Letter: Russians in Kosovo

Sir: As a historian and British citizen, I condemn the bombing by Nato this spring of the Military-Historical Institute, the Institute of Modern History and the archives of the Yugoslav and Serbian Ministries of Internal Affairs, all in Belgrade.

Inestimable damage has been done to priceless collections of historical documents whose loss must be felt by all scholars of the former Yugoslavia. Such acts of military vandalism do not alleviate the suffering of the Albanians of Kosovo, any more than the destruction of the Oriental Institute and National Library in Sarajevo in 1992 or of the Old Bridge in Mostar in 1993 protected the interests of Bosnian Serbs or Croats.

Attacks on cultural monuments, churches, mosques, historical buildings and archives represent an attack on the heritage of us all.

MARKO ATTILA HOARE

Sarjevo,

Bosnia-Herzegovina