AS the Kosovo crisis takes on more sinister turns by the day, the use of ground troops becomes a distinct possibility. A little more than a week ago, before Nato aircraft began pummelling Serbian targets, such a move was unthinkable.

Troops would only move into Kosovo as peace keepers under the umbrella of an agreement involving both Serbs and Kosovo Albanians, it was said then.

But today three hapless American GIs were paraded on Yugoslav television after being snatched near the Macedonian border.

And even more alarmingly, the Russians are sending a warship to "observe."

Nato chiefs were convinced that a short, sharp bombing campaign would persuade Milosevic that he had to return to the conference table.

It now looks as though they have grabbed a tiger by the tail.

The Serb leader may be a ruthless war lord with the blood of thousands on his hands. But, so far, he has outwitted the world's most formidable armed alliance.

He has soaked up everything high-tech air forces could throw at him, basked in the glory of seeing one of America's best war planes in pieces on the ground near Belgrade and paraded three captured American soldiers on television.

All this will have rallied the very people Nato hoped would turn on him in the face of heavy bombing - the ordinary Serbs.

In the streets of Belgrade and village squares across Serbia he is feted as a hero.

They, of course, are not told of the deportation of Kosovo Albanian women and children, the setting up of concentration camps, the rounding up of men of military age or the cold-blooded slaughter of people at the whim of the thugs who wear the uniforms of the Yugoslav Army and armed police.

Quite rightly Milosevic and many of his cronies have been branded as war criminals and the West has promised that eventually they will be treated as such.

But how will that come about?

Only ground troops would be able to prise them from their havens.

There is no chance of men, who have condoned some of the worst war crimes since the Second World War, coming out voluntarily.

American involvement is in the balance.

So far they have been happy to let the missiles and high-altitude strike aircraft attack.

Now three GIs have been snatched and the minds of ordinary Americans will be concentrated.

It could swing US public opinion behind Nato policy or it could lead to a Vietnam war-type backlash.

The Russian decision to involve a warship is worrying. This former super power is no longer a match for Nato forces.

But it still retains a significant nuclear arsenal to which it could resort as a face saver.

And that gives leaders in the West one more huge headache as they ponder the use of ground troops.

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