A flash from the NATO airstrike lights up the sky over Podgorica RELATED VIDEO: CNN's Mike Hanna reports on the bombing of military sites around the Montenegro capital of Podgorica. (April 29) Windows Media 28K 80K Aid workers are looking into reports of the systematic raping of Kosovars. CNN's Jane Arraf talks to workers and hears a disturbing story from one refugee. (April 29) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K While in Morina, Albania, on Wednesday, a CNN crew captured video of a NATO jet firing a missile at a target just over the border in Kosovo. Refugees arriving in Morina said a local television station in Prizren was attacked. (April 28) Real 28K 80K Windows Media 28K 80K 2 M / 23 sec. / 240x180 QuickTime movie Please enable Javascript To view the latest video streams on the strikes in Kosovo, use the arrow buttons below to scroll through the video gallery.        Windows Media Real        28 K 80 K IMAGE GALLERY: Images of NATO bomb attack on Serbian TV headquarters The Kosovo refugees The Serbs and Kosovo  THE DELUGE OF REFUGEES: Where are they going?  ALSO: Macedonia says refugee problem overwhelming Russia, U.S. disagree on Yugoslavia peace plans Yugoslavia files World Court cases against 10 NATO members Therapists begin task of healing psychological scars House withholds support for NATO airstrikes, restricts use of ground troops  MESSAGE BOARD: Crisis in Kosovo  MAPS: NATO officials describe the air campaign  IN-DEPTH SPECIAL: NATO at 50 Strike on Yugoslavia

April 29, 1999
Web posted at: 1:05 p.m. EDT (1705 GMT)

In this story: Chernomyrdin returning to Belgrade Missile hits Bulgaria NATO: Milosevic faces more dissent RELATED STORIES, SITES

BRUSSELS, Belgium (CNN) -- NATO turned its sights on targets in the Yugoslav republic of Montenegro early Thursday, while diplomats sought a way to end the five-week-long air war.

At the same time, NATO officials said Yugoslav President Slobodan Milosevic was facing growing dissent in his ranks.

Despite its offer of neutrality in the conflict, Montenegro sustained its heaviest night of bombardment in the Balkan air war, which began March 24. A massive, yellow glow lit up the sky in the Montenegrin capital of Podgorica, and explosions were heard to the south of the city.

NATO struck the military airfield in Podgorica, which is home to numerous Super Galeb strike planes flown by the Yugoslav air force, said Brig. Gen. Giuseppe Marani, NATO's military spokesman. Their presence made the attack a measure of "prudent self-defense," Marani said.

"Aircraft flown from Podgorica are only short distance from our forces in Albania, and those pose a potential threat to our operations," he said.

A senior British officer said the Yugoslav planes have been used to attack ethnic Albanian refugees in Kosovo.

"There have been, we believe, a number of fighter aircraft sorties against refugees, but I can't comment any further about that," said Air Marshal John Day, the deputy chief of Britain's defense staff.

The democratic, pro-Western Montenegro is the junior partner in the Yugoslav federation with Serbia. While Montenegrin President Milo Djukanovic has criticized the NATO air campaign, he also condemned Milosevic's policies that led to the NATO raids.

Djukanovic has the support of Montenegro's police force, but faces increasing pressure from the Yugoslav army and from Montenegrins who support Milosevic -- many of whom say Djukanovic's resistance is an act of treason.

NATO has warned Yugoslav federal authorities against any moves that might undermine the Montenegrin government.

Chernomyrdin returning to Belgrade

While the bombs fell on Yugoslavia, Russian and NATO diplomats sought to bring the war to an end.

Russian envoy Viktor Chernomyrdin was on his way to Belgrade on Thursday with "concrete proposals" to end the NATO bombing campaign.

At a news conference with Chernomyrdin, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder said Thursday that NATO would consider suspending the bombing campaign if it can verify the withdrawal of Serb military and police forces from Kosovo.

Chernomyrdin said that Yugoslavia is moving toward the safe return of the refugees and had agreed "to an international presence (in Kosovo) under the aegis of the United Nations and this is a big step forward -- with Russian participation in particular. This is the first step that gives us hope," he said.

NATO spokesman Jamie Shea said the bombing would only end for good "when there is a final withdrawal of Serb forces, and only if that condition is complied with."

One of the destroyed bridges in Ostruznica

Without a settlement, U.S. President Clinton signaled Wednesday that the bombing campaign could extend into the summer.

"Historically, the weather is better in May than in April, better in June than in May, better in July than in June," Clinton said.

Missile hits Bulgaria

In other military action:

• A NATO missile strayed from its target and hit a house in Bulgaria, near the capital, Sofia, late Wednesday, alliance officials admitted Thursday. There were no injuries reported.

  Shea said that a NATO jet had been targeted by a Serb surface-to-air missile and fired a missile at the radar site that spotted it. Shea said the missile missed its target and landed in Bulgaria, in the suburbs of Sofia.

  "Obviously, this was not intentional, and we regret any damage that we may have caused," Marani said.

• On the ground in Kosovo, Yugoslav forces have moved toward the Albanian border in a bid to cut off supply lines to the ethnic Albanian rebels of the Kosovo Liberation Army, Marani said.

  "The Serb inability to substantially consolidate territory beyond key terrain reflects the gradual degradation of forces under continued attack and decreased fuel supplies," he said.

• Inside Serbia, NATO hit radio relay sites around Prizren and Belgrade; the military air base at Pristina, Kosovo's capital, and an air defense site there; and Yugoslav troops and special police in the province.

  Independent radio station Studio B said a military barracks was struck about seven kilometers (four miles) outside Belgrade's city center.

• Serbian media reported that two bridges over the Sava River were destroyed in Ostruznica, southwest of Belgrade; and other strikes reportedly targeted an oil refinery in Yugoslavia's second-biggest city, Novi Sad.

NATO: Milosevic faces more dissent

Meanwhile, Britain's top diplomat said there were increasing signs of resistance to the Milosevic government.

Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said a "remarkably frank" interview with Social Democratic Party leader Vuk Obradovic was suppressed by Yugoslav authorities. Obradovic, a former Yugoslav Army general, had harsh words for Milosevic in an interview with the British Broadcasting Corporation, Cook said.

Obradovic -- once Yugoslavia's youngest general and a former spokesman for the army -- is "no peacenik," the foreign secretary said.

"We can assume that one of the brightest stars of Yugoslavia's military elite would not have broken ranks alone," he said.

His comments came a day after the firing of Yugoslavia's deputy premier, Vuk Draskovic, who said Milosevic distorted the truth about the NATO air war.

"President Milosevic has once again made clear his attitude toward the truth -- he's terrified of it," Cook said.

Cook cited reports from within Yugoslavia of resistance to draft and reserve calls as well as fuel shortages. NATO attacks have concentrated on Yugoslavia's oil industry, and numerous central European countries have joined the European Union-led oil embargo.

Shea said gasoline rations for Serb civilians have been cut from 40 liters a month to 20.

"You can't go very far on 20 liters a month, so I think it's a sign that things are beginning to hit home," he said.

Correspondent Mike Hanna contributed to this report.

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