Storm Through Two Perspectives

Ahead of the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation Storm, which began on August 4 and 5, 1995, its direct participants with radically different experiences addressed the public. While Croatian commanders emphasize the military feat that liberated 14 percent of occupied territory in 84 hours, Serbian actor Jovo Maksić, originally from Bosansko Grahovo, recalls the persecution and the refugee column in which he found himself as a 22-year-old.

HTV's show 'Studio 4' hosted retired Croatian Army officer Danijel Kotlar and wartime commander of the 111th Rijeka Brigade Denis Deković. Their testimonies bring harrowing details about the human cost and determination of Croatian forces.

'Who could return home out of shame?'

Danijel Kotlar recounted the moment that marked his wartime experience when he visited a unit that had suffered losses. 'When I visited the soldiers who were with Boris Garma, where they had him killed and a couple wounded, and when I presented the situation to them, what the state of the battlefield was and that we had to move again the next day, they stood up and said: 'Commander, who could return home out of shame? We are ready and we go again to accomplish our task,' Kotlar recounted for HRT.

Numbers that refute theories of a prearranged deal

Denis Deković addressed frequent claims that Storm was a prearranged action, emphasizing the enormous Croatian casualties as a counterargument. 'On the first day of Storm, 121 Croatian soldiers died across the entire front, 245 in total, 1,100 were wounded, and 15 were listed as missing. When you look at that, you naturally conclude that this cannot be a deal in which you have 1,500 casualties,' Deković said.

He also highlighted the exceptional feat of the Croatian Air Force. 'I remind you that the Croatian Air Force, with aircraft that did not even have those capabilities, directly hit both the Ćelavac repeater and the Command Post of the 15th Lika Corps. That was truly admirable, how the hit was executed,' added the wartime commander.

Deković emphasizes that Croatia achieved victory solely with its own forces and resources. 'Croatia liberated itself; Croatia received nothing from anyone; Croatia bought everything, paid for it, and liberated itself with the blood of its soldiers. Even in the preparations for Operation Storm, we had all the data; we went directly on reconnaissance... On the other hand, we had drones that we developed ourselves. The satellite imagery that Croatia acquired was not obtained from some allies but was directly purchased commercially from a European company,' he concluded.

'I survived hell in Storm'

A completely different testimony comes from Serbian actor Jovo Maksić, who in 2021 told Kurir about his experience in the column of displaced persons. 'Everything started in 1991 when the war began; I was only 18 then. That hell for my family and me lasted a full four years and culminated in 1995 with the pogrom in Operation Storm. I was in that famous column with the rest of the people; I was 22 then. Believe me, I don't even remember everything that happened to me during that period because there were many ugly things,' Maksić said.

After arriving in Belgrade, the actor focused on the future and enrolled at the Faculty of Dramatic Arts. 'When I arrived in Belgrade, I didn't complain or cry; instead, I gathered strength and started fighting for a better tomorrow. There is always a choice in life, and I found my path to follow,' he added.

Comparison of military forces: T portal analysis

Kurir.rs relays an analysis by Croatian T portal comparing the military power of Croatia and Serbia, two of the most significant military forces in Southeast Europe. According to that analysis, the Serbian Army has about 30,000 to 32,000 active members and approximately 50,000 reservists, while the Croatian Army has between 15,000 and 20,000 professional soldiers and about 20,000 reservists.

Regarding heavy weaponry, Serbia has more than 240 main battle tanks and almost four times more self-propelled artillery than Croatia. Croatia, on the other hand, can rely on quality German self-propelled howitzers PzH 2000 and integration into NATO's air defense system.

'We forget the crimes committed against us'

In the podcast Rubikon, Maksić also spoke about the attitude towards history, especially the suffering in Jasenovac. 'We, as a people, in a certain historical period, decided not to deal with the crimes in Jasenovac at all. That is a total extreme, that we are not interested in it at all. It was known that it happened, but many hoped that it could be demolished and disappear somewhere, as if it had never happened,' he said.

The actor also sent a universal message about the importance of remembrance and forgiveness. 'Simply, it is important that it does not happen again. However, how much can we even influence that when it keeps repeating? We live in a time of short memory, short remembrance. It is easier to forget, but we do not forgive. We do the opposite. We should not forget, and we should forgive, but we do not forgive, and we forget. And then it happens that we become like them. Look at what is happening today, for example, in the Middle East. I do not want to go from being a victim to becoming a perpetrator,' Maksić said.

According to data cited by Kurir.rs, during Operation Storm, 1,900 people were killed or went missing, and more than 220,000 Serbs left their homes. Separately, Branislav Puhalo cites a figure of 250,000 displaced from Dalmatia alone, indicating different calculation methodologies.