Retired Major Milivoj Runac, a member of General Rahim Ademi's staff, spoke ahead of the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm about his key role in planning the legendary operation.
On the occasion of the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation Storm, the public has been introduced to the story of a modest man from Imotski whose contribution to the liberation of Knin was far greater than anyone suspected. Retired Major Milivoj Runac (63), son of respected educators from Imotski and a graduate agronomist, was one of only five people who knew the key details of the plan for the advance of Croatian forces toward Knin. His character is best described by the old folk saying: "Still waters run deep."
The story of this hero from the shadows was brought to light by Slobodna Dalmacija journalist Braco Ćosić and relayed by Radio Imotski. Runac, whom General Rahim Ademi called "a person of his special trust," was responsible in the staff for creating maps, plans, and coordinating units in the field.
Runac's war path began at the very start of the aggression on Croatia in 1991. "Right at the beginning of 1991, I was returning from Zagreb; the war had already started. I thought, I should also give my contribution to Croatia," Runac recalled for Slobodna Dalmacija. Upon arriving in Imotski, he immediately joined the 115th Brigade, which was officially formed on July 29, 1991.
Due to his previous experience in air defense from the former army, he was appointed commander of an air defense platoon. In April 1992, he was sent to the first generation of the Air Defense Officer School in Zagreb, after which he fought with the 115th Brigade on the Southern Front. Particularly notable were the battles at Lisnik peak, where his brigade was attached to the legendary First Guard Brigade, the Tigers, under the command of Damir Tomljanović-Gavran. "Unfortunately, at Lisnik peak, where it was the toughest, we lost some of our comrades, and there were also wounded," Runac recalled.
After Operation "Winter '94," General Ante Gotovina issued an order transferring Runac to the Split Operational Zone Command, from where he went to the operational group in Livno, under the direct command of General Rahim Ademi. He participated in Operations "Jump 1" and "Jump 2," which were preparations for "Summer '95." That operation resulted in the liberation of the key towns of Bosansko Grahovo and Glamoč and was a direct prelude to Storm.
The turning point came on August 3, 1995, when the Serbs in Geneva rejected the Z-4 peace plan. That same afternoon, orders arrived for the implementation of Operation "Kozjak '95." The staff urgently moved from Rujani to Sajkovići near Livno, closer to the front line. "We actually have only one day to issue the most important orders in the staff," Runac described the dramatic moments.
It was then that his key role came to the fore. "Only General Ademi, General Ljubo Ćesić Rojs, and certainly as commander General Ante Gotovina, along with me and Colonel Josip Jukica knew the plan. So, I was among the five people who knew from which areas and from which positions we would advance toward Knin, but I did not know the exact start time of the operation," Runac revealed. The plans for "Kozjak '95" were made about ten days earlier, and confidentiality was at the highest level.
Until the afternoon of August 3, no one except the five of them knew the attack routes. The enemy expected a strike from the direction of Sinj, but "the wise heads of our generals Ante Gotovina and Rahim Ademi decided something surprising"-the attack came over Dinara and Crvena Zemlja. "One hundred percent surprise," Runac emphasized. Orders were written during the day, and at night he and his comrades visited positions on the front line, familiarizing commanders and soldiers with every detail of the plan.
At a meeting with unit commanders on the afternoon of August 3, it was learned that the operation would begin the next day, August 4, at five in the morning. General Gotovina and senior officers from the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Croatia in Zagreb were already at the staff. Runac and his colleagues coordinated the front line from Velebit to Livno, ensuring that every unit was in place at the exact time. All units reported their positions and field status, and they, in turn, reported via a special line to Minister Šušak in Zagreb and the General Staff.
"Personally, when I heard that our first warriors had entered Knin, it was a feeling I will remember for the rest of my life. Knin!? So quickly, so, some would say, simply, but how much was planned and finally waited for," Runac recalled. General Ademi immediately went to Knin, and Runac arrived on August 6, 1995. "We had to form a new staff there. Yes, there is joy, celebration, but we had to be on alert because the enemy could regroup," he explained. After Storm, the task was to reach the borders of the Republic of Croatia, and the units even prevented a counterattack at the Derala pass, which, if lost, would have jeopardized Knin itself.
Even after 31 years, emotions are still strong for Runac. "I can only bow to the ground because he was a man, an expert that any army would want. I am proud even today before Storm; goosebumps run, I shed a tear for friends who died, everything mixes these days," he said. The entire staff, in his words, functioned flawlessly, and the operation was planned so superbly that he is convinced it will "go down in the annals of world wars."
Despite his enormous contribution, Runac remained as modest as he always was. "I am just a small drop in that great waterfall that was a participant in 'Storm' and gave its contribution. I am immensely proud of that and will be until my death," concluded this man from Imotski, whose quiet but crucial role in the liberation of Knin has finally come to light.
