Misplaced Pages

Battle of Borovo Selo: Difference between revisions

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.
Browse history interactively← Previous editContent deleted Content addedVisualWikitext
Revision as of 23:07, 19 April 2006 editMedule (talk | contribs)534 edits restored older asterion← Previous edit Latest revision as of 20:29, 9 December 2024 edit undoSeeler09 (talk | contribs)14 edits RetourTag: Undo 
(574 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|First armed clashes in the conflict which became known as the Croatian War of Independence}}
{{POV-check}}
{{good article}}
'''Borovo Selo massacre''' (]:''Pokolj u Borovom Selu'') or '''Borovo Selo raid''' (]: ''Напад на Борово Село'') refers to the armed confrontation between ]n police and ethnic ] paramilitaries in the village of Borovo Selo near ] around ] ] <ref>http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/ses-ii030115e.htm</ref>. The incident which resulted in the killings of a number of Croatian policemen was the bloodiest event preceding the break-up of ], which began two months later.
{{Use British English|date=April 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2014}}
{{Infobox military conflict
| conflict = Battle of Borovo Selo
| partof = the ] and the ]
| image = {{location map|Croatia|float=center|label=]|caption=|lat=45.381|long=18.9575}}
| caption =
| date = 2 May 1991
| place = ], ]
| result = ] and ] victory
| combatant1 = {{flagicon image|Flag of Serbian Krajina (1991).svg}} ]
| combatant2 = {{flag|Croatia}}
| commander1 = ] ]<br>] ]
| commander2 = {{flagicon|Croatia}} Josip Džaja<br>{{flagicon|Croatia}} ]
| units1 = {{flagicon image|Emblem of the Krajina Territorial Defense.svg|size=22px|border=}} ]
* {{flagicon image|Patch of the Borovo Territorial Defense.svg|size=22px|border=}} Borovo Selo Territorial Defense
{{flagicon image|Patch of the Krajina Militia.svg|size=22px|border=}} ]<br>{{flagicon image|Flag of Serbia 1992-2004.svg}} ]<br> ] ]
| units2 = {{flagicon image|PolicijaRH.svg}} ]
| strength1 = Unknown
| strength2 = 180 policemen
| casualties1 = 1 killed<br>4 wounded
| casualties2 = 12 killed<br>22 wounded<br>2 captured
| campaignbox = {{Campaignbox Croatian War of Independence}}
}}
The '''Battle of Borovo Selo''' of 2 May 1991, known in ] as the '''Borovo Selo massacre''' ({{langx|hr|Pokolj u Borovom Selu}}) and in ] as the '''Borovo Selo incident''' ({{langx|sr|Инцидент у Боровом Селу}}), was one of the first armed clashes in the conflict which became known as the ]. The clash was precipitated by months of rising ethnic tensions, violence, and armed combat in ] and at the ] in March. The immediate cause for the confrontation in the heavily ethnic Serb village of ], just north of ], was a failed attempt to replace the ] in the village with the ]. The unauthorised effort by four Croatian policemen resulted in the capture of two by a ] militia in the village. To retrieve the captives, the Croatian authorities deployed additional police, who drove into an ambush. Twelve Croatian policemen and one Serb paramilitary were killed before the ] (JNA) intervened and put an end to the clashes.


The confrontation resulted in a further deterioration of the overall situation in Croatia, leading ] and ] to accuse each other of overt aggression and of being enemies of their nation. For Croatia, the event was provocative because the bodies of some of the dead Croat policemen killed in the incident were reportedly ]. The clash in Borovo Selo eliminated any hopes that the escalating conflict could be defused politically and made the war almost inevitable. The ] convened several days after the battle and authorised the JNA to deploy to the area to prevent further conflict. Despite this deployment, skirmishes persisted in the region. After the war, a former paramilitary was convicted of ] for his role in abusing the two captured policemen, and ultimately sentenced to three years in prison. Four others were indicted, but remain at large outside Croatia.
The incident was indirectly caused by increasing tensions regarding the early stages of the break-up of Yugoslavia. As sections of Serb minority in Croatia were opposed to the prospect of an independent Croatia, which could undermine their minority rights. <ref>http://www.janes.com/defence/news/kosovo/misc990301_02_n.shtml</ref>. Borovo Selo soon became a focus of rebellion, modelled after the ]. Armed resistance was aided and encouraged from Serbia, especially by the members of the ] <ref>http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/ses-ii030115e.htm</ref>. As a consequence, parts of Croatian territory surrounding Vukovar, effectively became an exclave dominated and governed by local Serb resistance groups.<ref>http://www.un.org/icty/glance/milosevic.htm</ref>.


