The fan group calls for a gathering at 6 PM in front of the 'Andrija Matijaš Pauk' barracks, with special T-shirts featuring a reprint of Slobodna Dalmacija's historic front page from 1995 on sale.
The Torcida fan group will mark the anniversary of the military-police operation Storm today, August 5, 2026, with a large march in Knin. The gathering is scheduled for 6 PM in the parking lot in front of the 'Andrija Matijaš Pauk' barracks, and Torcida invites all interested parties to join them.
For this occasion, they have also prepared special T-shirts with the message 'Storm swept away the Chetniks,' available in their official shop. The design is a reprint of Slobodna Dalmacija's edition from Monday, August 7, 1995, symbolically recalling the historic moment of liberating occupied Croatian territories.
The front page of Slobodna Dalmacija from August 7, 1995, carried a detailed report on the course of Operation Storm. In a statement signed by the head of the Political Directorate of the Croatian Ministry of Defense, Major General Ivan Tolj, it was noted that the operation was nearing its end and that Croatian military and police forces had liberated a number of towns.
"During the morning and early afternoon hours of Sunday, the operation codenamed Storm, aimed at liberating and reintegrating occupied territories in the former sectors North and South, is nearing completion. Croatian military and police forces have liberated Korenica, Slunj, Cetingrad, Otrić, Bruvno, Plaški, Vrhovine, Plitvice, and the Plitvice Lakes - the renowned Croatian national park under UNESCO protection," reads part of the statement carried by Slobodna Dalmacija.
The liberation of Petrinja was particularly highlighted, as the town came back under Croatian control after 37 months of occupation. Serbian rebels, with the help of the former JNA, had occupied the town on September 21, 1991. During the occupation, Serbian authorities killed several hundred civilians of Croatian nationality, while approximately 10,000 Croats and members of other ethnic groups were forced into exile.
Around 8 AM, Mayor Josip Dolenec and Sisak-Moslavina County Prefect Đuro Brodarac toured liberated Petrinja. Dolenec called on the Serbian population in the town and the Jabukovac municipality to remain in their homes, emphasizing readiness to establish civil authority. "We already have plans for rebuilding communal infrastructure and for the functioning of all services and activities needed to establish civil authority and life in the town," Dolenec said at the time.
Croatian military and police forces also liberated Novi Lički Osik, a Chetnik stronghold from which Stari Lički Osik, Mušaluk, Vukšić, Budak, Gospić, Perušić, and other settlements were shelled during the war. The Medak area, previously the most notorious Chetnik stronghold, was also liberated; from there, Gospić, Bilaj, Ribnik, and other settlements had been shelled. On Sunday, Lika-Senj County Prefect Ante Frković visited Medak and extended congratulations to the fighters.
