Today in history, 31 October: The killings in Krushë e Madhe

The recorded event closest to today's date in the archive calendar.

Date of the event: 25–28 March 1999
Place: Krushë e Madhe
Evidence status: Evidence status: Documented. Supported by contemporaneous documents, institutional reports or independent studies that corroborate one another.

Krushë e Madhe was surrounded and attacked on 25 March 1999 together with Krushë e Vogël; houses were burned and looted. Witnesses cited by HRW and the OSCE describe groups of men being shot over the following days.

Full event record, with sources and map

Historical context

1999

From the Reçak massacre to the entry of KFOR: six months that saw failed negotiations, NATO's intervention, the mass expulsion of Albanians and crimes documented by international courts.

Read the chapter “1999: Reçak, expulsions and the end of the war”

Sources

[1]OSBE — Zyra për Institucione Demokratike dhe të Drejta të Njeriut (ODIHR). Kosovo/Kosova: As Seen, As Told: An analysis of the human rights findings of the OSCE Kosovo Verification Mission, October 1998 to June 1999. 1999. https://www.osce.org/files/f/documents/d/d/17772.pdf. Accessed 2026-09-16.
[2]Fred Abrahams, Benjamin Ward. Under Orders: War Crimes in Kosovo. 2001-10-26. https://www.hrw.org/reports/2001/kosovo/. Accessed 2026-09-16.
[3]Mass Graves Database: Krusha e Madhe / Velika Krusa. Balkan Insight (BIRN). https://massgravesmap.balkaninsight.com/krusha-e-madhe-velika-krusa/. Accessed 2026-09-16.