==Background==
In Spring ], shortly after ], a group of Croatian high ranking officials, including the future defence minister ], visited Eastern Slavonia to assess the situation. The result was an order to dismantle roadblocks near Borovo Selo erected by the Serbian rebels. The task was subsequently carried out successfully.
{{See also|Log revolution}}
In 1990, following the ] of the government of the ] by the ] (''Hrvatska demokratska zajednica'' – HDZ), ethnic tensions between ] and ] worsened. The ] (''Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija'' – JNA) confiscated the weapons of Croatia's ] (''Teritorijalna obrana'' – TO) in order to minimise the possibility of violence following the elections.{{sfn|Hoare|2010|p=117}} On 17 August, inter-ethnic tensions escalated into an ] of the ],{{sfn|Hoare|2010|p=118}} centred on the predominantly Serb-populated areas of the ]n hinterland around ],{{sfn|The New York Times 19 August 1990}} and parts of ], ], ] and ].{{sfn|ICTY 12 June 2007}}


In July 1990, local Serbs established a Serbian National Council to coordinate opposition to ] ]'s policy of pursuing ] from ]. ], a dentist from Knin, was elected president of the council, while Knin's police chief, ], established a number of paramilitary militias. The two men eventually became the political and military leaders of the ] (SAO Krajina), a self-declared state incorporating the Serb-inhabited areas of Croatia.{{sfn|Repe|2009|pp=141–142}} In March 1991, SAO Krajina authorities, backed by the government of ], began consolidating control over the Serb-populated areas of Croatia, resulting in a ] and the first fatalities in the ].{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2002|p=90}}
The first victim of inter-ethnic tensions fell on May 1st 1991 when Stevan Inić (born ]), a Serb, was shot in head in the village of Brsadin near Vukovar from the gun fired by Croat Djuro Gelenčir, member of the Croatian Democratic Union's party militia. <ref></ref> <ref></ref>


At the beginning of 1991, Croatia had no regular army. In an effort to bolster its defence, it doubled the number of ] to about 20,000. The most effective part of the police force was the ], which was deployed in twelve military-style battalions. In addition, Croatia had 9,000–10,000 regionally organised reserve police officers organised in 16 battalions and 10 companies, but they lacked weapons.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2002|p=86}}
However, it was not until ] that the local Croatian authorities decided to bring Borovo back under Croatian control. Their decision was prompted by the killing of two Croatian policemen on routine patrol the day before by Serbian paramilitaries <ref>http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D0CEEDB1031F937A2575BC0A967958260</ref>. The Croatian government then decided to send a convoy of special police to Borovo Selo to disarm the rebel groups and restore order. The convoy was ambushed as it entered the village; 12 policemen were killed and 21 were wounded. After the retreat of police, Serbian paramilitaries went on to mutilate the dead bodies of Croatian policemen which further aggravated the situation <ref>http://www.strategicstudiesinstitute.army.mil/pdffiles/00117.pdf</ref>.


