Croatia Celebrates 31st Anniversary of Operation Storm
From wreath-laying ceremonies and masses to concerts and Rafale flyovers, the country honors its defenders and celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
From wreath-laying ceremonies and masses to concerts and Rafale flyovers, the country honors its defenders and celebrates Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
Across Croatia on Tuesday, Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day and Croatian Veterans Day are being observed, marking the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation "Storm." The central celebration of this key operation from the Homeland War, which in 1995 crushed the rebellion and aggression, includes a series of ceremonial events from Zagreb to Dubrovnik.
A delegation from the City of Zagreb, led by Mayor Tomislav Tomašević, will lay wreaths at Zagreb's Mirogoj Cemetery on Tuesday. Wreaths will be placed at the memorial "Glas hrvatske žrtve, Zid boli" (Voice of the Croatian Victim, Wall of Pain), at the central cross in the Alley of Croatian Defenders, and at the "Kenotaph" monument at the Crematorium.
In Split, wreaths will be laid for fallen defenders at the Lovrinac city cemetery and in the Park of Defenders, followed by a thanksgiving mass at the Church of Our Lady of Health. The evening program features a ceremonial march of Croatian veterans with war flags through the city center, and the celebration will continue with a concert titled "Domovini s ljubavlju" (To the Homeland with Love) on the Riva waterfront.
Vodice, Samobor, and Zaprešić will also remember their fallen defenders.
In Rijeka, where the observance began as early as Monday, the Croatian flag will be raised on Tuesday at the Kosi toranj (Leaning Tower) in front of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. A column of bikers will parade through the city carrying Croatian flags, war flags of units, and association banners. The highlight of the evening will be the lighting of 222 torches on the Krk Bridge, honoring the same number of fallen defenders from Primorje-Gorski Kotar County, organized by the fan association Plavo-bijeli otok (Blue-White Island).
Dubrovnik has organized a special two-day program that began Monday evening with the opening of the exhibition "VRO Oluja na Banovini 1995." (Operation Storm in Banovina 1995) by author Varina Jurica Turk at the Imperial Fortress. The program continues Wednesday evening on Stradun, where a virtual exhibition by the Dubrovnik Homeland War Museum, "Put u slobodu 1991.-1995." (Path to Freedom 1991-1995), will be shown in front of the Church of St. Blaise, followed by a performance by the Dubrovnik Symphony Orchestra.
In Knin, the city that symbolizes victory, the third book of the Homeland War trilogy, the monograph "1995.", will be presented on Tuesday. The book will be presented by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved, along with Croatian war reporters and co-authors Matko Biljak and Zoran Filipović.
Zadar will mark Victory Day with a ceremonial concert titled "Arbanasi od srca pjesmom" (Arbanasi Singing from the Heart), which this year has an additional note, celebrating 300 years since the arrival of the Arbanasi people to Zadar. Musical programs will also be held in Gospić, Makarska, and on the island of Hvar.
Due to the observance of Victory Day and the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm, the Croatian Air Force will conduct flight activities above Knin and its surroundings on August 4 and 5. The Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia (MORH) has warned citizens that loud booms may cause distress and asks for their understanding.
