shape, the edge resembles a rhombus, each of the diagonals of which stretches along the Balkans for about 145 km. The main part of the territory of Kosovo is an elevated plain, which is divided into two approximately equal intermountain basins: the eastern one - Kosovo, or Kosovo Field, - part of the gigantic range of the Danube basin * and the western - Metohija, along which flow the tributaries of the Drin - a river that carries its waters to Adriatic. Mid-mountain massifs rise along the perimeter of the region: Mokra Gora, Rogozna and Kopaonik - in the north, Golyak and Crna Gora - in the east, Shar-Planina - in the south and Prokletie - in the west.

Map of Kosovo

Kosovo's neighbors** are Albania and Montenegro (in the west), Macedonia (in the south), Serbian lands (in the north and east). The length of Kosovo's border with Albania is 114 km. parts of Kosovo's borders are disputed by Kosovo's leaders. In socialist Yugoslavia, the autonomous region occupied an area of 10.9 thousand km2, but nationalist Kosovo Albanians believe that at least three more Serbian communities outside of Kosovo proper should be part of their state: Presevo, Buyanovac and Medvedzha. These lands, located in the South Morava basin, east of Pristina, as well as in Kosovo, are predominantly Albanian. After the "liberation" of Kosovo from the Serbs, the leaders of the radical Albanians are hatching plans to seize these border areas from Serbia. The number of militants of the so-called Presevo Liberation Army, who participated here throughout 2000 in clashes with the regular forces of the Yugoslav army, according to various estimates, ranges from several hundred to five thousand people, most of whom went through combat training in the ranks of the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA ).

Population

Number. The last official population census was carried out in Kosovo back in 1981, and it is now difficult to establish the real demographic and ethnic picture of the region. According to estimates by the Center for Demographic Research, in 1997 about 2.3 million people lived in the region. Kosovo has the highest population density in the region: 210/km2. In neighboring Montenegro, comparable in size, only 680 thousand people live.

Folk dance of the Kosovo Albanians

Demographics. Kosovo is one of the two territories of the former Yugoslavia (the other being Macedonia) where the gender balance is skewed towards the male population. This feature, typical for Islamic countries, is quite unusual for Europe, but it is quite understandable: the region, in cultural and historical terms, is more of a fragment of the East than an integral part of the West. The natural increase in Kosovo in 1997 was 2.1% - a very high figure for Europe, which has long been in the zone of a demographic crisis. Due to the high birth rate (27‰*** in 1997), the proportion of younger ages is large: children under 15 account for more than a third of the population. The expanded reproduction of the population is characteristic mainly of Kosovo Albanians, who call themselves Kosovars. Rapid demographic growth has become one of the elements of the Albanian strategy for the gradual dissolution of the Serbian community of the region. Another way to increase the demographic pressure on the Serbs, tried in the post-war decades, was the illegal migration of Albanians across the Yugoslav border. New migrants were in no hurry to register at their place of residence, and therefore the real size of the Albanian population in the region was hidden from the Serbian authorities.

Ethnic composition. The forced increase in the proportion of Albanians in the population of Kosovo led to the intensification of interethnic conflicts in the region. Previously, the Serbs and Albanians, although they were not friendly peoples (too many accounts accumulated between them over the centuries of living together), nevertheless did not deny each other the right to live on Kosovo soil. Over a relatively short period of time (60 years), the proportion of Albanians in the region's population increased from 60 to 90% (Table 1). The campaign against Albanian extremists carried out by the regime of S. Milosevic and, to a much greater extent, the bombing of Kosovo by NATO aircraft led to the fact that the Albanian population began to leave the region en masse. The total number of Albanian refugees from Kosovo in 1999 reached, according to some estimates, 700-900 thousand people.