==Prelude==
The fighting was halted with the arrival of the ] forces, which initially acted as a buffer between the two sides. The Federal Primer Minister, the Croatian ], visited Borovo Selo in attempt to negotiate the release of the captured Croatian policemen.
{{Location map many|Croatia Osijek Županja Ilok| width=300|alt= Location map of eastern Slavonia
| caption=Map of the eastern Slavonia area between Osijek and Vukovar (] lines provided for reference)


| label1=] | lat1=45.35 | long1=19.00 | label1_size=75 | mark1size=6 | position1=bottom
Croatia's government, in turn, agreed to the increased presence of the Yugoslav National Army in the area, which would later have important consequences during the ].
| label2=] | lat2=45.39 | long2=18.97 | label2_size=75 | mark2size=6 | position2=left
| label3=] | lat3=45.41 | long3=18.98 | label3_size=75 | mark3size=6 | position3=left
| label4=] | lat4=45.48 | long4=18.99 | label4_size=75 | mark4size=6 | position4=left
| label5=] | lat5=45.29 | long5=18.80 | label5_size=75 | mark5size=6 | position5=left
| label6=] | lat6=45.55 | long6=18.69 | label6_size=75 | mark6size=6 | position6=left
}}
In 1991, the village of ], situated on the right bank of the ] opposite Serbia, was a part of the ] municipality. While the city of Vukovar itself had an ethnically mixed population of 47.2 per cent Croats and 32.2 per cent Serbs, smaller settlements in the area were more homogeneous. Fourteen were predominantly populated by Croats, ten (including Borovo Selo) by Serbs, two by ] and the remaining two were ethnically mixed.{{sfn|Sučić|2011|p=19}}


Amid the worsening ethnic tensions, Borovo Selo was barricaded on 1 April, one day after the Plitvice Lakes clash. Two days later, the JNA garrison in Vukovar increased its ] to the maximum level.{{sfn|Sučić|2011|p=32}} In early spring, the Croats and Serbs reached an agreement whereby Croatian police would not enter Borovo Selo without explicit consent from local Serb authorities.{{sfn|Štitkovac|2000|p=157}} A political rally was held in Borovo Selo on 14 April, and by the end of the month the situation had become more volatile. Speakers at the rally—] (''Srpska radikalna stranka'' – SRS) leader ], Serbian ] member ] and Serbian ] ]—promoted the creation of ], a state which would unite all Serbs within a single country. They all repeated their speeches, together with an open call for dissenting Croats to be killed, a week later in ], north of ].{{sfn|Nazor|2007|p=64}}
The whole incident strengthened the nationalist fervour among Serbs in Croatia and other parts of the former Yugoslavia who called on Serbia's leadership to take firm action against the breakaway leaderships of ] and ]. Croatians were, on the other hand, furnished with another piece of evidence that the break-up of Yugoslavia was inevitable and imminent.


In addition, ] paramilitaries arrived in Borovo Selo in mid-April at the request of local militia commander ]. The paramilitaries were either armed directly by Serbia's ] or by a militia linked to the SAO Krajina, with the approval of the Serbian authorities.{{sfn|Thomas|1999|p=97}}{{sfn|O'Shea|2012|p=10}} By the end of April 1991, the White Eagles in Borovo Selo were joined by fighters from the ] paramilitary unit, which was linked to the ] party.{{sfn|Thomas|1999|p=96}}
Borovo Selo massacre was quickly overshadowed by the start of war in ]. Some argue that the incident prevented ] from buying more time to properly prepare for eventual defence against a full-scale Yugoslav Army assault.{{citation needed}}


In mid-April, ] rockets were fired from Croatian positions outside Borovo Selo into the village. According to one version of the event, several rounds were fired at agricultural machinery that served as barricades in the outskirts of Borovo Selo.{{sfn|Čuljak|2003|p=52}} According to a second version, three rockets were fired at the village with the specific aim of inflaming ethnic tensions.{{sfn|Nation|2003|p=105}} One of the rockets struck a house and another landed in a field without detonating.{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|p=58}} There were no casualties.{{sfn|Silber|Little|1996|p=141}} ] subsequently broadcast images of the rockets and presented them as evidence of Croatian aggression, further exacerbating inter-ethnic tensions.{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|p=58}} The rockets were fired by a group of men who were led to the site by Osijek police chief ], who was later killed by Croatian irregulars.{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|p=58}} Croatia's ] ] later indicated that the group included Deputy ] ], ] and ].{{sfn|Nacional 13 February 2009}} Šušak claimed that he had nothing to do with the incident, but admitted to having been in the area at the time.{{sfn|O'Shea|2012|p=10}} Nikola Jaman, then a reserve unit commander in the Ministry of the Interior, later stated that he had led the action, and denied that Šušak, Glavaš and Vukojević had been involved. He claimed that the action was planned together with Reihl-Kir.{{sfn|Jutarnji list 11 February 2009}}
Others argue that Croatian special police units were nothing more than inexperienced local policemen who were no match for heavily armed Serbian rebels {{citation needed}}. Lack of Croatian military competence at Borovo Selo was later addressed by ] mayor ] in one of the more controversial sections of his memoirs.{{citation needed}}.

