Incident at Pristina Airport

Incident at Pristina airport
	Part of the aftermath of the Kosovo War
	; Pristina International Airport terminal in 2013
Date	12 June 1999
Location	Pristina International Airport, Kosovo, Serbia, Yugoslavia
Result	NATO–Russian Agreement
Belligerents
Russia ; Passive participation: ; AFRY	NATO United Kingdom; United States; Norway; Passive participation: ; KLA (UÇK)
Commanders and leaders
Boris Yeltsin ; Yunus-bek Yevkurov ; Nikolai Ignatov; Viktor Zavarzin	Wesley Clark ; Mike Jackson ; James Blunt; Hashim Thaçi; Agim Çeku
Strength
206 soldiers and officers Russian Airborne Forces, 15 BTRs, 35 other vehicles[not verified in body]	Tank column supported by infantry and combat helicopters, 12,000 approx. in total[not verified in body]
Casualties and losses
	None

The incident at the Pristina airport was a military confrontation between the forces of Russia and NATO on 12 June 1999, following the end of the Kosovo War. Russian troops unexpectedly occupied the airport ahead of a planned NATO deployment, creating a tense stand-off. The conflict was resolved through a peaceful agreement, but also due to the potential threat posed by the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA), which opposed the Russian presence and could have escalated the situation further.^[2]

^ "Why a NATO general defied the Supreme Allied Commander in Kosovo". 4 October 2021.
^ Martin, Lenore G. (2004). The Future of Turkish Foreign Policy. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-63243-0. Later in June, when talks in Moscow aimed at incorporating Russian troops into a Kosovo peace force stalled, Russian armored vehicles and 200 Russian soldiers entered Kosovo. Under orders from the ministry of defense, these soldiers took control of Pristina Airport in Kosovo. The Russian military backed down when it became clear that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) forces could make things difficult for the Russian troops. In fact, Hashim Thaci, a senior leader of the KLA, warned that rebels considered the Russians an unwelcome addition to the peacekeeping mission, especially after their surprise entry into Pristina Airport. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 138 (help)

[1] "Why a NATO general defied the Supreme Allied Commander in Kosovo". 4 October 2021.

[2] Martin, Lenore G. (2004). The Future of Turkish Foreign Policy. MIT Press. ISBN 978-0-262-63243-0. Later in June, when talks in Moscow aimed at incorporating Russian troops into a Kosovo peace force stalled, Russian armored vehicles and 200 Russian soldiers entered Kosovo. Under orders from the ministry of defense, these soldiers took control of Pristina Airport in Kosovo. The Russian military backed down when it became clear that the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) forces could make things difficult for the Russian troops. In fact, Hashim Thaci, a senior leader of the KLA, warned that rebels considered the Russians an unwelcome addition to the peacekeeping mission, especially after their surprise entry into Pristina Airport. {{cite book}}: line feed character in |quote= at position 138 (help)

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