The news as we copy it below is, for the most part, limited only to daily reports on the refugees themselves. We are beginning with the most recent days, for ease of navigation.

Saturday, July 10, 1999:

A UNIT OF paratroopers drove into a heavily damaged cement factory on the outskirts of the town of Kosovska Kamenica to take over from U.S. army soldiers who had been using the building as part of their headquarters in the area.

“If this facility was good enough for the (U.S.) Marines it is good enough for us,” said Russian Lieutenant-Colonel Alexander Markov,” surveying the damaged factory.

He said Russian forces would seek to quell ethnic Albanian fears that they might favor the Serbs, Moscow’s traditional allies in the region.

“We’re only here to do the job of peacekeepers, to give support and to help Serbs and Albanians. We do not make any difference between them,” Markov told Reuters.

FIRST STAGE OF DEPLOYMENT

A small group of Serbs came up to the front gate of the factory to welcome the Russians, who had left Pristina airport earlier in the day in a column of armored personnel cars and trucks.

It was the first stage of a deployment of Russian peacekeepers to towns and cities in Kosovo.

The troops had begun arriving in significant numbers earlier on Saturday in military transport planes — although 200 Russian paratroopers had spectacularly snatched control of the airport in June, just before NATO peacekeepers could get there.

The Russian deployment has been held up by disagreements with the NATO alliance on the role of the Russian soldiers.

NATO refused to let them take charge of a sector, fearing it would attract an influx of Kosovo Serbs, who see the Russians as Slavic kin and allies, and lead to a partition of the province into Serb and ethnic Albanian territories.

Under an agreement with NATO, the Russians will operate in peacekeeping sectors run by French, American and German troops.

Thousands of ethnic Albanians have been mounting regular demonstrations, notably in Orahovac, opposing the deployment of the Russians, whom they see as too sympathetic to Belgrade.

A spokesman for the KFOR peacekeeping force said Russia would also send one battalion to Lausa in the north of Kosovo and two to the Malisevo region. Some troops would remain at a logistics base in Kosovo Polje, close to the provincial capital Pristina.

More Russian troops and equipment will begin arriving in mid-July after five Russian ships carrying some 500 vehicles and 2,000 personnel dock in the Greek port of Thessaloniki.

The Russian contingent in KFOR is eventually expected to number 3,600.

REPORTS OF MASS GRAVES

Amid new reports Friday of more mass graves in Kosovo, there were signs that the 12-year regime of Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic is increasingly under fire. Tens of thousands in Yugoslavia have called for his resignation in recent days, with rallies in towns throughout Serbia, including former Milosevic strongholds.

The anti-Milosevic movement has been fueled by a 50 percent unemployment rate and $30 billion in damages from the NATO air assault. The Serb Orthodox Church, a traditional Milosevic ally, now publicly accuses the president of war crimes and betrayal in Kosovo.

In the army, disgruntled reservists have protested months of unpaid wages, while soldiers must face the deep embarrassment of losing four wars in 10 years.

Sunday, June 27, 1999:

From MSNBC:

AS THE Russians disembarked, there were more reports of looting in Pristina and ethnic Albanians burning or taking over Serb homes in the western town of Pec. A potentially explosive confrontation was defused in one northern town when an ethnic Albanian rebel leader stepped in at the last minute to urge calm.

An Ilyushin-76 jet carrying 21 paratroopers and 18 airport technicians touched down at Pristina's airport in the early afternoon, the first airplane to land in Kosovo since NATO began its peacekeeping mission two weeks ago. It was followed moments later by a French transport carrying equipment to help make the airport fully operational.

Saturdays arrivals were the first of a planned 12 flights — six Russian and six NATO — into the airport over the next 10 days, NATO spokesman Jan Joosten said. The flights will bring technicians and equipment to make the airport fully operational for flights to ferry in humanitarian supplies and peacekeeping troops.

The Russians will join about 200 of their countrymen who seized Slatina Airport on June 12 after traveling overland from Bosnia, beating NATO into Kosovo by hours and forcing tough negotiations on Russia's role in the peacekeeping mission.

On Saturday, British and Russian troops mingled on the tarmac. A Russian flag and the flag of Russian airborne forces flew atop the terminal building, with a British flag off to one side.

"This is all part of bringing Kosovo back to normality and the better future that we all hope for all the people of Kosovo," said British Lt. Gen. Mike Jackson, the NATO commander in Kosovo.

Jackson said he and Col. Gen. Viktor Zavarzin, who led the Russians onto the airfield two weeks ago, "have developed a very good relationship, which I look on as a model for the future."

Zavarzin said: "We are here to ensure that peace returns and order returns to Kosovo so people can return to their homes and no more violence is witnessed."

