Vlahov: Vučić Scored Two Own Goals
Croatia marked the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin, and an HRT journalist notes that, beyond politics, relations between citizens are normalizing.
Croatia marked the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm in Knin, and an HRT journalist notes that, beyond politics, relations between citizens are normalizing.
Croatia marked the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation Storm, as well as Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and the Day of Croatian Defenders, in Knin on August 5, 2026. The central celebration was marked by an atmosphere of pride and emotion, with key messages from the state leadership focused on preserving the truth about the Homeland War.
HRT journalist Petar Vlahov, reporting from the field, summarized the tone of the day.
"All the messages we heard from the state leadership were unified and can be summed up in one sentence: For the Homeland War and Operation Storm, the most important things are facts and truth, if we are to send messages to young generations, but also to those beyond our borders who try to discredit Operation Storm,"said Vlahov.
In his address, Vlahov also touched on relations between citizens of Croatia and Serbia, emphasizing that, regardless of political tensions, they have significantly improved in recent years. He stressed that young generations from Serbia are increasingly coming to Croatia to work.
"31 years after Operation Storm, beyond politics, relations between citizens of Croatia and Serbia are normalizing. Today, young generations of Serbian citizens come to Croatia to work as our dear and sought-after guests. They save our tourist season, help us earn, and it will be the same this year. They come to work for Croats who are now employers, and may there be more of them,"said Vlahov.
He added that Croatia is also increasingly chosen for vacations.
"Those same Serbian citizens, with their families, also come to vacation on the Croatian coast. There are more of them every year, and they are dear and welcome because they also spend the most,"he emphasized.
He concluded his commentary with a reference to earlier statements by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić.
"So much for Mr. Vučić, who says we shouldn't wait for the 'second half.' If we're going to speak in sports jargon, he has, first and foremost, scored two own goals against his own citizens and his own state in stoppage time of the first half,"concluded Vlahov, alluding to the contrast between political rhetoric from Belgrade and the everyday reality in which Serbian citizens increasingly gravitate toward Croatia.
