# List of massacres in Kosovo

This is a list of massacres that happened in Kosovo throughout history.

## Ottoman period

| Event | Date | Location | Deaths | Perpetrator | Victims | Description |
| 1878 attacks | 1878 | Kosovo vilayet | | Albanian refugees | Serbs | Incoming Albanian refugees to Kosovo who were expelled by the Serb army from the Sanjak of Niș were involved in revenge attacks and hostile actions to the local Serb population. |
| 1898–1899 attacks | 1898-1899 | Old Serbia | | Albanians | Serbs | |
| 1901 massacres of Serbs | 1901 | Pristina and Ibarski Kolašin | | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Takeover of Pristina | ~23 October 1912 | Pristina | 5,000 | Serbian army | Albanians | First Balkan War |
| Takeover of Ferizaj | 24 October 1912 | Ferizaj | 1,200 | Serbian army | Albanians | First Balkan War |
| Takeover of Prizren | 1912 | Prizren | 5,000 | Serbian and Montenegrin armies | Albanians | First Balkan War |
| Leshkobare massacre | 1912 | Lloshkobare | 8 | Serbian army | Albanians | First Balkan War |
| Torching of Bobaj | 1912 | Bobaj | | Serbian army | Albanians | All inhabitants of Bobaj were killed. |
| Extermination of Opoja and Restelica | 1912-1913 | Opoja and Restelica | thousands | Serbian army | Albanians | Serbian troops were ordered to exterminate the population of the villages of Opoja, Gora, Bellobrad, Brrut, Rrenc, Bresanë, Zym and Qafëleshi. |
| Razing of Peja | 1912-1913 | Peja | | Serbian army and Chetniks | Albanians | |
| Bytyci massacre | 1913 | Highlands of Gjakova | 51 | Serbian army | Albanians | First Balkan War |
| Massacre of the Rugova tribe | 1913 | Rugova | | Montenegrin army | Albanians | Every man of the Rugova tribe was reportedly killed. |
| Vushtrri killings | 1913 | Vushtrri | | Serbian army | Albanians | |

## World War I

| Event | Date | Location | Deaths | Perpetrator | Victims | Description |
| Astrazubi massacre | 1914 | Malisheva | 227 | Serbian army | Albanians | 90% of the houses in Astrazubi were destroyed. |
| Peja massacres | 1914 | Peja | | Serbian army | Albanians | 25 civilians were killed each day. |
| Lubishtë massacre | 1914 | Lubishtë | 104 | Serbian army | Albanians | |
| Julekar massacre | 1914 | Viti | 24 | Serbian army | Albanians | |
| Attack on Bytyci | 1915 | Highlands of Gjakova | | Serbian army | Albanians | The Ushki family almost completely killed, with only one survivor. |
| Bombardment of Vechali | 1915 | Prizren–Tetovo | 65 | Serbian army | Albanians | The Serbian army shelled the village of Vecali. |

## Interwar period

| Event | Date | Location | Deaths | Perpetrator | Victims |
| Rugova massacre | 16 February 1919 | Rugova | 842 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Mitrovica killings | 1919-1921 | Mitrovica | 1,330 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Peja killings | 1919-1921 | Peja | 1,563 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Prizren killings | 1919-1921 | Prizren | 4,600 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Ferizaj killings | 1919-1921 | Ferizaj | 1,694 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Keqekolla massacre | January 1921 | Keqekollë | | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Prapashtica massacre | January 1921 | Prapashticë | | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Dushkajë massacre | 1921 | Dushkajë | 63 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |
| Dubnica massacre | 10 February 1924 | Dubnica | 25 | Army of Kingdom of Yugoslavia | Albanian civilians |

