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On June 28, 1989, Milošević consolidated his authority over Kosovo, when he delivered a speech in Gazemistan, in front of a large number of Serb citizens at the main celebration marking the 600th anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo, citing Kosovo as the birthplace of the Serbian nation, and that as such, it would never gain independence. Soon after this, the autonomy of Kosovo was greatly reduced. In response, Kosovo Albanians organized a non-violent separatist movement, employing widespread civil disobedience, such as boycotting state and political institutions, and establishing separate Albanian schools, with the ultimate goal of achieving the independence of Kosovo.

On July 2, 1990, an unconstitutional Kosovo parliament declared Kosovo an independent country, the Republic of Kosova, which was recognized only by Albania. Two years later, in 1992, the parliament organized an unofficial referendum in which 98% voted for independence. Following this, the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo was adopted in secret.

Kosovo War

After the Dayton Agreement in 1995, the Kosovo Liberation Army (KLA) was established, employing guerrilla-style tactics against Serbian police forces and civilians. After three years of fighting, the Serbian authorities were pressured by the international community to sign a unilateral cease-fire and partial retreat agreement in 1998. Following this, Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) observers moved into Kosovo to monitor the ceasefire, while Yugoslav military forces partly pulled out of the region. However, the ceasefire was broken shortly thereafter by KLA forces, which in turn provoked harsh counterattacks by the Serbs. On 16 January 1999, the bodies of 45 Albanian civilians, executed by Serb forces, were found in the town of Račak. The Račak Massacre was instrumental in increasing the pressure on Serbia in the following conference at Rambouillet. When, after more than a month of negotiations, Yugoslavia refused to sign the prepared peace agreement, NATO launched a 78-day bombing campaign, which was, at first, limited to military targets in Kosovo proper, but was soon extended to cover targets all over Yugoslavia, including bridges, power stations, factories, broadcasting stations, post offices, and various government buildings.

During the conflict, roughly a million ethnic Albanians fled or were forcefully driven from Kosovo. Furthermore, an estimated 10,000-12,000 ethnic Albanians and 3,000 Serbs are believed to have been killed during the conflict. Some 3,000 people are still missing, of which 2,500 are Albanian, 400 Serb and 100 Roma.

Post-war Kosovo

After the war ended in 1999, the UN Security Council passed Resolution 1244 that placed Kosovo under a transitional UN administration (UNMIK) and authorized KFOR, a NATO peacekeeping force, to police the land. Almost immediately, returning Kosovo Albanians attacked Kosovo Serbs, causing anywhere between 65,000 and 250,000 Serbs and other non-Albanians to flee.

In 2001, UNMIK promulgated a Constitutional Framework for Kosovo that established the Provisional Institutions of Self-Government (PISG), including an elected Kosovo Assembly, Presidency and office of Prime Minister. Kosovo then held its first free, Kosovo-wide elections in late 2001. UNMIK also oversaw the establishment of a professional, multi-ethnic Kosovo Police Service.