The raids began around 1930 hours following unsuccessful negotiations between the authorities in Belgrade and the international community on ways of solving the dramatic situation in Kosovo. When the raids began the then President, Slobodan Milosevic, proclaimed a state of war.
The bombing lasted 11 weeks, stopping on June 9 with the signing of the Kumanovo Agreement and the adoption of UN Security Council Resolution 1244, which called for the withdrawal of Yugoslav troops from Kosovo. They were replaced by international peacekeepers.
Between 1,200 and 2,500 people died in the raids, according to various estimates.
Various figures have been provided as to the damage. The then Belgrade authorities estimated it at USD100 billion and asked that NATO settle it, while economists, experts from the G17 party, estimated the damage at USD19.6 billion.