## World War II

| Event | Date | Location | Deaths | Perpetrator | Victims | Description |
| Massacres of Kosovo Serbs | April-May 1941 | Districts of Peja, Djakovica, Istok and Drenica | 162 | Albanians | Serbs | Massacres accompanied by expulsions and burning down of villages. |
| Istok killings | 1941-1943 | Istok | 275 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Goraždevac killings | 1941 | Goraždevac, near Peja | 47 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Ibarski Kolašin massacres | 30 September–10 October 1941 | Ibarski Kolašin | 150 | Albanians | Serbs | 22 villages also burnt down. |
| Ibarski Kolašin killings | 1942-1943 | Ibarski Kolašin | 130 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| June 1942 Pristina killings | Late June 1942 | Pristina area | 100 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Vareška Reka massacre | June 1943 | | 15 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Trepča mine executions | 3-7 June 1943 | Trepča mine, Mitrovica | 64 | Albanians | Serbs | Mass shooting of Serbs by Albanians, Albanian gendarmerie and prison guards at the Trepča mine prison, most of whom were workers that had fallen ill, and among whom several were peasants from the Mitrovica vicinity. |
| Uroševac massacre | 11–12 September 1943 | Uroševac area | 60 | Albanians | Serbs | 48 were killed in the town itself, while 12 others were taken out of town and killed after being tortured. The unit responsible was commanded by Amdija Jašarević. |
| Nekodim, Baroš Selo, Duganjevo and Plešina murders | 12–13 September 1943 | Nekodim, Baroš Selo, Duganjevo and Plešina | Unknown | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Žerovnica killings | 10 October 1943 | Žerovnica | 6 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Brestovik mass killing | 13 October 1943 | Brestovik | 19 | Albanians | Serbs | 19 Serbs in the Serb village of Brestovik near Peja were killed by Albanian quislings on 13 October 1943. Before the Italian capitulation (September 1943), 12 villagers had also been killed. |
| Rakoš massacre | October 1943 | Rakoš | 65 | Albanians | Serbs | Serbs shot by Albanians in Rakoš, a village half-way between Kosovska Mitrovica and Peć. |
| Peja massacres | Late 1943 | Peja | 230 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Rakoš mass killings | 3 December 1943 | Rakoš | 30 | Albanians | Serbs | |
| Siga massacre | 4 December 1943 | Siga | 36 | Albanians | Serbs | 36 Serbs from the village of Siga were massacred by the Kosovo Regiment |
| Peja mass killings | 4-7 December 1943 | Peja | 300 | Albanians | Serbs | Between 4 and 7 December 1943, 400 soldiers of Kosovo Regiment commanded by Xhafer Deva surrounded Peć and committed mass murder of local Serbs and Montenegrins, killing at least 300 people. |
| Tople Vode massacre | 1944 | Kačanik | 13 | Bulgarian forces | Serbs | 13 Serbs from the village of Vrbeštica shot by Bulgarian forces. |
| Štrpce massacre | 30 June 1944 | Štrpce | 50 | Bulgarian military | Serbs | Serbs shot after the death of a Bulgarian soldier. |

