The Defense Minister spoke on HRT's central news program about the Victory Day celebration in Knin, the humane treatment of prisoners in Operation Storm and Flash, and the modernization of the Croatian military.
Defense Minister Ivan Anušić appeared on HRT's central news program on Tuesday, August 5, 2026, on the occasion of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders in Knin. In an extensive interview, he reflected on the course of this year's ceremony, the historical lessons of the Homeland War, the treatment of prisoners, and the modernization process of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia.
Anušić expressed great satisfaction with the organization of the celebration, emphasizing that the entire program went flawlessly. "From an organizational standpoint, everything went well. We worked together on the organization. There were helicopters, the Krila Oluje aerobatic team performed, and we also saw Rafales, drones, and special forces," the minister told HRT.
He especially thanked the war veterans who, despite their advanced age and declining health, persevered throughout the entire ceremony. "These are people who are already quite old and in poor health. I'm glad they too managed to endure two and a half hours in this heat," he added.
Recalling the early days of the Homeland War, Anušić vividly described Croatia's difficult position in 1990. "We were completely unarmed and unprotected, utterly unprotected from European politics or the UN. We were left like someone the rebel Serb army was supposed to 'deal with,' just as they unfortunately massacred thousands of our civilians, defenders, women, and children," he said.
Despite the embargo and lack of weapons, Croatia managed to organize itself. "We managed to organize ourselves with incredible courage, resourcefulness, and improvisation-that should be said openly. We resisted, we stopped them in 1991 and broke their backbone in Vukovar. After that, we prepared for 1995. In the meantime, Europe and the world recognized us, and we resolved everything in two days," the minister emphasized. He added that the Homeland War brought long-awaited independence: "We created an independent and sovereign state that we had waited for centuries. The sky is the limit."
The Defense Minister particularly highlighted the ethical dimension of the military-police operations, drawing a sharp line between the conduct of Croatian forces and that of enemy units. "In the Homeland War, 402 children were killed. They targeted playgrounds while children were playing. That wasn't accidental; it's a certain mindset," Anušić said.
In contrast, Croatian defenders treated prisoners humanely. "Four years later, when they had liberated everything, Croats brought them water and bread, clothed their soldiers, fed them, bathed them, and returned them to their families," he stressed. He also recalled his own experience from Operation Flash: "I remember in Flash when we were liberating villages and ten or fifteen soldiers surrendered to us. No one even looked at them, let alone did them any harm. They received everything they needed, were taken to their families, given civilian clothes, and went wherever they wanted."
Anušić called for a comparison of fates: "Look at our prisoners who returned, look at those who didn't, how they were massacred and what was done to them. That's the difference between us and some others."
Speaking about the modernization of the Croatian military and the procurement of sophisticated equipment, Anušić summarized his clear stance in one sentence: "I'll be honest, it's not, but it can help a great deal. I'd remind you of 1990 when we had nothing, we were under an embargo, and we still managed to win. Man is key; without him, nothing exists. A Rafale is nothing without a pilot; it's just a 'piece of steel.'"
The minister concluded that the Ministry of Defense takes care not only of equipping the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia but also of its members. "We don't just equip the Armed Forces of the Republic of Croatia; we also take care of their members, their material rights, and working conditions. We are seriously raising the standard there. What is crucial for the Croatian people is that when we are united, we are invincible, and whenever needed, that unity emerges," Anušić said.
