Commemoration held to mark the 34th anniversary of the fall of Bogdanovci

A commemoration was held in the village of Bogdanovci today to mark the 34th anniversary of the fall of village to Serb and Yugoslav people's Army forces, and to honor the 133 civilians and defenders from Bogdanovci were killed during the Serbian aggression.

Bogdanovci was a key link between Vukovar and Vinkovci, the life-line of support to the besieged city. The commander of the village's defenses, Colonel Vinko Žanić: “The moment Bogdanovci were occupied marked the true beginning of the fall of Vukovar. There was no hope for Vukovar anymore. We were the key point on the line of communication between Vinkovci and Vukovar.”

The head of Bogdanovci Municipality, Marko Barun, noted at today’s commemoration, that the small village of Bogdanovci paid a high price in the fight for Croatian freedom: “In 1991 on November 10th 133 lives were lost here in Bogdanovci, of which 89 were local residents. And unfortunately, we are still searching for the remains of 17 of them to this day.”

For Vukovar Mayor Marijan Pavliček, Bogdanovci’s role in the defense of Vukovar was crucial: “For the City of Vukovar in 1991 Bogdanovci were a door to the rest of Croatia. Unfortunately, the occupation of Bogdanovci after three months of fighting, Vukovar was cut off and encircled by the Greater Serbian aggressor, chetniks and a series of other paramilitary units. Everything was moving towards the occupation of Vukovar itself. So, we're here today to pay our respects to a small but very proud village.”

Source: HRT