Celebration of operation Storm: Knin expects thousands of visitors, Rafales over Croatia

A press conference was held in Knin to present the program for marking the 30th anniversary of the Military Police Operation Storm. The main celebration will be held on August 5, and the city expects thousands of visitors, a rich military-aerobatic program, and Rafale flights over Knin and other parts of Croatia.

The celebration of Operation Storm, as well as Victory and Homeland Gratitude Day and Croatian Defenders' Day, begins on Tuesday, August 5, at 6:30 a.m. with a vigil through the streets of Knin. A Tactical-Technical Corps of Equipment and Weapons will be displayed along Dr. Franjo Tuđman Street, and the arrival of guests and participants in Knin and their gathering is expected from 8:30 a.m. to 8:45 a.m.

Ceremony at the stadium and at the Knin Fortress

At a press conference in Knin, where the ceremonial program was announced on Saturday, it was said that this year, the program will begin about fifteen minutes earlier when wreaths will be laid by delegations at Dr. Ante Starčević Square at the Monument to the Croatian Victory in Storm 95. Then, the guests will go together to the central ceremony at the Dinara Football Club Stadium, while part of the program will also be held at the Knin Fortress.

A report to the President of the Republic of Croatia and Supreme Commander Zoran Milanović will follow at the stadium, and then the flag of the Republic of Croatia will be raised at the Knin Fortress, accompanied by the anthem and church bells.

Demonstration exercise and military-aerobatic program

“The history of the Military Police Operation Storm 95 will be read, along with the names of the fallen and missing defenders, and the names of the people who raised the flag. A volley will be fired and a minute of silence will be held, after which a Rafale will fly over the city. There will also be speeches and a program by the Wings of Storm aerobatic group, as well as a demonstration exercise,” said State Secretary at the Ministry of Croatian Defenders Darko Nekić.

Holy Mass at noon in the Church of Our Lady of the Great Croatian Baptismal Vow will be led by Zagreb Archbishop Dražen Kutleša. Citizens will welcome marathon runners, cyclists and motorcyclists at Dr. Ante Starčević Square. The entrance to the stadium will be open and citizens will be able to sit in the free seats, except for the 1,200 chairs that are reserved for officials by protocol.

Rafales over Croatia

Nekić revealed that they ordered 50,000 commemorative T-shirts that were distributed to associations, and that they were also worn by veterans at the recent parade in Zagreb. The T-shirts are entirely Croatian products with the so-called American pattern, i.e. the camouflage that veterans wore during the war.

State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Tomislav Bilandžić said that police cadets and their moderators will be involved in the event, presenting some of the equipment and weapons, and Lučko Anti-Terrorist Unit will perform a demonstration exercise.

Concert and fireworks in the evening

Brigadier General Željko Ljubas said that 30 volleys will be fired, one Rafale will fly over Knin, the other two over Croatia. The Chief of the Šibenik-Knin Police Department, Sandro Santini, asked visitors to leave for Knin on time, while he told Knin residents not to park their vehicles in the area around Dr. Ante Starčević Square and the Dinara Football Club stadium.

According to the Mayor of Knin, Mario Ćaćić, the program continues in the evening at 9 pm Dr. Ante Starčević Square, where a concert will be given by Hrvatske ruže and Miroslav Škoro, and will last until midnight, followed by fireworks. He invited citizens from all over Croatia to come to Knin for this great holiday and to hang the national flag from the windows of their apartments and houses.

Source: HRT