==Timeline==
]

During the evening of 1 May 1991, four Croatian policemen entered Borovo Selo in an unauthorised attempt to replace a ] in the village with a ].{{sfn|Silber|Little|1996|p=141}} The attempt resulted in an armed clash.{{sfn|Nation|2003|p=105}} Two of the policemen were wounded and taken prisoner. The other two fled after sustaining minor injuries, one a wounded foot and the other a grazed head.{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|pp=58–59}} According to Croatia's Ministry of the Interior, the police had been patrolling the ]–Borovo Selo road at the time of the incident.{{sfn|Ministry of the Interior 2008}} Even though the officers were assigned to the Osijek police administration,{{sfn|Bjelajac|Žunec|2012|p=249}} the ] police administration{{mdash}}which was assigned authority over the Vukovar municipality{{mdash}}asked the Vukovar police station to contact Šoškoćanin about the incident. Vukovar police contacted him at 4:30&nbsp;a.m., but Šoškoćanin reportedly said he knew nothing. At 9:00&nbsp;a.m., Vinkovci police chief ] telephoned Šoškoćanin and received the same answer. When Reihl-Kir contacted Šoškoćanin half an hour later, the latter confirmed the incident and said the police had shot at members of the local population, wounding one. Reihl-Kir failed to secure the release of the two captured officers.{{sfn|Ministry of the Interior 2008}}

Reihl-Kir and Džaja concluded that a party should be sent to Borovo Selo.{{sfn|Ministry of the Interior 2008}} Šoškoćanin agreed to grant the police safe passage under a ].{{sfn|Ramet|2002|p=64}} A force of twenty to thirty policemen subsequently entered Borovo Selo.{{sfn|Štitkovac|2000|p=158}} Although they bore a white flag, they were ambushed by paramilitaries and members of a local militia.{{sfn|Ramet|2002|p=64}} Around 150 policemen arrived from Osijek and Vinkovci on buses and were deployed as reinforcements.{{sfn|Štitkovac|2000|p=158}} The force dispatched from Vinkovci entered Borovo Selo and was ambushed, while the reinforcements sent from Osijek via Dalj were stopped at a roadblock north of Borovo Selo and failed to enter the village. A firefight ensued and lasted until 2:30&nbsp;p.m., when seven JNA ]s (APCs) moved into the village from Dalj. Another convoy of APCs deployed by the JNA through ], just south of Borovo Selo, was stopped by a crowd of Croat women who refused to let them through.{{sfn|Ministry of the Interior 2008}}

==Aftermath==
===Casualties===
Twelve Croatian policemen were killed and 21 injured in the ambush.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2002|p=90}} The two captured policemen were ferried across the Danube and transported to ], but were released and returned to Osijek by the evening of 2 May.{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|p=59}} Vojislav Milić, a paramilitary from ], was the only fatality among the Serb militia.{{sfn|Thompson|1999|p=30}} Four other paramilitaries were wounded.{{sfn|Marijan|2004|p=51}} Some of the police killed at Borovo Selo were found to have been mutilated, their ears cut, their eyes gouged out and their throats slit.{{sfn|Ramet|2002|p=64}}{{sfn|Nation|2003|p=105}} These acts were meant to inflame ethnic hatred.{{sfn|Donia|Van Antwerp Fine|1994|p=225}}

