Today, a protest took place in front of the severely damaged General Staff building, which was destroyed during the NATO bombing in Belgrade, Serbia’s capital. The demonstrators are urging the abandonment of a proposed large residential and business complex, including a hotel, that has been agreed upon by the government and Jared Kushner’s company, the son-in-law of former US President Donald Trump.

Members of the “Defend the General Staff” Initiative organized the protest on the eve of the 26th anniversary of the bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia. They carried large banners stating “Stop the demolition of the General Staff” and “No to the EU, no to NATO,” along with messages like “No way – the demolition will not pass.”

A letter of support was read from retired Colonel Zoltan Dani, who famously shot down a so-called “stealth plane” in 1999. He remarked that “the monsters from the West are attempting to return to the site of their crime.”

Ilija Živković, a representative of the Initiative, stated that “allowing the aggressor to have a memorial site is an affront to the victims, the highest form of cynicism, and a mockery of the Serbian people.” He called for another rally at the same location on April 27, the date when the General Staff building was bombed.

“Even after 26 years, we remain in conflict—not armed, but engaged in a struggle to preserve our history and culture,” said fellow Initiative member Mateja Grujičić.

The Initiative has initiated a petition to terminate the long-term lease agreement for the land on which the General Staff stands, seeking to restore the building’s status as a protected cultural asset and transform it into a Memorial Center dedicated to NATO aggression victims.

Experts have cautioned that the General Staff Building is one of the most significant examples of local architecture, designed by the esteemed academic and urban planning professor Nikola Dobrović.

Recently, it was included in Europa Nostra’s list of the most endangered heritage sites for 2025, supported by the European Union.

The General Staff Building is surrounded by stunning structures from the 1930s, designed by “White Russian” émigrés after the Bolshevik Revolution.

Adjacent to it stands the original General Staff building designed by Vasilij Baumgarten, while across Kneza Miloša Street lie structures created by Nikolaj Krasnov—the current Government and Ministry of Foreign Affairs buildings.

On November 14, 2024, the Serbian government determined that the General Staff and Ministry of Defense buildings in central Belgrade would lose their cultural heritage status, leasing the land to Kushner’s company for 99 years.

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