On Wednesday, Telegram published photos of Russian mercenaries who took part in the war in Kosovo. These Russian mercenaries, who posed as volunteers and took part in the paramilitary and other Serbian forces in Kosovo, Serbia and Russia, are being hailed as heroes and considered war criminals by the world.
The propaganda Telegram channel of the Serbian mercenary Dejan Beric recently published pictures of the Russian war criminal Antoli Lebed, better known as Tolya, posing with a sniper at the top of Pastrik.
Lebed is known for his cruelty and ruthlessness, and gained fame during the fighting in Chechnya and other areas of the former Soviet Union. During the Kosovo war, Lebed supported Serbian forces as a mercenary. Lebed’s employment as a mercenary, however, violated international laws prohibiting the use of mercenaries in armed conflicts.
Lebed’s involvement in the conflicts in Afghanistan, Chechnya, Dagestan and Georgia clearly demonstrates his status as a Russian mercenary. It is well known that in Russia, criminals are honoured and placed in the first rank of power, and Lebed was honoured by Russian Presidents Vladimir Putin and Dmitry Medvedev.
Albert Andiev is another Russian mercenary whose role in Kosovo is attracting attention. He was also present in the pictures together with Antoli Lebeda. Like Lebed, Andiev is active in various conflict zones, including Chechnya and Georgia.
His involvement as a mercenary in Kosovo further underlines the presence of Russian forces in conflicts that have taken place outside Russian borders.
The painting of a mural in Belgrade in honour of Andiev also shows the respect that Russian mercenaries have gained in certain circles, even though they are considered by the international community to be human rights violators and participants in war crimes.
The role of Russian mercenaries in the Kosovo war remains a black example of human rights violations and illegal activities. Witnesses interviewed by Newsday in 1999 said that a group of Russian volunteers had been involved in a series of massacres from Đakovica to Mitrovica in northern Kosovo./The Geopost/