MOSCOW, February 15. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has said that his memories are still fresh of the war that the North Atlantic Alliance started in Europe against Yugoslavia and of the bombardments of Belgrade. Putin remarked it was a sad example, but at the same time remained a hard fact.

"Mr. Federal Chancellor has just said that the people of his generation - and I certainly belong to that generation myself - find it difficult to imagine some war in Europe," Putin told a news conference following talks with Germany’s Chancellor Olaf Scholz. He added that that was said regarding the situation involving Ukraine.

"But all of us were witnesses to the war in Europe that NATO unleashed against Yugoslavia," Putin said. He recalled that there was a major military operation involving bombing strikes against one of the European capitals: Belgrade.

"It did happen. Without any sanctions by the UN Security Council. It is a very sad example, but it is a hard fact," Putin said.

On March 24, 1999 NATO, without a UN Security Council’s resolution launched an air operation codenamed Allied Force against Yugoslavia. The operation lasted for 78 days. The alliance’s leadership claimed its purpose was to prevent genocide of Kosovo’s Albanians. According to NATO’s sources its aircraft flew 38,000 sorties and carried out 10,000 bombing strikes.

The bombardments killed, according to different estimates 3,500-4,000 and left about 10,000 others (two-thirds of them civilians) injured. The material damage totaled $100 billion. During the three months of bombardments NATO forces dropped on Serbia 15 tonnes of depleted uranium in bombs and shells. After that the country’s cancer rates surged to first place in Europe. In the first ten years following the bombardments about 30,000 developed cancer and an estimated 10,000-18,000 of them died.