On July 18, 1999, the Russian Armed Forces awarded 23 soldiers who took part in the controversial and high-risk deployment into Kosovo, arriving a day before KFOR troops were stationed there during the night of June 10–11, 1999.
The soldiers, whose arrival in Pristina risked triggering a serious confrontation between Russia and NATO—and potentially even what some feared could escalate into a “Third World War”—were honored for what was described as their “bravery” during a special and symbolic ceremony held on July 18, 1999, at Pristina Airport, which had become the base of the Russian KFOR contingent.
The soldiers, who were later scheduled to return to Bosnia to continue their mission as part of SFOR, received their decorations from Major General Valery Yevtukhovich.
During the ceremony, they were also blessed by Russian Orthodox priest Father Mikhail.
Twenty-three soldiers, selected from among the hundreds serving in the Russian contingent, were recognized for the “courage” they displayed during the takeover of Pristina Airport approximately 40 days earlier.
The operation drew strong international reactions, as Russian forces entered Kosovo ahead of the planned deployment of KFOR despite an earlier agreement on cooperation with NATO.
Their premature arrival heightened tensions between Russia and Western countries.
Shortly after Russian troops took control of Pristina Airport, Russian President Boris Yeltsin awarded several of Russia’s highest-ranking military generals in Moscow, according to the Associated Press (AP).
The soldiers honored at the airport departed the following day to return to Bosnia, where they resumed their duties.
A day before the ceremony, then-KFOR Commander British General Michael Jackson expressed confidence that the Russian contingent’s mission within KFOR would be successful.
Speaking to journalists in Pristina, he said relations between Russian soldiers and their counterparts from other KFOR participating nations were already good.
He also called on Kosovo Albanians to welcome the Russian contingent.
In reality, the Russian troops were not welcomed, particularly in the predominantly Albanian areas where they were stationed. Residents of Rahovec—one of the municipalities where Russian forces were concentrated—protested for an extended period, demanding their withdrawal. That withdrawal finally took place on July 2, 2003, when Moscow decided to pull its troops out of Kosovo, citing the improved security situation in the territory.
