The Destruction of Infrastructure in Kosovo
- Housing destruction
- During the conflict, closely linked to NATO bombing, Kosovo suffered from widespread housing destruction.
- A UN-supported survey found around 120,000 homes damaged, with over 40,000 completely destroyed, costing an estimated €1.1 billion.
- Public facilities, including schools and hospitals, incurred an additional €40 million in damages.
- Collapse of essential services
- Bombing and looting disabled key services such as electricity, water, and sewage, which fuelled health crises.
- Local councils lost critical records, with around 80% of cadastral data destroyed, complicating reconstruction efforts.
Case study
The Obilić Power Plant Complex (Kosovo A and B)
- Pre-war importance
- Located near Pristina, the lignite-fueled plants produced approximately 90% of Kosovo’s electricity before the war.
- Kosovo B, the newer plant, was especially vital due to its larger capacity and relatively modern design.
- NATO strikes and targeting
- NATO claimed it avoided directly bombing major energy-producing facilities to prevent a humanitarian disaster.
- However, the Serbian military’s use of infrastructure made the plants vulnerable.
- In 1999, power transmission lines and transformers linked to Kosovo A and B were targeted to disrupt Serbian military logistics.
- Damage and decline
- Though not completely destroyed, the plants suffered severe degradation due to neglect, looting, and lack of maintenance during and after the war.
- Key systems such as copper wiring, turbines, and control systems were vandalized or stolen.
- Kosovo A, already outdated, became nearly inoperable, while Kosovo B functioned with reduced capacity.
- Post-war environmental issues
- The plants already lacked modern filtration systems, and post-conflict breakdowns further worsened air quality.
- The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) identified Kosovo A as “one of the worst single-point sources of pollution in Europe.”
- Transportation and housing destruction
- Around 13 bridges were destroyed, railway lines disrupted, and telecoms collapsed.
- One-third of rural homes were damaged, while cities such as Peć, Mitrovica, and Đakovica saw up to 90% housing destruction.
- Environmental and ecological impact
- NATO strikes caused fires at industrial and energy sites, releasing toxic chemicals and DU substances.
- The bombardment impaired water sources, soils, and forests, creating long-term regional ecological risks.
- Economic collapse
- The conflict hit Kosovo’s fragile economy: banks failed, farms were abandoned, businesses looted, and mines shuttered.
- Overall Serbian/Yugoslav infrastructure losses were estimated at $30 billion, with post-war Kosovo reconstruction dependent on major donor support.
Case study
The Destruction of the Monastery of the Holy Archangels (Prizren) – An Example of Retaliation
- Historical and cultural significance
- The Monastery of the Holy Archangels was a 14th-century Serbian Orthodox complex.
- It symbolized Serbian medieval statehood and spiritual heritage in Kosovo, holding cultural, religious, and national importance for Serbs.
- Though partly in ruins by the 20th century, it remained sacred and symbolically powerful for the Serbian Orthodox Church.
- Destruction in 1999
- Despite earlier damage under the Ottomans and later Yugoslav neglect, the monastery was set on fire and destroyed by ethnic Albanian extremists in June 1999.
- This occurred just days after the withdrawal of Yugoslav forces and the arrival of NATO troops (KFOR).
- Symbolic and political impact
- The destruction was not only a physical loss but also a symbolic assault on Serbian cultural identity in Kosovo.
- For many Serbs, it confirmed fears that the end of Yugoslav control would bring cultural erasure.
- The event echoed the wider pattern of ethnic and cultural retaliation post-ceasefire and was widely cited in Serbian and international media as evidence of reverse ethnic cleansing and cultural persecution.