Russia plans to deploy about 3,600 peacekeepers alongside a NATO-led force that eventually will include 55,000 troops. The entire Russian force should be in place within 45 days, said Col. Gen. Leonid Ivashov, who is in charge of foreign relations for the Russian Defense Ministry.

They will join a peacekeeping mission that so far has been unable to curb mounting unrest. Ethnic Albanians have been seeking revenge for atrocities committed by Serb-led Yugoslav forces since President Slobodan Milosevic cracked down on Kosovo separatists in February 1998.

FLASHPOINT KOSOVSKA MITROVICA

One flashpoint is the northern mining city of Kosovska Mitrovica, where Serbs and ethnic Albanians control separate parts of the town. A potential clash was averted at the last minute Saturday when the leader of the rebel Kosovo Liberation Army, Hashim Thaci, persuaded about 500 ethnic Albanians to call off a march into the Serb-held area.

"We want to solve our problems peacefully," Thaci said. He was accompanied by the U.N. special envoy for Kosovo, Sergio Vieira de Mello, who said the march "would be a disaster" if it proceeded.

In the western city of Pec, Serbs continued to flee. Smoke rose from piles of burning debris as refugees cleared out ransacked homes and moved in.

"It's not my home. It's another home," said Hajrie Bucolli, a returning ethnic Albanian refugee, as she laid claim to an abandoned Serb apartment. "I feel bad. But they asked for it."

In Pristina, looters who weren't confronted by British troops ran into other problems. On man was killed by a booby trap as he broke into an apartment, Hodges said. In another incident, one looter accidentally shot and killed one of his companions.

Late Friday, gunmen opened fire on a U.S. Marine outpost near the center of Gnjilane in southeastern Kosovo. The Marines returned fire and called for reinforcements, who found one wounded gunman nearby. He later died, according to the U.S. European Command.

It was the second sniper attack this week against the Marines, who killed one Serb and wounded two others in a gun battle Wednesday.

In the southern town of Lipljane, British soldiers arrested a member of the Serbian Interior Ministry police accused of involvement in as many as 56 murders in Kosovo, a British forces spokesman said Saturday.

Hodges said the man, who was not identified, was not on a list of suspects indicted by the international war crimes tribunal, but tribunal officials have been notified.

Hodges said the arrest was made on the basis of the accounts of witnesses who said they saw some of the killings. He said the killings occurred over a period of time, but gave no other details about them.

SURGE OF REFUGEES: Meanwhile, ethnic Albanians continued to pour back into the province.

About 48,000 ethnic Albanians returned on Thursday alone, said Paula Ghedini, a spokeswoman for the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees. That brought to more than 300,000 the number who have flooded back into the southern Serb province from Albania and Macedonia in the past 10 days.

"This is one of the largest spontaneous returns that we have ever seen in the last 25 years of any operation," she said at a briefing in Pristina, Kosovo's capital.

Friday, June 4, 1999

KOSOVANS: PEACE, RETURNS AGREED 4 Jun. 99 – NATO planes have continued to attack Yugoslavia as western leaders watch for a Serb withdrawal from Kosovo as required by the peace plan agreed yesterday by Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic, reports BBC News. The agreement provides for an end to the fighting in Kosovo, the rapid withdrawal of Serb forces, deployment of a security force "with essential NATO participation," safe and free return of the refugees and autonomy for Kosovo. The New York Times quotes the text as saying: "The international security presence with substantial NATO participation must be deployed under unified command and control and authorised to establish a safe environment of all people in Kosovo and to facilitate the safe return to their homes of all displaced persons and refugees." It also proposes: "Safe and free return of all refugees and displaced persons under the supervision of the UNHCR and unimpeded access to Kosovo by humanitarian aid organisations." The Guardian reports the promise of peace and a safe return for a million refugees under NATO protection came yesterday when Milosevic formally accepted the joint European Union-Russian peace terms. The Times reports British Prime Minister Tony Blair said yesterday the top priority was to get the refugees home "as swiftly as possible." [Deal agreed but bombing continues – http://news.bbc.co.uk; Kosovo Peace Accord – 10 Steps To Verifiable End Of Violence – www.nytimes.com; 'Peace is within our grasp' – www.newsunlimited.co.uk; Too soon to claim victory, Blair says – www.the-times.co.uk]

Wednesday, June 2, 1999, from the Washington Post:

KOSOVO: RISKY AIRDROP FOR DISPLACED TO START 2 Jun. 99 – Responding to reports of starvation among ethnic Albanians displaced inside Kosovo, a private relief group backed by the US government is beginning a risky mission that NATO planes have not yet dared to undertake: air-dropping food to thousands of people struggling to survive in mountain hideouts, reports the Washington Post. The drops, by planes and pilots from Moldova, are being organised by the International Rescue Committee (IRC) with funding from USAID. The first flight was due to leave from Italy today and drop 5,000 leaflets advising that "food rations and other emergency supplies" are on the way.

