Turudić on Vučić's Statements: Let Them Whine
Croatian politicians in Knin dismissed the Serbian president's interpretations of Operation Storm, and Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić briefly said he couldn't care less.
Croatian politicians in Knin dismissed the Serbian president's interpretations of Operation Storm, and Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić briefly said he couldn't care less.
Chief State Attorney Ivan Turudić did not hold back when commenting on the statements made by Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić the previous day. When asked by journalists after the central ceremony in Knin on August 5, 2026, Turudić replied curtly: "We couldn't care less. Let them whine," as reported by Telegram.
A day earlier, on August 4, 2026, at a commemoration in Mrkonjić Grad, Vučić called Operation Storm a crime that Serbs must not forget. In his speech, he specifically addressed the strengthening of the Serbian military, emphasizing that Serbia is advancing faster than others in every respect.
"We are advancing faster than others, our economy is growing faster, we are growing industrially faster, we are growing faster in every sense. Don't forget, even militarily, and we hope we will never have to use the military for defensive purposes, but we are also growing fastest in that regard," Vučić said.
The Serbian president also added that he had heard "in several places" that some are waiting for the "second half." "We ask them not to wait for the second half. We ask them not to do that because we want peace and good relations with them," Vučić stated.
Croatia liberated its occupied territory through Operation Storm in 1995, and the Hague Tribunal acquitted Generals Ante Gotovina and Mladen Markač. Vučić's interpretation of the events has been consistently rejected in Croatia.
In addition to Turudić, other Croatian politicians also reacted to Vučić's statements. Economy Minister Ante Šušnjar said that those sending such messages should "drop the foolishness." Representatives from Most, HDZ, and SDP also rejected Vučić's interpretation of Operation Storm.
The sharp reactions from Knin reflect the ongoing escalation of rhetoric between the two countries regarding issues from the Homeland War, particularly during the days marking the anniversary of the military-police operation Storm.
