The documentary 'Brothers in Arms' brings harrowing, previously untold stories of more than ten thousand citizens of Serbian nationality who stood up to defend Croatia. The film has been available on the Večernji list YouTube channel since August 5.
It is estimated that more than ten thousand Croatian citizens of Serbian nationality took part in the country's defense against the Greater Serbian aggression. Their stories, however, have largely remained silenced. The documentary 'Brothers in Arms,' directed by Goran Maršalek and written by Tanja Belobrajdić, herself a Vukovar veteran, corrects this injustice by bringing authentic testimonies of patriotism and immense sacrifice.
The film had its gala premiere in January 2026 at the packed Forum cinema in Zagreb, where the audience greeted the film's heroes and heroines with prolonged ovations. Since August 5, 2026, it has been available for viewing on the Večernji list YouTube channel.
The film's backbone consists of the life and wartime paths of four defenders whose fates are deeply moving. Rankan Čučković, a Croatian war veteran severely wounded in Operation Storm, summed up his stance simply: "If I were in Slovenia, I would defend Slovenia; if I were in China, I would defend China. I stayed in Croatia, and I defend my Croatia."
There is also Željko Ilić Šeki from Vukovar, a Croatian war veteran and survivor of Serbian concentration camps, whose parents were killed on their doorstep by JNA grenades. Željko Baltić, a non-commissioned officer from Šibenik who served in the former JNA, carried out a secret mission that was crucial-he managed to preserve and hand over to the Croatian Army an artillery unit vital for the city's defense. The story is rounded out by Damir Ralić, a professor of linguistics and philosophy from Zagreb's Dubrava district, whose ongoing struggle with chronic PTSD testifies to the war's deep scars.
Particularly moving is the story of Željko Ilić Šeki, which screenwriter Belobrajdić heard from the late Danijel Rehak, president of the Association of Survivors of Serbian Concentration Camps. Rehak spent months in solitary confinement with Ilić and witnessed his torture.
"That boy was special. Whenever they asked him who killed his parents, he would answer: 'You!' They would hit him in the chest and keep repeating the question, and he, even as his chest turned blue and then black from the blows, stubbornly kept answering: 'You! You!', even though he was aware that his life was literally worth nothing and that any, even the slightest resistance, led to death," Rehak recounted.
The film does not forget other heroes either. Goran Delić, a twenty-year-old Serb from Zagreb's Gajnice neighborhood, changed his name to Harllan Von Bassinger. Soldiers from the Tigers unit speak with respect of this young man, whom the Chetniks believed to be a foreign mercenary, and who defended Vukovar until the very last moment. His remains have not been found to this day.
Also touching is the story of Vid Ivanić, a member of the Croatian Defense Forces (HOS) from Zagreb, who set off for Vukovar with his friends Ilija Ačkar, who was Catholic, and Ohran Merić, who was Muslim. They all had the same goal-to defend Croatia. After being captured and going through a camp, only Ilija returned home.
The creative team emphasizes that it was not easy to find interviewees. Many defenders of Serbian nationality are still burdened by severe trauma and do not wish to speak publicly. Producer Dražen Hrženjak cited the example of a Zagreb defender who backed out after speaking with his family due to fear of stigma.
Hrženjak stresses that the film's primary idea is not reconciliation but truth: "Reconciliation is a complex construct that must first clearly define who is the aggressor and who is the victim. Then the aggressor must undergo catharsis and ask for forgiveness, and the victim, in a spirit of grace, must forgive. When that happens, true reconciliation will be achieved."
"However, the idea of this film is truth, which is: being a Serb does not mean being an enemy of Croatia, but advocating for the Greater Serbian idea automatically means being an enemy. During the Homeland War, Croatian citizens of Serbian nationality fought in the ranks of Croatian units, and they are our friends and our brothers in arms. This is what we want to clearly distinguish and convey through the film," Hrženjak says.
"They have often been silenced and betrayed, and they deserve our endless respect," concludes the producer, who, after thirty years of silence, gives a voice to people driven by the premise "neither blood, nor nation, but homeland."
