Croatia Celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans Day

Croatia is marking Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Croatian Veterans Day, and the 31st anniversary of the Military-Police Operation Storm, with a central ceremony held in Knin.

At the Knin Fortress, 12 representatives of Croatian veterans and victims of the Homeland War raised the Croatian flag, and the names of the fallen and missing veterans were read out, and cadets of the Croatian Army and students of the Police Academy paid tribute to them by standing in formation.

Parliament Speaker Gordan Jandroković said that Storm was a just and legitimate liberation operation, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković announced new rights for veterans, and President Zoran Milanović emphasized that Croatia did not win the war only by force, but also by intelligence.

The Wings of Storm and Rafale fighter jets participated in the program, after which the Croatian Army and police demonstrated their capabilities.

The military-police operation Storm began on August 4 and lasted until August 7, 1995. 

The Croatian Army and police liberated the occupied areas of the Republic of Croatia under the control of rebel Serbs, where the so-called Serbian Krajina had been established.

An area of 10,400 square kilometers, or 18.4 percent of Croatia's total surface area, was liberated.

During the operation, 243 Croatian defenders were killed, 1,430 were wounded, while two are still listed as missing.

Source: HRT