Tomorrow, cargo planes painted white with orange stripes are to start dropping special "humanitarian daily rations." IRC informed the Yugoslav mission to the United Nations of its plans last week and was told Belgrade "will not give permission," said Barbara Smith, IRC's vice president for overseas operations. The committee nevertheless decided to go ahead with the airdrops and to advise Yugoslavia of each flight. The Yugoslav mission in New York said air drops without Belgrade's approval are "unacceptable" and suggested the planes risked being shot down. Hugh Parmer, a USAID assistant administrator, said the dangers are outweighed by the threat of starvation to many internal refugees. [Group to Air-Drop Food to Starving People in Kosovo – www.washingtonpost.com]

Tuesday, June 1, 1999, from UNHCR News:

In a sudden change in policy, the Serbian border police are only allowing people with valid papers to leave for the FYR of Macedonia. As a result of this new move, on Monday, Serbian police turned back 64 refugees who arrived at the Jazince border on a bus from Gnjilane and a family of seven.

For a week last month, more than 30,000 people were brought to the border on trains and buses in a renewed wave of expulsions from Kosovo.

Most of the 331 people who entered the FYR of Macedonia on Monday came through the mountain passes. Several dozen with valid papers were let in through the official crossings, including 16 who entered through the main immigration control at Blace. In some of the cases, UNHCR had to intervene before the refugees were allowed into Macedonian territory.

The refugees from Gnjilane reported a significant increase in the harassment and expulsion of Kosovars, including the detention of young men and targeting of intellectuals. They said that 16 children wounded in an explosion this week were unable to get medical treatment. They said there were no Albanian doctors available and Serbians were refusing admission to Albanians in hospitals. They said hospitals were filled with wounded Serbian police and soldiers. They also reported food shortages and that Serbian shops were refusing to sell to Albanians.

In a meeting with defense officials in Skopje, UNHCR reviewed operations in the FYR of Macedonia since refugee arrivals increased in April. UNHCR has spent the equivalent of $15 million in the country. The figure excludes food purchases by WFP, but includes payroll for local staff and the cost of other goods and services. It also includes $3.5 million paid to the government for the construction of camps.

Meanwhile, work has begun at the new camp site at Vrapciste following an agreement with the Ministry of Urban Planning and Construction. Work will proceed in three phases. Initial construction will include camp roads and latrines and the setting up of water bladders and 50 tents. The camp is expected to hold up to 6,000 refugees.

Monday, May 31, 1999, from MSNBC.com:

Refugee surge in Italy: Calm seas carried hundreds of would-be refugees across the Adriatic to Italy on Monday, the latest in a growing influx that has seen more than 10,000 new arrivals in May alone. Italian forces patrolling the southern coast of Puglia intercepted more than 400 by midday. Most said they came from Kosovo and many sought political asylum.

Sunday, May 30, 1999, from MSNBC.com:

On the refugee front, the International Rescue Committee said it had informed Yugoslav officials of its plans to make daily food airdrops, beginning in the next few days.

Yugoslav officials reportedly have not objected, said Barbara Smith, the IRC's vice president for overseas programs.

Reports from refugees in camps in Macedonia and Albania say groups of ethnic Albanians hiding in Kosovo's high mountain passes have so little food they are eating leaves.

IRC President Reynold Levy said at a news conference in New York that the flights would be coordinated with NATO but that their safety could not be guaranteed.

Friday, May 28, 1999, from MSNBC.com:

• Aid held up?

NATO accused Yugoslav authorities on Friday of holding back international aid for Kosovo as a U.N. aid agency called for immediate action to tackle food shortages among 550,000 displaced ethnic Albanians. NATO claimed 28 trucks were being blocked at the border in Montenegro on the assumption that they did not have the right documents.

Monday, May 24, 1999, from MSNBC.com:

Early Monday, U.N. refugee workers persuaded Macedonian government officials to take in more than 3,000 Kosovo Albanian refugees after an hours-long standoff in the rain at the border. In Albania, some 1,000 refugee men who had been given up for dead after being singled out and arrested by Serb forces in Kosovo, crossed the border over the weekend. Many said they had been beaten before being released and aid officials said their physical condition was poor.

Saturday, May 22, 1999:

MORE REFUGEES

After a weeklong lull, more refugees arrived in Macedonia Saturday; U.N. officials said they expect as many as 5,000 by the end of the day.

About 3,700 refugees entered Albania from Kosovo on Friday, with many saying Serb security forces had banged on their doors and ordered them to leave.

NBC's Kevin Tibbles in Belgrade and The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.

