A former Russian prime minister and retired Russian general will travel to the war crimes tribunal at the Hague to speak in defense of former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic.
Retired Colonel General Leonid Ivashov will testify Friday and former Prime Minister Nikolai Ryzhkov on Monday. The general said Thursday the men believe the charges against Mr. Milosevic are far-fetched, and that claims he committed war crimes have been fabricated by those who launched the 1999 NATO bombing campaign over Kosovo.
General Ivashov said former prime minister and foreign minister Yevgeny Primakov also will speak on Mr. Milosevic's behalf in late November.
The former Yugoslav leader faces more than 60 counts of war crimes stemming from the Balkan conflicts of the 1990s. The NATO assault was launched to end Serb aggression against ethnic Albanians.
Some information for this story provided by AP.
