Kosovo arrests five Serbs over 1999 Recak massacre

More than 25 years after the 1999 killing of civilian Albanians in the village of Recak, Kosovo prosecutors have detained five Serbian men identified as former members of special police units. They are suspected of taking part in the massacre that resulted in the deaths of over 40 ethnic Albanian civilians, with investigations estimating 42 victims. The arrests add to earlier indictments of 21 Serbs for murder, torture, and related crimes tied to the same incident. The Recak massacre was a turning point in the Kosovo conflict, prompting NATO air strikes and the subsequent UN mission that eventually led to Kosovo's 2008 declaration of independence, which Serbia still does not recognise. Serbian officials have condemned the arrests as politically motivated, while the OSCE had previously classified the victims as civilians.