Immediately after the actual surrender of Belgrade and the cessation of hostilities, the pendulum swung in the opposite direction. The Albanians gradually began to return to their homes (some of them, using the status of refugees, managed to settle in the prosperous countries of Western Europe), the Serbs, feeling their insecurity in front of the KLA militants celebrating their victory, pulled out of the region to the north. UN observers note that in June-July 1999 alone, about 130,000 Serbs left Kosovo, more than half of the region's Orthodox community. In October 2000, according to the new president of the FRY, V. Kostunica, only 75,000 citizens of Serbian nationality remained in Kosovo. But they are not free in their movements either, since the few places where Serbs gather, taken under the protection of the military contingents of NATO and Russia, have in fact turned into a kind of ghetto, separated from the outside world by barbed wire and concrete barriers. In an effort to create an ethnically pure state, the Kosovars are trying to "cleanse" the region from other national minorities: gypsies, Montenegrins, Macedonians. At the same time, they deny the right to exist even to their fellow Muslim Slavs, believing that they should recognize themselves as pure-blooded Albanians.

Table 1

Ethnic composition of Kosovo in 1931-1991


Population of Kosovo, thousand people
Albanians, %

Montenegrins, %

Muslim Slavs, %

Total	100,0	100,0	100,0	100,0	100,0

* Estimates given due to the boycott of the 1991 census by Kosovo Albanians.
** In 1931 and 1991 this number includes Montenegrins, Turks and Muslim Slavs.

Religious composition. The conflict in Kosovo is undeniably aggravated by the fact that, in addition to ethnicity, there is also a religious divide between the opposing sides. Albanians, as well as Turks and a small part of the Slavs living in the region, profess Sunni Islam. Mosques with high minarets are a characteristic feature of the panorama of any major Kosovo city.

Sinan Pasha Mosque in Prizren

Gracanitsa Monastery (XIV century) near Pristina

But Kosovo is also the cradle of Serbian Orthodoxy. Dozens of monasteries are located here, during the difficult time of Ottoman rule (in 1557) here, in the city of Pec, the Serbian Patriarchate was established. The influence of Orthodoxy was also reflected in the name of the western part of the autonomous region - Metohija (in translation - church lands). There are dozens of Orthodox monasteries in Kosovo, the largest - Gracanitsa near Pristina and Decane near the city of Pec - have existed since the 14th century, hundreds of churches. The religiosity of both confessional communities in Kosovo is very high, therefore both Serbs and Albanians are determined to defend the religious shrines on the land of their ancestors to the end. The presence on the territory of modern Kosovo of national relics of Serbian Orthodoxy makes the Albanians' demands for independence completely unacceptable for the Serbian side.

Map showing the location of Orthodox churches and monasteries in Kosovo

The quality of life of the population is low. A quarter of the population of the autonomous region does not have a complete primary education. The illiteracy rate, unique for Europe, is 18% in 1981 (the latest data that deserves to be trusted). Moreover, among women, illiteracy exceeded 26%! Infant mortality is 55 people. per thousand born. Such a difficult social situation is primarily due to the difficult economic situation of the region as part of Yugoslavia, which has been living under economic sanctions from the world community for almost ten years now. The situation is aggravated by uneradicated feudal vestiges in public life, many of which, for example, elements of Islamic law, are peculiar atavisms that have been preserved since the existence of the Ottoman Empire. Even the high natural population growth is more, perhaps, evidence of the low level of economic and social development Kosovo: low economic activity, especially for women, the lowered status of women, the decisive role of religion in family relations.

The main social problem of the region, which cannot be solved by any ethnic cleansing, is the problem of unemployment. Already in 1990, unemployment covered up to half of the able-bodied population, which was primarily a consequence of the rapid demographic growth of the Albanian community in the region and the inability, and possibly fear, of the Serbian authorities to create new jobs for the Kosovars. In 1997, even before the outbreak of full-scale hostilities, the number of unemployed was estimated at 860 thousand people, or 65% of the working population. A high population growth annually supplies about 30 thousand pairs of working hands, but with a steady decline in production, it is almost impossible to find a use for them. Young people join the ranks of the unemployed or (which is happening more often lately) the ranks of illegal armed groups.

Central street of Pristina - the main city of Kosovo

Urbanization and cities. Kosovo is predominantly a rural area. About 35% of the population lives in cities. The largest city is the capital of the Pristina region (with suburbs of more than 300 thousand inhabitants). Other large cities (population given according to Albanian sources): Pec (85 thousand inhabitants), Prizren (70 thousand), Kosovska Mitrovica (68 thousand), Gjakovica (60 thousand) Some cities of Kosovo have a zone of attraction ** ** goes beyond the borders of the region, spreading to the adjacent territories of Montenegro, Serbia and Macedonia. Many cities of the region, along with Serbian ones, also have Albanian names, for example, Pec - Peya, Djakovitsa - Djakova, Gnilane - Djilane, Srbica - Skenderai. It is the Albanian transcription of Kosovo toponyms that has recently been preferred by the Western media.

