Critics of the city government and Zagreb's HDZ have reacted sharply because the main Zagreb square is not adorned with state symbols ahead of Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
Today, August 4, 2026, at 5 a.m., the military-police operation "Storm" began, and tomorrow Croatia marks Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders. Despite this, by the afternoon hours, no Croatian flags had been hung on Ban Josip Jelačić Square in Zagreb, which drew sharp reactions from parts of the public and political parties.
Among the first to draw attention to the lack of state symbols on social media platform X was Nikita Stoja, one of the most vocal critics of the city government. "Today is August 4. The day before Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders. The City of Zagreb has not yet hung Croatian flags!!! Attached is a photo taken 10 minutes ago," Stoja wrote on her profile, along with a photo of the square without flags.
The same issue was highlighted by the portal Zagreb.info, which does not consider itself critical of the Možemo platform. They published a video from the square with the comment: "The day before 'Storm,' there are still no Croatian flags on Ban Jelačić Square. However, there is still time, and we hope the flags will be put up soon."
Ivan Matijević, president of Zagreb's HDZ, also issued a sharp condemnation of the missing flags, attributing political responsibility to Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, the Možemo platform, and their partners from the SDP.
"While the city administration readily uses public space to promote its own ideological and political messages, the absence of any symbol of Croatian statehood once again shows how alienated the Zagreb government is from the sense of national pride felt by a large part of Zagreb's residents and Croatian citizens," Matijević said.
"Zagreb is nobody's ideological testing ground, but the capital of Croatia: its central square must be a place of national pride and gratitude to Croatian defenders, because in Zagreb, the Croatian flag, Operation Storm, and Victory Day must never be silenced, suppressed, or forgotten."
On the same day, Prime Minister Andrej Plenković gave a statement on the security of electricity supply, saying it is guaranteed and that Croatia will have enough power. He also commented on the low water levels of the Danube, which forced Hungary to implement safety protocols related to the Paks nuclear power plant, while there is no threat to the Krško nuclear power plant. Plenković also announced a more detailed discussion with the CEO of HEP.
Earlier in the day, Plenković participated in a ceremonial session of the Municipal Council in Bol on Brač, marking the Day of the Municipality. He highlighted a series of completed projects, including the upcoming construction of the Omiš-Brač underwater pipeline worth 20 million euros. He reminded that 127,000 people live on Croatian islands, while the total number of unemployed is only 2,200.
