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From ACIG.org Reserve Files
Despite quite a number of Serbs being particularly disappointed with the lack of support and help from Russia during the war with the NATO, in 1999, and this factor being actually one of the main reasons for Milosevic giving up the fight, the friendship between Yugoslavia and Russia seem to have been considerably renewed during the second half of 1999 and in the year 2000. The reports about Yugoslav Army officers - supposedly loyal to ousted dictator Milosevic - sending one of several NATO UAVs (including „critical“ thermal technology) which were lost over Yugoslavia during and since the end of hostilities in 1999 to Russia showed that connections are still very vivid. Indeed, some statements from Belgrade confirmed that the cooperation with Moscow was continued on a „routine“ basis, well-known from earlier times. Already in June and July 1999, several landings of Russian AF Il-76-transports at Belgrade’s Surcin International Airport were reported (some of them supposedly escorted by Su-27 fighters). Initially, rumours went around, that these had something to do with the reported delivery of components for the S-300/SA-10 SAMs to Yugoslavia. Ever since, however, more details became known and it seems now, that the actual story is somewhat different. Most of the equipment delivered to Yugoslavia by Russians is of communication-type, and includes parts for communication systems, based on the micro- and low-weave technology. The C3 system of the Yugoslav Army (VJ) and the Yugoslav Air Force and Air Defence Force (JRViPVO) depends namely on MW-communications. These use directional antennas, which are mostly stationed high on mountains, because MW-communications need a free line-of-sight to communicate with each other. Most of Yugoslav MW-emitters seems to have been damaged during the war, while the VJ and even the RViPVO were compelled to use cellular telephones also because of enemy SIGINT and communication jamming. In peace, however, MW-communication is considered by Yugoslavs as still very useful, thus, most MW-emitters will be repaired. Additional equipment delivered included also some other items, like new computers for internal SAM-guidance of SAMs, emulsifiers for reconfiguration of RF-Command signals of SAM systems (supposedly, some of boxes were marked with „Almaz“), new RF-emitters for SAM-guidance radars, several IFF-transponders for ground based control stations, electro-optical sensors enhanced for use by day or night with built-in starlight cameras and others. Since June 2000, at least six large shippments were noticed - the last one in early December 2000. Initially after the war with the NATO, the JRViPVO felt the lack of modern combat aircraft badly: out of the remaining five MiG-29s only one or two were left serviceable most of the time, and even these were considered as obsolete. Only the shipments of spare parts for MiG-29s, MiG-21s and air-to-air missiles that arrived from Russia since the end of hostilities improved the serviceability to a certain degree, enabling up to four MiG-29s to be made operational at once (although, the single remaining MiG-29UB is foremost used, as it enables two pilots to refresh their training during the single mission). How will this relationship develop in the future, however, remains open. Namely, despite the predilections of a better part of the population, the Yugoslav government and the military - time and again disturbed by the political turmoil in the country - showed clear signs of a wish for closer ties with the NATO.
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