Testimony of Anatoliy Kruk a Ukrainian UN soldier stationed in Sarajevo:
Two times I do remember that when there was a severe violation from Bosnia side, when they penetrated to this zone and made a couple of shots. The first time, I remember it very well because there was a small table tennis championship. And when we started to play - I don't remember for what place and -- in coffee room - and there was two outgoing shots. And in -- very soon there was retaliation, and even a couple of sandbags just fell down this coffee room.Q. Thank you. Witness, why did these shots -- why did these outgoing shots occur? Or as you said, there was a security zone -- around the building? Do you know anything about that?
MS. MAHINDARATNE: I object, Mr. President. Inviting the witness to speculate.
JUDGE ORIE: Mr. Piletta-Zanin.
MR. PILETTA-ZANIN: [Interpretation] I wanted to know whether the witness knew or did not know, not whether he was imagining something. It's nothing that he has to speculate about.
JUDGE ORIE: Yes. Witness, you may answer that question. And please do it in such a way that the Chamber will know what's the basis of
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your knowledge.
THE WITNESS: As I mentioned before, at that time not only me - there was maybe tens of people in coffee room - and we heard -- I personally heard outgoing shots from mortar, and I can say it was mortar 82 millimetres approximately, according to the sound. And everybody was very angry about this because it was strictly prohibited to provocate near UN camp because it can endanger UN personnel. It always was very strong protest from headquarter Sarajevo. And I do remember two times in the headquarter it happened and once it was during my engineer mission.
MR. PILETTA-ZANIN: [Interpretation]
Q. Yes. But the question was whether you knew the reasons for which these shots had been provoked. If you don't, you can just say that you don't.
A. I can say that -- and I will tell common opinion of the people who were present there. It was pure provocation.
Q. For what purpose? A. Maybe to -- to receive backfire, and in this case to make opposing side to be guilty for these might-be casualties or destruction for UN.
Yes, I was, and actually, there were a few of us there.
Those there DURING the war know that the Serbs controlled some suburbs in the city which were taking fire from the Muslims intent to provoke.
?????
Let me see....The Serbian army was shelling the city from the surrounding mountains, Serbian snipers were shooting anyone they saw (hence the name of the main thoroughfare "Sniper Alley"), and the inhabitants were starving and freezing due to the lack af basic necessisities. The Muslim defenders would return mortar fire......
This is from someone who was there WHEN the war happened.
I've heard that one before. Did he also tell you that the second in command of the Sarajevo defenders was a Serb?
You are only going by media propaganda and then "Muslim stories" as you stayed in the now fully dominated Muslim cities of Sarajevo and Tuzla where the Serbia population is very small:
As I stated in the original post, I worked with and supervised Serb, Croat, and Muslim workers in Tuzla and Sarajevo. They all related the same stories to me at different times (I couldn't have them get together to make up some propoganda to feed me now, could I?)
Face it Joan, this was a civil war which divided along ethnic lines. It was a hateful war. One which saw ethnic cleansing on all sides. I am not taking sides, for I cannot tell a Serb from a Croat from a Bosnian Muslim. I saw for myself what happened in those terrible circumstances.
On the other hand, you may wish to take a trip to Bosnia and Herzegovina and see for yourself instead of taking the word of "someone who was there".