Modern status and administrative structure

De facto, a dual power has now developed in Kosovo: the province is simultaneously controlled by an international administration representing the participating countries of KFOR (peacekeeping forces in Kosovo), and the organizational structures of the Kosovo Albanians, formed "from below" on the basis of local branches of the KLA. The province has a parliament and government of the self-proclaimed Republic of Kosovo, a constitution has been developed (it is considered adopted in September 1990), local authorities are being formed that represent the interests of the exclusively Albanian community. On October 28, 2000, parliamentary elections were held in which the moderately nationalist Democratic League of Kosovo, led by Professor Ibrahim Rugova, won a landslide victory over the party of prominent KLA field commander Hashim Thaçi. Belgrade does not recognize the legality of the institutions of power created by the Kosovo Albanians, but does not rule out raising the status of Kosovo within the framework of the Yugoslav federation.

De jure Kosovo, the territory of Serbia, one of the two republics that make up the new Yugoslavia. The detailed international status of Kosovo has not yet been determined, since neither the Republic of Kosovo nor the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia - the new union of Serbia and Montenegro - are officially recognized by most countries of the world. True, the situation has changed significantly with the recent coming to power in Belgrade of a new president, V. Kostunica. Yugoslavia gradually began to emerge from international isolation, it began to be restored in European and world integration structures, which causes poorly concealed dissatisfaction with the current Pristina regime.

The development of the political situation in the province is monitored, practically without interfering in the ongoing events, by the peacekeeping forces to maintain peace in Kosovo. The territory of Kosovo in June 1999 was divided into five sectors of responsibility of the largest NATO countries. The northern part of Kosovo, where the proportion of the Serbian population is higher, entered the French responsibility zone (the headquarters of the contingent is located in Kosovska Mitrovica), the central part of Kosovo Polya and the Poduevskaya Valley entered the British sector (headquarters in Pristina), the east and southeast of the region are controlled by American peacekeepers (headquarters in Gnjilane), the sector of Italy is limited to the northern part of Metohija (headquarters in Pec),

Russian peacekeepers do not have their own sector. Their areas of responsibility are located in different parts of Kosovo: Kosovska Kamenica in the American sector of KFOR, Malishevo in the German sector, Devicha in the French sector, Slatina airport (the only one in the region) in the British one. In terms of the number of personnel, Russian troops make up 7-8% of the entire KFOR contingent. Their share in the controlled territory is approximately the same.

The official language is Albanian, the Serbian minority uses Serbian, the working language of the international peacekeeping force is English.

State symbols. The flag of the Kosovo Albanians, which has now practically become the official flag of Kosovo, copies the national flag of the Republic of Albania: a black double-headed eagle on a dark red cloth (apparently, another reminder of the former symbols of powerful Byzantium). Albanian banners, which were previously banned, can now be seen everywhere in Kosovo: on administrative buildings, at roadblocks, on the facades of houses. Not one of the numerous demonstrations of the Kosovars can do without the appearance of a banner with a black eagle. The KLA has its own flag, also based on the Albanian banner.

* A small area in the south of Kosova Pol belongs to the Aegean Sea basin.

** Decline or not incline the name of Kosovo - this question does not have an unambiguous solution. Russian names - Ivanovo, Borodino, Izmailovo - are usually declined (Ivanova, Ivanova, in Ivanovo). There is no question of non-Slavic names (Bordeaux, Glasgow) - they are not inclined. Non-Russian, but Slavic names (Rivne, Grodno, Brno) are sometimes inclined in the languages of their peoples, but not in Russian. Therefore, we decided to accept the non-declining option here. - Approx. ed.

*** Estimates are given due to the boycott of the 1991 census by Kosovo Albanians.

**** During the existence of the SFRY - Titova-Mitrovica. This toponym can still be found in the latest atlases, but it is no longer used in modern Yugoslavia.

