YUGOSLAVIA: FIRST GROUP OF RUSSIAN TROOPS ARRIVE AT PRISTINA'S SLATINA AIRPORT TO JOIN NATO LED PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN KOSOVO

Record ID: 504365

  • Title: YUGOSLAVIA: FIRST GROUP OF RUSSIAN TROOPS ARRIVE AT PRISTINA'S SLATINA AIRPORT TO JOIN NATO LED PEACEKEEPING FORCE IN KOSOVO
  • Date: 7th July 1999
  • Summary: PRISTINA, KOSOVO, YUGOSLAVIA (JULY 6, 1999) (REUTERS) SLV RUSSIAN ILYSHIN 76 , TRANSPORT PLANE LANDING (2 SHOTS) SV K FOR SOLDIER WATCHING PLANE LAND SLV PLANE TAXIING ON RUNWAY SV/SLV KFOR COMMANDER LIEUTENANT-GENERAL MIKE JACKSON WALKING DOWN AIRPORT PERIMETER (2 SHOTS) SV JACKSON SHAKING HANDS WITH DEPUTY COMMANDER OF RUSSIAN AIRBORNE FORCES VALERY YEVTUKHOVICH (4 SHOTS) SV JACKSON TALKING WITH RUSSIAN TROOPS SV RUSSIAN TROOPS STANDING OUTSIDE BUIDING SV JACKSON EXPLAINING MILITARY OPERATION TO RUSSIAN COMMANDER ,AND WALKING TOWARDS CAMOUFLAGED TENT SCU RUSSIAN COMMANDER OF RUSSIAN FORCES AT PRISTINA AIRPORT MAJOR-GENERAL ANATOLY VOICHKOVN (RUSSIAN) : "There were some technical problems as you know but we are now working on a timetable and we will be bringing in two or three planes a day." SLV CONVOY OF RUSSIAN VEHICLES DISEMBARKING FROM AIRCRAFT SV RUSSIAN TROOPS WALKING SLV PLANE TAXXING ALONG RUNWAY ,WITH MILITARY VEHICLES WAITING FOR TROOPS SLV RUSSIAN PLANE PARKED ON RUNWAY WITH TRUCKS SLV REAR OF AIRCRAFT, RUSSIAN PARATROOPERS DISEMBARKING FROM AIRCRAFT SV RUSSIAN SOLDIERS LOOKING AT PLANE SLV OPEN REAR OF AIRCRAFT WITH PARATROOPS WAITING TO UNLOAD EQUIPMENT SV PARATROOPS DISEMBARKING FROM BACK OF AIRCRAFT (3 SHOTS) SV PARATROOPERS PARADING ON RUNWAY (3 SHOTS) SCU COMMANDING OFFICER GIVING COMMANDS TO TROOPS SLV SOLDIERS ON PARADE SCU RUSSIAN WOMAN PARATROOPER SV OF RUSSIAN PARATROOPERS UNLOADING EQUIPMENT FROM AIRCRAFT (2 SHOTS) SLV TROOPS AND AIRCRAFT SV SOLDIERS SLV FRONT OF RUSSIAN AIRCRAFT WITH TROOPS
  • Embargoed: 22nd July 1999 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: PRISTINA, KOSOVO, YUGOSLAVIA
  • Country: Kosovo
  • Topics: Conflict,International Relations,Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA7IUS64J50TLKD2S58S8N25FCL
  • Story Text: An Ilyushin-76 carrying Russian troops who will join the NATO-led peacekeeping force in Kosovo has touched down at Pristina's Slatina airport.
    A Russian official at the airport confirmed the military transport aircraft was bringing the first group of the main contingent of Russian troops and said further flights were expected at two-hour intervals.
    The aircraft flew to Pristina on Tuesday (July 6) from Pskov airfield, about 600 km (400 miles) northwest of Moscow, and Nikolai Staskov, chief of staff of Russia's airborne forces, told Russia's NTV television it was carrying about 30 peacekeepers and equipment.
    Russia already has a few hundred troops at the airport in Pristina, where they arrived unexpectedly by road from Bosnia hours before the first NATO troops entered Kosovo on June 12.
    KFOR Commander Lieutentant-General Mike Jackson met senior Russian officers at the airport to coordinate the arrival of the remaining troops and to oversee KFOR and humanitarian aid flights expected later in the day.
    Moscow plans to fly in more troops from Russia to bring its total membership of the KFOR international peacekeeping force to about 3,600.
    The arrival of the main Russian contingent was delayed by a disagreement with NATO over the terms for the Russian troops to take part in the international force, but the dispute was solved at talks in Moscow on Monday.
    "I don't think there's any basis for this," Major-General Anatoly Voichkov, commander of Russian forces at the main Kosovo airport, said when asked about fears of ethnic Albanians that the Russians may side with their traditional Serb allies.
    "The main job and task of our contingent is the security and safety of everyone, whatever their nationality," he said.
    Voichkov said that each of the Russian Ilyushin military transport planes was bringing in equipment and about 30 to 40 personnel.
    Russian troops disembarked wearing U.N.-style blue berets.
    Spokesmen for the NATO-led KFOR peacekeeping force said four planes were due to land during the day, including one humanitarian aid flight for the United Nations.
    The arrival of the main Russian contingent was delayed by a disagreement with NATO over the terms for the Russian troops to take part in the international force, but the problem was cleared up at talks in Moscow on Monday.
    Voichkov did not go into details of how soon the Russian forces would be deployed.
    Russia already has a few hundred troops at the airport in Pristina, where they arrived unexpectedly by road from peacekeeping duties in Bosnia just hours before the first NATO troops entered Kosovo from Macedonia on June 12.
    Moscow plans to fly in more troops from Russia to bring its total membership of the KFOR international peacekeeping force to about 3,600.
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