In light of the recent tragic events in Ukraine, Europe is finding that history is repeating itself. The current Russian invasion taking place in Ukraine resembles the Kosovan War of 1998-99, where Serbs inflicted violence upon ethnic Albanians in Kosovo. Both events are and were situated in Eastern Europe, where the former Soviet satellite states have been suffering the consequences of communism since the Cold War. The economies in these countries have been penalised by such events, where the political leaders (such as Stalin and Milutinović) lead entire nations into disaster and calamity. This poses the question of, “if political leaders are aware of the likeliest outcome, why do they still go ahead?”  

Eastern European countries, like Russia and Serbia, have a long history of nationalist sentiment. The extensive patriotism and self-interest that is engrained into these countries’ culture instigates nothing other than greed. Greed for power, for control, for access. Serbia is one of the wealthiest Eastern European countries, as displayed by the World Population Review in their studies of the poorest European countries. The same study reveals that Ukraine and Kosovo are in the top 3 poorest countries in Europe. To extend this, Russia is the world’s 11th largest economy, in accordance with Investopedia. Evidently, the perpetrators have much more in comparison to the countries they attack. This desire to maintain as much power as possible (through land and the people) serves to grow their hypothetical ‘empires’. The casualties, though, are not considered to the degree that they should be. Thus, corrupt countries with larger economies think in extremist ways, without taking into account the extent to which damage will be caused.  

In terms of the similarities between the actual events, there are a plethora to outline. This includes the emigration of the populace to neighbouring countries. In 1998-99, the Kosovans emigrated to Albania (where most were taken in by their extended families), Macedonia, Montenegro and Bosnia. In the present day, Ukrainians are fleeing to countries including Poland and Romania. Families are having to split from one another in order to ensure safety, and new mothers are having to undergo tough journeys with their infants, solely to ensure safety.  

Ahmedije Xhahu, 70, is an Albanian woman from Kukes whose family took in Kosovan refugees during the time of conflict. Having experienced the chaos of the Kosovan War on a third-party basis, she commented: “The situations in Ukraine and Kosovo are the same, but the difference is the people. The Serbs forced the Kosovans out of their homeland, and in their case, it is a genocide. On the other hand, the people of Ukraine are leaving in order to secure their safety away from the war. Kosovo did not even have its own army because it was under Serbian control, just as Ukraine is under Russian control. Serbia had a remarkably strong military force. They killed the Kosovans in the most gruesome of ways, for example, in Reçak.” 

At the moment, NATO (The North Atlantic Treaty Organization) has not intervened in the Russian invasion. Contrary to this, Kosovo did actually have NATO’s support during the war; they launched air strikes, lasting from 24 March 1999 to 10 June 1999. Whether the world will witness an intervention by NATO in Ukraine or not is down to the escalation of events moving forward. Ukraine is not a part of the alliance; therefore, such intervention runs the risk of triggering a World War. 

Regarding the UK, the nation is currently offering Ukrainian refugees access to safety. In the late 90s, the UK similarly offered similar hospitality to the fleeing Kosovans and welcomed them. To this day, Kosovans all over the UK remain grateful to the British for their aid. Now that the world finds itself in a similar position once again, it is down to the more fortunate to help those who are at risk of losing their lives. At a time where the global media is rapidly reporting on the ever-changing events in Eastern Europe, awareness of the human cost of this crisis is crucial to bring to light.