******** It is curious that the areas of responsibility that were defined for the military contingents of NATO countries coincide with the areas of their economic interests. The fact that the French occupied the northern sector of Kosovo can hardly be called an accident, because French businessmen had been eyeing the Trepca mining and smelting plant five years ago. The UK chose the sector in the center of the region, apparently because British firms during the ongoing privatization in Serbia showed interest in the energy companies located there. The Italians control the city of Pec, where the Yugoslav-Italian Zastava Iveco joint venture was located.

Democratic Party candidate Boris Tadic narrowly defeated Tomislav Nikolic, leader of the Serbian Radical Party, in the second round of elections.

Kosovo (Kosovo and Metohija) is an autonomous province within Serbia. Currently, the region is predominantly populated by Albanians (over 90%). Of the two million population of Kosovo, Serbs make up about 100 thousand (6%) with a national center in Kosovska Mitrovica.
In the medieval period, the core of the medieval Serbian state formed on the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, and from the 14th century until 1767, the throne of the Serbian patriarch was located here (near the city of Pec). Therefore, the claims of the Serbs to the province of Kosovo and Metohija are based on the principles of historical law. Albanians, in turn, insist on the predominance of ethnic law.

Historically, Albanians have long lived in Kosovo, but did not constitute a significant part of the population until the beginning of the 20th century. To a large extent ethnic composition The region began to change after World War II, when Josip Broz Tito allowed the Albanians who ended up in Yugoslavia during the war to stay in Kosovo. For the first time, the territory of Kosovo was separated into an autonomous region within Serbia within the framework of the Federal People's Republic of Yugoslavia in 1945. The Yugoslav Constitution of 1974 granted the territories that were part of Serbia the de facto status of republics, with the exception of the right to secede. Kosovo, as an autonomous socialist region, received its own constitution, legislation, supreme authorities, as well as its own representatives in all major union bodies.

However, in the late 1980s, the result of the internal political crisis, which led to a surge of violence and major economic difficulties, was the abolition of the autonomous status of Kosovo. A new basic law of Serbia was adopted, which entered into force on September 28, 1990 and restored the supremacy of republican laws over regional laws throughout the republic. Kosovo was left with only territorial and cultural autonomy.

Kosovo Albanians did not recognize the new constitution; Parallel Albanian power structures began to be created. In 1991, an illegal referendum was held in Kosovo, which approved the independence of Kosovo. Kosovo nationalists proclaimed the unrecognized "Republic of Kosovo" and elected Ibrahim Rugova as president. The Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was created in 1996 to fight for independence.

In 1998, the inter-ethnic conflict escalated into bloody armed clashes. On September 9, 1998, the NATO Council approved a plan for military intervention in the Kosovo conflict. On March 24, 1999, without UN sanction, a NATO military operation called "Allied Force" began, which lasted until June 20, 1999, when the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops was completed.

Since 1999, more than 200,000 ethnic Serbs have left the region due to ethnic conflicts between Serbs and Albanian separatists.

Today, Kosovo settlement remains the most problematic issue Balkan agenda. In accordance with UN Security Council Resolution No. 1244 of June 10, 1999, the central role in the peace process is assigned to the UN and its Security Council, and the civilian UN Interim Administration Mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) and the Kosovo Force (KFOR) are deployed in the province. 16.5 thousand military personnel.

Under the auspices of UNMIK, there is an international police force (3,000 men). Its tasks include ensuring law and order in the province, monitoring the activities of the Kosovo Police Service (6.2 thousand people). The quota of the Russian police contingent in UNMIK is 81 people.

In May 2001, the head of UNMIK approved the "Constitutional Framework for Interim Self-Government in Kosovo", which fixed the procedure for the formation of regional power structures. In accordance with this document, on November 17, 2001, the first elections to the Assembly (Parliament) of Kosovo were held.

On October 24, 2005, the UN Security Council, in the form of a presidential statement, gave the green light to the process of determining the future status of Kosovo. Martti Ahtisaari (Finland) has become the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General for the status process. The meeting of the Contact Group (CG) at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers, held in Washington on November 2, 2005, approved the "Guidelines" for the development of the future status of Kosovo. The document fixes the priority of the negotiated solution, the leading role of the UN Security Council at all stages of the status process, the consideration of all status options with the exception of the division of Kosovo, as well as the return of the situation in the province to the period before 1999 and unification with other territories.