Thursday, May 20, 1999:

Associated Press, filed at 10:15 p.m.EDT:

--Yugoslav soldiers block Montenegro's border with Croatia, confiscating Italian humanitarian aid and keeping trucks carrying supplies from entering the small, pro-Western Yugoslav republic, the Montena-fax news agency says.

Copyright 1999 The New York Times Company

Tuesday, May 18, 1999:

Reuters: David Scheffer, the State Department's ambassador-at- large for war crimes, said at least 5,000 people had been killed in mass executions in 75 Kosovo villages. Some 225,000 Kosovo men between the ages of 14 and 59 were missing.

Sunday, May 16, 1999:

CNN reported that another 1000 refugees fled Kosovo over the border crossing at Blace, Macedonia, yesterday. Ed: A thousand doesn't sound that large, but in light of Macedonia's vehement insistence for "no more," it is particularly disconcerting.

Tuesday, May 11, 1999:

From MSNBC.com:

Refugees leave Macedonia: About 150 reluctant Kosovo Albanian refugees were taken to a refugee camp in southeast Albania from camps in Macedonia overnight. The group left Macedonia in three buses on Monday as the first group in a planned relocation of several thousand refugees from Macedonia to Albania.

And nearly 4,000 refugees on Monday fled Kosovo for Albania, U.N. officials said. They were severely traumatized and had been on the move within Kosovo for 4-6 weeks, the officials said.

Report on atrocities: Secretary of State Madeleine Albright on Monday offered evidence of war crimes in Kosovo, including rape, execution and ethnic cleansing, and said the full extent of "evil" could be far worse.

"Horrific patterns of war crimes and crimes against humanity are emerging in Kosovo: systematic executions, organized rape and a well-planned program of terror and expulsion," Albright said at a briefing to release a new U.S. report on such crimes.

Saturday, May 8, 1999:

General news: Today 5,000 more refugees crossed the border into Albania.

Wednesday, May 5, 1999:

General news: The first group of Kosovo refugees (453) to come to the United States have left Macedonia and arrived in New Jersey.

Tuesday, May 4, 1999:

REFUGEES (MSNBC.com)

Two trainloads of Kosovo refugees arrived at the Blace border crossing into Macedonia on Tuesday, filling the checkpoint area as fast as aid workers could empty it and increasing pressure on crammed camps.

Paula Ghedini, spokeswoman for U.N. refugee agency UNHCR, said the trains brought more than 5,000 refugees. The latest arrivals began streaming across in light drizzle after 15 buses ferried away the last of an earlier batch to an unfinished camp that already houses 22,000 ethnic Albanians. Three trainloads within 24 hours disgorged several thousand refugees on Monday, the busiest day since early April when up to 68,000 were stranded in no-man's-land for days after fleeing what the West terms a Serb campaign of ethnic cleansing.

NBC’s Jim Miklaszewski contributed to this story, along with The Associated Press and Reuters.

Sunday, May 2, 1999:

REFUGEE EXODUS (MSNBC.com)

More 12,000 ethnic Albanians from Kosovo crossed into northern Albania on Friday, according to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, and at least 6,000 more crossed Saturday. Most refugees arriving in Albania on Saturday came from Prizren, the nearest major city to the mountain crossing from southwest Kosovo into northern Albania.

There were no reports of killings or other atrocities in Prizren, but several refugees said Serb forces had been taking away young men — from teen-agers to middle-aged men — and dressing them in military uniforms. It was impossible to verify the claims and unclear why such actions might be taken.

Xhemsid Halili, 64, said his family watched their house and others burn as they left their village of Llapa, near Podujevo in the north. On the road to Pristina, the Kosovo capital, Serb police stopped the tractor and ordered six young men off — two of his sons and four sons of his brother.

“They said all the young guys in the tractor will come with us,” said Halili. “They gathered them in one place and put them in buses.” He estimated there were 120 men put on the three buses that then drove away.

A U.N. refugee agency worker said Friday that the thousands coming from Prizren appeared to be signaling a Serb effort to clear Kosovo’s second-largest city of ethnic Albanians. Some of those crossing the border said they were forced out by armed Serb police and paramilitary fighters, but most indicated they decided to join the exodus instead of waiting around.

Prizren is the largest city near the stretch of Kosovo that borders Albania. In the past week, Serb forces have cleared villages along the corridor from Djakovica down to Prizren of thousands of ethnic Albanians. The city had previously been spared the widespread violence, burning and expulsions of other large cities such as Pec and the capital, Pristina. Since NATO launched its air campaign against Yugoslavia on March 24, more than 630,000 refugees have poured out of Kosovo, an estimated 373,000 of them into Albania, according to the U.N. refugee agency. At least 7,000 refugees were waiting to cross into Macedonia on Saturday, the U.N. refugee center said.











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