Former Yugoslav Army general Nebojsa Pavkovic dies

BELGRADE - Former Yugoslav Army Third Army commander and one-time chief of general staff General Nebojsa Pavkovic died in Belgrade on Monday, Serbian media outlets are reporting.

During the 1999 NATO aggression on the then Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, the Third Army was deployed in the territory of Kosovo-Metohija.

In 2009, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) sentenced Pavkovic to 22 years in prison on charges of crimes against humanity and violation of the laws and customs of war.

Pavkovic, who was indicted by the ICTY in October 2003, surrendered himself to the tribunal in 2005.

He arrived in Belgrade from Finland on September 28, 2025 following a request by the Serbian government for his premature release from prison.

The Hague-based International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals decided in favour of the premature release due to his serious health condition.