One of the factors influencing the development of a decision on the status of the province was the constitution of Serbia, adopted as a result of a nationwide referendum on October 28-29, 2006. Its preamble contains the provision that Kosovo is an integral part of Serbia.

Russia supports international efforts aimed at building a democratic multi-ethnic society in Kosovo on the basis of UN Security Council Resolution 1244. Russia is actively participating in the solution of the Kosovo problem within the framework of the UN Security Council and the Contact Group (Russia, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, USA, France). At the same time, the Russian side upholds the priority of a negotiated settlement, the principles of universality and multivariance in resolving the issue of Kosovo's status, rejecting the thesis that there is no alternative to the independence of the province. Russia proposed to develop a "road map", which could take into account the legitimate interests of the parties and the priorities of the leading international factors of the Kosovo settlement, marked the milestones of the parties' movement towards agreement, including on the paths of their European integration prospects. The United States believes that the only way out of the impasse is the "Ahtisaari plan", which implies an independent status for the region under international control. Representatives of the US and the European Union say that the negotiations have exhausted themselves, and the status of the region will be determined within the framework of the EU and NATO.

Kosovo is a small piece of land in the south of the former Yugoslavia. Today it is a partially recognized state, since many countries, including Russia, do not recognize Kosovo's independence. Until now, the status of the country and its history causes a lot of controversy, in which Kosovo acts as a symbol of confrontation between the United States and Russia. Unfortunately for the country, it did not go beyond the role of a symbol in the political struggle of the superpowers.

Today, Kosovars are among the poorest people in Europe. In various ratings, Kosovo is usually compared in terms of living standards with Belarus and Moldova, but in appearance everything is much worse. There is practically no production of its own, with the exception of the enterprises of the Kosovo Steel Group, although the United States is going to build a military plant here. As of 2015, a third of the population of Kosovo lived on less than 1.42 euros a day. The unemployment rate here reaches 45%, and residents prefer to leave for other countries in search of a better life. Most migrants seek asylum in Germany, Austria and Scandinavia, while others settle in Hungary. Those who were able to leave send money to their homeland and live like that.

According to the World Bank, Kosovo demonstrates rather high economic growth rates for the Balkans - 3% last year (Montenegro - 3.4%, Serbia - 0.9%). But without constant investment from the EU and the creation of new jobs, the country simply will not survive.

They don't have their own money here, they use the euro. Back in 1999, the region adopted German marks in order to abandon the Serbian dinar. When Germany switched to the euro, Kosovo inherited this currency: the UN mission in Kosovo (UNMIK) used the euro, and the Kosovars have not yet invented their own currency.

But since 2008, they have been printing their own passports, which can be used to travel abroad. Kosovar can travel to those states that have recognized the independence of the republic. There is no way to get into Russia, but they say you can get into China or Spain. Only Greece and Slovakia have officially announced that they do not recognize the independence of Kosovo, but recognize the passports of citizens of the republic and are ready to let them in.

In the conflict between Kosovo and Serbia, Russia has always been on the side of the latter. But I did not notice any particular hostility towards the Russians in Kosovo, probably because Russia did not take active actions against the Albanian "liberators". Many locals, including Albanians, communicate quite friendly. Serbs have mixed feelings about Russians. On the one hand, of course, "brothers", on the other, there was resentment that Moscow did not really help to keep Kosovo in difficult years.

The main reason for the negative attitude towards the Russians in Kosovo can be our football fans, who at every match with the participation of the Albanian and Russian teams (whether national teams or clubs) continue to shout that "Kosovo is Serbia!" By the way, the other day Kosovo was also accepted into UEFA, so soon expect at least brawls in the stands.

A bit of history.

Once upon a time, the region was really Serbian, and the Serbian patriarch even sat in the city of Pec. Everything changed when the Turks came. Serbs from Kosovo were consistently ousted, although they fiercely resisted. The Albanians, on the other hand, liked the Turks with their Islam at first, so that already in the middle of the 19th century the population was divided 50 to 50. Then the Albanians decided that they didn’t really need the Turks either, and created their own state.

