RS marks 15 years since NATO aggression against Serbia

BANJA LUKA - Republika Srpska (RS) on Monday marked the Remembrance Day for the victims of the 1999 NATO aggression against Serbia, then part of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, which also included Montenegro.

Members of the clergy of the Banja Luka Eparchy held a memorial service in the Cathedral Church of Christ the Saviour in Banja Luka for the victims of NATO air raids, which started on March 24, 1999.

Serbian Consul General Vladimir Nikolic told reporters that the NATO aggression and the injustice to the citizens of Serbia and Montenegro must never be forgotten.

The 78-day NATO air raids killed around 3,000 people, including 1,031 troops and policemen, and the rest were civilians, including 89 children.

Around 12,000 people were wounded - half of them civilians - including 2,700 children.

The damage resulting from the destruction caused in Serbia has been estimated at around USD 100 million.

Photo Tanjug, Z. Zestic (archive photo)