## Kosovo War

| Event | Date | Location | Deaths | Perpetrator | Victims | Description |
| Attacks on Likoshane and Çirez | 28 February–1 March 1998 | Likošane and Ćirez, near Drenas | 26 | Serbian special police | Albanian civilians | Operation against Albanian civilians. |
| Attack on Prekaz | 5–7 March 1998 | Prekaz, near Skenderaj | 58 | VJ, SAJ | KLA, Albanian civilians | operation led by the Special Anti-Terrorism Unit of Serbia which lasted from 5-7 March 1998, which goal was to eliminate Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) suspects and their families. During the operation, KLA leader Adem Jashari and his brother Hamëz were killed, along with nearly 60 other family members. |
| Volujak Massacre | 17-19 July 1998 | Volujak | 25 | KLA | Serbian civilians | According to Serb authorities, 25 male Kosovo Serb civilians were executed. Serbia attributes the killings to the KLA "Orahovac group" |
| Klečka killings | 17–22 July 1998 | Klečka | 22 | KLA | Serbian civilians | KLA used cremation chambers to burn bodies of killed Serbian civilians, covering up the crime. 22 bodies were identified from remains. |
| Mališevo mass grave | 17-20 July 1998 | Malisheva | 13 | KLA | Serbian civilians | 12 Serbs and 1 Bulgarian were kidnapped and then executed by the KLA in Mališevo between 17-20 July 1998 |
| Orahovac Massacre | 17-20 July 1998 | Rahovec | 47 | KLA | Serbian civilians | More than 100 Serbian and Roma civilians from Orahovac and its surrounding villages - Retimlje, Opterusa, Zočište and Velika Hoca - in western Kosovo were kidnapped and placed in prison camps by KLA fighters; 47 were massacred |
| Lake Radonjić massacre | Before 9 September 1998 | Glođane | 34 | KLA | Serbs, Albanians | On 9 September 1998 the Serbian police announced the finding of a mass grave. By 16 September 34 bodies were gathered. Victims included some Albanians. |
| Gornje Obrinje massacre | 26 September 1998 | Gornje Obrinje | 21 | Serbian special police | Albanian civilians | Operation against KLA, in retaliation of at least 14 killed Serbian policemen, subsequent massacre with HRW claiming 21 civilians. |
| Golubovac executions | 26 September 1998 | Golubovac | 13 | Serbian paramilitary | KLA or Albanian civilians | Following Gornje Obrinje, summary execution of men suspected of being KLA. |
| Panda Bar massacre | 14 December 1998 | Peja | 6 | Serbian Secret Service | Serbian civilians | 6 Serb civilians killed and 14 wounded in attack on café in Peja. The KLA was accused at the time of the events, but strongly rejected any involvement. The Serbian Organised Crime Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation in 2016 and reached the conclusion that the massacre was not perpetrated by Albanians. any years after the incident, the Serbian government officially acknowledged that it was perpetrated by agents of the Serbian Secret Service. |
| Račak massacre | 15 January 1999 | Reçak | 54 | SAJ, JSO | KLA, Albanian civilians | Operation against KLA (9 suspected KLA killed), including killings of 45 civilians. Controversial topic. |
| Mitrovica massacre | 13 March 1999 | Bazaar of Mitrovica | 6 | Serbian police | Albanian civilians | After three grenades were thrown at the market, six people died, over 128 others were injured, many of them remained disabled for life. |
| Velika Kruša massacre | 25 March 1999 | Krushë e Madhe | 90–105 | Serbian special police | Albanian civilians |
| Bela Crkva massacre | 25 March 1999 | Bela Crkva | 62 | Serbian special police and paramilitary | Albanian civilians |
| Suva Reka massacre | 26 March 1999 | Suva Reka | 48 | Serbian police | Albanian civilians | Members of the Berisha family were forced into their family-owned pizzeria, where two hand grenades were thrown. Serbian police officers shot those who displayed signs of life. The bodies were disposed into a mass grave near a police facility in Batajnica, Serbia. |
| Imeraj massacre | 26 March 1999 | Pemishtë/Cërkolez | 19 | Serbian military police & paramilitaries | Albanian civilians | Serbian forces entered the village of Pemishtë/Cërkolez and killed 19 Albanian civilians, all members of the Imeraj family, including 13 women and children. |
| Izbica massacre | 28 March 1999 | Kosovo | 93+ | VJ, police and paramilitary | Albanians | After shelling of the village of Izbica, at least 93, mostly male non-combatants, were executed. |
| Podujevo massacre | 28 March 1999 | Podujevë | 14 | Serbian security forces, Scorpions | Albanian civilians | Security forces gunned down 19 people in the town of Podujevo, killing 14 people and injuring 5, whom were children |
| Ljubižda massacre | 31 March 1999 | near Prizren, Kosovo | 14 | Serbian forces | Albanian civilians | Security forces reportedly shot 14 men in the village of Ljubižda, northwest of Prizren. |
| Pusto Selo massacre | 31 March 1999 | Pusto Selo near Rahovec | 106 | Serbian forces | KLA or Albanian civilians | The men were allegedly KLA sympathizers. |
| Rezala massacre | 5 April 1999 | Rezala | 80 | Serbian forces | Albanian civilians | Serbian police allegedly entered the Albanian village of Rezala and gunned down at least 80 villagers suspected of harbouring KLA guerrillas. |
| Gjakova bombing | 14 April 1999 | Gjakova | 73 | NATO | Albanian refugees | NATO accidentally bomb Albanian refugees in Gjakova. |
| Slovinje massacre | 15-16 April 1999 | Slovinje near Lipjan | 35-44 | Serbian security forces | Albanians | Between 35 and 44 people were shot and executed by Serbian police and paramillitaries in Slovinje and the immediate villages surrounding it (notably Smolusa) |
| Poklek massacre | 17 April 1999 | | 47 | Serbian police | Albanians | KLA were active in the area, while a KLA checkpoint was set up in neighbouring Vasiljevo. According to testimonies, 47 people forced into a room were shot by an unidentified single gunman. |
| Ćikatovo massacre | 17 April 1999 | Staro Ćikatovo | 24 | Serbian forces | Albanians | 24 men of the Morina family were killed during a day-long raid by Serbian forces. Although survivors claimed that none of the killed were involved with the KLA, several members of the family are admitted KLA members. |
| Meja massacre | 27 April 1999 | Meja near Gjakova | 377 | Serbian forces | Albanian civilians | Serbian forces retaliate for the KLA killing of five Serbian policemen in Meja on 21 April, by mass killings on 27 April in that village. The number of victims is unknown, but is believed by HRW to be 300 (based on missing persons list), although very few bodies have been found. Newer figures raise the number dead to at least 377. |
| Lužane bus bombing | 1 May 1999 | Lužane | 23–60 | NATO | Serbian civilians | NATO missile attack on bridge. |
| Vushtrri massacre | 2–3 May 1999 | Vushtrri, Kosovo | 120 | Serbian forces | Albanian civilians | Albanian refugees fleeing the fighting that was occurring between the Yugoslav Army and the KLA were cornered by the Serb Special Forces (who suspected that some KLA members were fleeing the fighting with the refugees). The Special Forces picked out about 120 men who they suspected of being KLA deserters and sprayed them with bullets and later hid their bodies in a mass-grave near Gornja Sudimlja. |
| Koriša bombing | 14 May 1999 | Korishë | 87 | NATO | Albanian refugees | NATO bombed a column of Albanian refugees, killing at least 87 and wounding 60. |
| Ćuška massacre | 14 May 1999 | Qyshk | 41 | Serbian security forces | Albanians | An estimated twelve men killed in round-up, 29 men gathered into three houses and gunned down. Unclear motive. |
| Bilbildere massacre | 16 May 1999 | Prizren | 2 | Serbian paramillitaries | Albanians | 2 men were captured by Arkan's Tigers and were summarily executed. |
| Dubrava Prison massacre | 22–23 May 1999 | Dubrava | 79–82 | Serbian prison guards | Albanian inmates | Inmates were extrajudicially killed or summary executed on 22 and 23 May following NATO bombings on 19 May. |
| Tusus massacre | 26 May 1999 | Prizren | 27–34 | Serbian forces | Albanians | Serbian forces kill 27–34 people and burn over 100 homes. Retaliation for at least two killed policemen on crossing street that morning by KLA. |