When Yugoslavia came together from small pieces in 1918, the Serbs hoped to drive the Albanians out of Kosovo once and for all. But then the Second World War happened. The Italians just took and annexed Kosovo to Albania. The Albanians were encouraged and drove out as many Serbs as they could. When Yugoslavia was nevertheless liberated, Tito set to work. He hoped to chop off Albania for himself, so he actively stimulated the next settlement of Kosovo by Albanians.

With the coming to power of Milosevic, the Albanian freemen ended, but then it was time for Yugoslavia to disintegrate. On September 22, 1991, the Republic of Kosovo declared independence, and Albania recognized it a month later. Yugoslavia was not going to let go of its land anywhere, and another massacre began in the region with the active participation of the Kosovo Liberation Army (this is such an Albanian guerrilla-terrorist group), the Yugoslav army, and then NATO. During the fighting, most of the Serbian population left the region, and it became almost completely Albanian.

The situation escalated again in 1999, when the Albanians accused the Serbs of genocide due to the massacre in Racak. Whether there was a massacre of civilians or not is still a moot point. But for NATO, this was the reason to start bombing Belgrade.

Since 1999, Kosovo has been under the control of the UN, which has gradually transferred power to the local administration. Former Albanian field commanders ended up in power, which did not add love to the republic from the Serbs. In 2008, the Republic of Kosovo declared its independence for the second time. By that time, the former Yugoslav region had not been subordinate to Belgrade for a long time.

Now the population of Kosovo is almost entirely Albanians. Serbs live in a small group in the north of Kosovo and are not subject to Pristina. The republic lives its own life, trying to develop the economy, it does not particularly conflict with Serbia, because it is one of the main trading partners.

Kosovo's independence has already been recognized by 108 states out of 193 UN members. But Kosovo cannot become a full member of the UN as long as Russia and China, members of the Security Council, oppose it. In fact, it has long been an independent territory, but in limbo. These Kosovars are strange guys: they could have held a referendum on joining Albania a long time ago (as is customary in decent countries) and not take a steam bath. Why torment Belgrade like that, which is still hoping and waiting...

Russians are remembered here from 1999, when our paratroopers outplayed everyone, making the famous throw at Pristina. At that moment, when President Clinton and the NATO command were already opening champagne and celebrating the victory, Yeltsin decided that the celebration would not be complete without our paratroopers. And since we were not invited, we ourselves will come. And they came.

On June 10, 1999, the main part of the NATO military operation in the former Yugoslavia ended, and on June 12 they wanted to send peacekeeping troops to Kosovo. Ours were stationed 700 km from Pristina, in Bosnia and Herzegovina. On the night of the 12th, 200 of our paratroopers in armored personnel carriers and trucks moved into Kosovo and easily captured the Slatina airport. The airport was important because it was the only one in the region that could receive any type of aircraft, including heavy military transport. And it was through him that the Americans planned to launch a ground operation. Our dug in at the airport, set up their roadblocks and also began to open champagne.

On the morning of the 12th, guests from NATO arrived in tanks and helicopters. The reception was not exactly warm. Our paratroopers did not allow British helicopters to land. The British tankers ran into a Russian barrier, behind which stood a simple Russian soldier with a grenade launcher. There was an awkward pause, but the conflict was avoided. The commander of the British grouping in the Balkans, Michael Jackson, said that "he will not allow his soldiers to unleash a third world war". Instead of attacking, he gave the command to surround the airfield.

As history has shown, Yeltsin could not take advantage of the successes of our paratroopers and soon leaked everything to the Americans. Slatina airport was recognized as a joint base for peacekeeping forces under Russian protection. In 2003, we completely left Kosovo. Chief of the General Staff Anatoly Kvashnin then remarked: "We have no strategic interests left in the Balkans, and we will save twenty-five million dollars a year on the withdrawal of peacekeepers."

Today, Kosovars consider the Americans heroes who helped them free themselves from Serb oppression.

01. The central street of the capital of Kosovo, Pristina, is called Bill Clinton Boulevard: this is the gratitude of the Kosovars for saving them from the Yugoslav army. By the way, the boulevard is crossed by the street of George Bush (presumably the youngest, because it was under him that the States recognized the independence of Kosovo). And for some reason, in several Kosovo cities there are streets named after Woodrow Wilson.

02. The street was inaugurated in 2002 by the President of Kosovo, Ibrahim Rugova.

03. At the same time, a portrait of Clinton measuring 15 by 6 meters was installed on a local residential high-rise building - a gift from the Albanian diaspora in the United States.

