At the 31st anniversary of Operation Storm, the Prime Minister delivered strong messages on security and gratitude to veterans, while Grmoja said Croatia will celebrate even more vigorously.
Croatia today solemnly marked Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Croatian Veterans Day, and the 31st anniversary of the military-police operation Storm in Knin. The central event was the speech by Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, who delivered a series of messages from the stage-from thanking veterans to taking a firm stance on national security.
Prime Minister Plenković addressed the gathering, emphasizing that Operation Storm was the crowning achievement of all victories in the Homeland War and an event that changed the course of modern Croatia. A particularly emotional moment was his message about those whose fate remains unknown. "We are still searching for 1,725 missing persons, and we will not stop until their fate is clarified," said Plenković, as reported by Dalmacija News.
He also touched on current security challenges, highlighting investments in the Croatian military and the state's determination to defend itself. "We are not afraid," Plenković said to those who, as he put it, would attack Croatia, as reported by Dnevno.hr.
The commemoration in Knin was also attended by Most party president Nikola Grmoja. He stressed that Croatia must never forget the sacrifice of veterans who won freedom and territorial integrity. Commenting on reactions from Serbia, he was clear. "Croatia will celebrate Operation Storm even more strongly; messages from Serbia don't interest me," Grmoja stated, as reported by Hrvatska uživo.
Before the central ceremony, Plenković and members of the government laid a wreath and lit a candle at the "Storm 95" Monument of Croatian Victory. "With special gratitude and deep respect, we remember those who gave their lives for freedom and independence," reads the statement from the Croatian government on platform X.
The program began with a holy mass for fallen, deceased, and missing Croatian veterans of the Homeland War. It was held at the Church of Our Lady of the Great Croatian Baptismal Vow in Knin, led by Military Ordinariate Bishop Msgr. Jure Bogdan.