## Aftermath of Kosovo War

| Event | Date | Location | Deaths | Perpetrator | Victims | Description |
| Peja killing | 12 June 1999 | Peja | 7 | Serbian forces | Albanian civilians | Six members of a family were killed and one was captured and found dead. |
| Gnjilane massacre | June–October 1999 | Peja | 51 | KLA | Serbian civilians | KLA's Gnjilane Group burned homes and murdered Serbs and other non-Albanian civilians. The remains of 51 Serbs were discovered in mass graves in 1999. |
| Staro Gracko massacre | 23 July 1999 | Lipjan | 14 | KLA | Serbian civilians | Mass killing of 14 Serb farmers in the village of Staro Gracko in the municipality of Lipljan on 23 July 1999. The killings occurred after Yugoslav troops withdrew from the region in the aftermath of the Kosovo War. |
| Ugljare massacre | Before August 1999 | Ugljare | 15 | KLA | Serbs | KFOR reports on 25 August 1999 the finding of 15 bodies of killed Serbs. Killed months prior, the bodies were concealed by the KFOR. |
| Klokot killings | 16 August 1999 | Klokot | 2 | Albanian extremists | Serbian civilians | On 16 August 1999, after the Kosovo War, a mortar attack carried out by Albanians killed two Serb civilians and wounded five others in the village. There had earlier that month been two mortar attacks. |
| Mitrovica massacre | 3-4 February 2000 | North Mitrovica | 10 | Serbian extremists | Albanian civilians | Serbian extremists stormed the houses of 10 Albanian civilians and murdered them on the nights of 3-4 February 2000. |
| Cernica Killings | 28 May 2000 | Cernica | 3 | Albanian extremists | Serbian civilians | Three Serbs including a four year old child were murdered in cold blood during a drive-by shooting in Cernica, a village south of Gnjilane. |
| Podujevo bus bombing | 16 February 2001 | Podujevo | 12 | Albanian extremists | Serbian civilians | 12 dead and 40 wounded in bombing attack on bus convoy carrying Serbs traveling to Serb enclave Gračanica to visit family graves. |
| Stolic Family Massacre | 3 June 2003 | Obilić | 3 | | Serbian civilians | Three Serbs were axed to death. The house was then set on fire. |
| Goraždevac murders | 13 August 2003 | Goraždevac | 2 | Albanian extremists | Serbian civilians | Shots fired from Albanian village on the Serb enclave kills two, an adult and a child, and wounding four. |
| 2004 unrest in Kosovo | 17-18 March 2004 | Kosovo | 16 | Albanians | Serbian civilians | On 17 and 18 March 2004, a wave of violent riots swept through Kosovo, 16 Serbs and 11 Albanians were killed during the unrest. Over 935 Serbian houses and 35 Churches were burned and destroyed. Over 4000 Serbs were expelled from Kosovo. |
| Talinoc Killings | 6 July 2012 | Talinoc i Muhaxhirëve | 2 | | Serbian civilians | A married Serb couple, war refugees who had returned to the village, were murdered in their house on 6 July 2012. After the murders, the village Serbs asked the government to secure their relocation to either Strpce or Gracanica, or else they were to leave for Central Serbia. |