04. In November 2009, a monument to Clinton was unveiled next to the same house. It is a bronze-looking statue three meters high. Next to the monument there is a plate carved with a quote from Clinton's speech, in which he promised to support the idea of Kosovo's freedom to the end.

05. The monument stands in a very depressing area, against its background there is an advertisement for pate and bread, around graffiti and devastation.

06. Around the corner - a garbage dump.

07. America is loved here.

08. If you need to hang a flag, then hang a lot at once. Necessarily the flag of Kosovo, the flag of Albania, the flags of the United States and the European Union.

09. Optionally, you can hang a NATO flag.

10. The joy of gaining independence quickly passed. The Americans and the European Union forgot about Kosovo: there are many things to do, and the country ended up with nothing.

11. Now you can meet a cow in the city center.

12. Inscription on the wall: "Where is Ukshin Hoti?" There was such a professor of international law and philosophy at the University of Pristina (an Albanian, of course), who was actively pressed by the Serbian authorities from the 80s, and in 1994 was eventually imprisoned. In 1999, the term of imprisonment expired, but Hoti disappeared. Nobody has seen him since. The Kosovars believe that he has already died, and the Serbian punishers are to blame for this.

13. Chuck Norris - NIS agent. At least that's how Google translated it. NIS is the Serbian subsidiary of Gazprom Neft. If everything is correct, then the slogan is quite in the spirit of our Monstration.

14. Obituaries are hung right on the poles in the center.

15. The city is very poor, devastation and dirt are everywhere.

16. The inscription on the banner on the right: "The 643-day strike continues for the former workers of the stainless steel pipe factory in Ferizai." Ferizai is the Albanian name for the city of Uroševac. Above the inscription: "Day 710". That is, the strike went a little beyond its time limit. On the left, as I understand it, the dates of court decisions, apparently somehow related to the closure of the plant.

17. View from my hotel window

18. Sale of cigarettes

19. Many houses are abandoned.

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21. One of the most famous buildings in Pristina is the National Library of Kosovo. It was built in 1982 by the Croatian architect Andrija Mutnyakovich. It has two characteristic features, because of which it constantly falls into the ratings of the strangest and most ridiculous buildings in the world. These are anti-aircraft windows with domes of various sizes (there are 99 of them in total) and metal honeycombs that completely cover the facade. The building itself consists of parallelepipeds of different sizes.

22. How do you feel? The author of the library project claims that the architecture of the building is a mixture of Byzantine and Islamic forms. In other sources, the architect noted that this style is associated with the "pre-Romanesque architecture of the Balkans."

23. A few meters from the entrance, vegetable gardens are laid out and clothes are being dried. Now there is no time for knowledge.

24. Interior.

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26. Corner of Civilization - American Center. There are even automatic doors, and there are computers inside.

27. Around - Kosovo depression.

28. The country is Muslim, but you can't tell it from the outside. Few walk in scarves.

29. In terms of fashion, local women are very relaxed.

30. I heard that these are some fashionable shoes about which Shnurov sang.

31. Fashion

32. In the center stands the unfinished Serbian Orthodox Cathedral of Christ the Savior. At one time, the war and the flight of the Serb population of Pristina prevented the completion of the temple. Since 1999, Albanian radicals have regularly desecrated it (for example, someone thought to relieve themselves right in the church building), and the temple also served as a rooming house for the homeless. In early 2016, the Kosovo authorities installed new metal doors in the building, but this is hardly a reliable way to protect it. Ideas were voiced in the local media to make a nightclub or a museum in the church, but it never came to that.

33. And this is being completed by the Catholic Cathedral named after Mother Teresa, who, as you remember, was an Albanian. Nobody is going to desecrate it.

34. Mosque

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36. Kosovo is very fond of emphasizing that they are part of Europe.

37. In fact, Kosovo today is a poor, dirty country that no one cares about. Along the route to Macedonia, there are a huge number of shops that dismantle and sell old household appliances, tires, furniture and other rubbish that flocks here from all sides of well-fed Europe.

38. The main advantage of Kosovo is that you can quickly leave here. No matter where. Any country bordering Kosovo would be much better off.

Tomorrow I'll tell you about Pristina, the capital of Kosovo.

You can get from Belgrade to Pristina by a regular daily bus, which we did by walking around the capital of Serbia. The territory of the Republic of Kosovo, according to the Constitution of Serbia, is part of the Republic of Serbia and is part of it as the Autonomous Region of Kosovo and Metohija, so we did not formally leave Serbia. However, Kosovo is a self-proclaimed state, and in 2010 the International Court of Justice recognized the legitimacy of the decision of the Kosovo authorities to declare independence. Many countries of the world also recognized their independence. When leaving Serbia, we were not given any stamps in our passports about crossing the border, but the Kosovo border guards “stamped” our documents, marking them as arrivals ... In the capital of Kosovo, the city of Pristina, we settled in a small hotel owned by an Albanian family, which itself lives in it. The father of the family is an elderly man, a professor of the Russian language, and he used to teach at the university. But his son, who manages affairs at the hotel, does not know Russian at all, so we communicated with him only in English.

1. The population of Pristina is about 200 thousand people. Walking on the first day through the streets, we Danlux came across a monument to Bill Clinton. And the boulevard where this sculpture is located is also named after the ex-president of America. Next to the monument on the lawn is a plate carved with a quote from Clinton's speech, where he assures that he will support the idea of Kosovo's freedom to the very end. Albanians are grateful to him for his help in achieving independence. Bill was personally present at the opening of the monument.

3. In general, the "American theme" in this city is somehow too much: five meters from the Clinton monument there is a women's clothing store "Hillary". Every now and then you meet young people dressed in T-shirts with the image of the American flag. There is a street named after George W. Bush, there is an American school and even an American university. And on the roof of one of the hotels is a small copy of the Statue of Liberty. I have not been to America yet, but in Pristina I sometimes had the feeling that I was in one of the US states...

4. Residential buildings next to the Clinton monument.

7. A tent was set up on one of the squares in the city center, where doctors were on duty. It was quite hot and sunny outside, you could go up to such a tent, measure your blood pressure (which Denis did), take bottled water for free, get a consultation.

8. Monument to Skanderberg - the leader of the Albanian anti-Ottoman uprising of the 15th century, the national hero of the Albanians, sung in folk songs. Behind is the government building.

9. Pedestrian street in the city center.

10. Monument to Mother Teresa on a pedestrian street, a Catholic church named after her is also being built in the city (it can be seen in the sixth photo). Albanians are very proud that Mother Teresa, although born in what is now Macedonia, was an Albanian by nationality.

11. Such memorial plaques in memory of the fallen soldiers of the Kosovo Liberation Army can often be found in the city.

12. Unusually give the crowns of trees a shape.

13. In the center of Pristina there is a "space" building, which is the hallmark of the city. This is the Public Library.

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15. Next to the library is an abandoned, unfinished and desecrated Orthodox church more than once. Many Orthodox churches in the country were destroyed.

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19. Installation "Newborn" (newborn) was installed on the first anniversary of independence. The letters are painted with the flags of countries that have recognized the sovereignty of Kosovo, the Russian flag is missing here, as you might guess.

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21. A sports complex used to be located here, and now it is a large shopping center.

22. Speed bump in Pristina.

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24. To be honest, when we went to Kosovo, I expected to see a large number of military equipment and people in uniform, because the war for independence took place in this territory not so long ago. But we did not see any tanks in Kosovo, we only saw the remaining road signs limiting either the speed or the carrying capacity of NATO tanks on the roads. Peace and tranquility in the region is provided by KFOR (Kosovo Force - an international force led by NATO) from different countries, and many of them are women.

25. Museum of local lore.

26. In some places in the center of Pristina you can find small houses of the century before last.

27. Walked through residential areas.

28.

29. A month and a half after our return, on July 1 of this year, the Kosovo authorities introduced a visa regime for 87 countries, including Russia. Russian citizens can obtain a Kosovo visa only through the country's embassy in Istanbul.

30. After Kosovo, we traveled around Montenegro, and then returned to Belgrade again, and so, on departure from Belgrade, the border guards in Denis's passport over the stamps put by the Kosovo border guards at the entrance and exit from Kosovo put the stamp "not valid". They didn’t notice these stamps in my passport, so they didn’t put anything on top :)

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