===Escalation to war===
]
The clash led Tuđman's advisers to advocate an immediate declaration of independence from Yugoslavia and retaliation against the JNA, which Croats viewed as being pro-Serb.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2002|p=90}}{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|p=59}} On 3 May, Tuđman opined that Croatia and Serbia were virtually at war, but said he hoped the international community would stop the violence.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2002|p=90}}{{sfn|Hockenos|2003|p=59}} According to the Croatian historian Davor Marijan, Tuđman's decision not to retaliate against the JNA was often interpreted at the time as cowardice bordering treason, leading to public criticism and the resignation of General ] from the post of defence minister. Nonetheless, the decision afforded Croatia much-needed time to prepare for war, as ] Fleet Admiral ] later acknowledged.{{sfn|Marijan|2012|p=118}} The incident shocked the Croatian public, causing a massive shift in public opinion towards demonisation of Serbs, supported by the ].{{sfn|Silber|Little|1996|p=142}} Serbs were collectively labelled "]", "terrorists" and "enemies of Croatia". Similarly, Serbs referred to Croats as "]" and "enemies of the Serb people". Thus, a political settlement to avoid all-out war became increasingly unlikely.{{sfn|Grandits|Leutloff|2003|p=37}} After the clash, war appeared unavoidable.{{sfn|Štitkovac|2000|p=159}}

On 8–9 May, the ] convened to discuss the events in Borovo Selo and deliberate over a JNA request for military intervention. The presidents of all of Yugoslavia's ] were present at the meeting. The Croatian leadership permitted the JNA to be deployed to areas where inter-ethnic tensions were running high.{{sfn|Nazor|2007|p=67}} On 9 May, representatives of the ] and ] governments visited Vukovar. Federal representatives visited Borovo Selo, unlike the Croatian government officials who stated they "refused to talk to terrorists".{{sfn|Sučić|2011|p=33}} In response to the Borovo Selo clash, the JNA redeployed a part of the 12th Proletarian Mechanised Brigade from Osijek and the 1st Mechanised Battalion of the 453rd Mechanised Brigade based in ] to the Vukovar area. At the same time, the 2nd Mechanised Battalion of the 36th Mechanised Brigade was moved from ] to Vinkovci.{{sfn|Marijan|2002|p=368}} Despite the deployment of the JNA in the area, ethnically motivated skirmishes persisted until the start of the ] in late August.{{sfn|Central Intelligence Agency|2002|p=90}}

===Memorial controversy and prosecution===
]
During the 1996–98 ] established pursuant to the ] to restore the area to Croatian control, three Croatian non-governmental organisations erected a memorial on public property at the entrance to Borovo Selo, but the site was quickly vandalised. A new monument was erected in the centre of the village in 2002, but this was also vandalised soon after completion. A new plaque bearing the names of the 12 Croatian policemen killed in the incident was added to the monument in 2012,{{sfn|Pullan|Baillie|2013|p=122}} but was also subject to vandalism.{{sfn|Glas Slavonije 2 June 2012}} Although the vandalism was condemned by local Serb politicians, they complained that the memorial was offensive to the Serb minority and imposed guilt on the entire community because it branded Serb forces at Borovo Selo in 1991 as "Serb terrorists".{{sfn|Politika Plus 10 May 2012}}

In February 2012, an Osijek court convicted Milan Marinković of ] and sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in prison for mistreating two captured Croatian police officers.{{sfn|Pavelić 1 February 2012}} In 2014, Marinković's sentence was reduced to three years on appeal.{{sfn|Glas Slavonije 14 May 2014}} Four other men were indicted in relation to the officers' mistreatment. Since they live outside Croatia, they are not subject to prosecution by the Croatian judiciary.{{sfn|Pavelić 1 February 2012}}

==Footnotes==
{{reflist|2}}


==References== ==References==
;Books
<references/>
{{refbegin|40em}}
]
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IDMhDgCJCe0C|title=Confronting the Yugoslav Controversies: A Scholars' Initiative|editor1-first=Charles|editor1-last=Ingrao|editor2-first=Thomas A.|editor2-last=Emmert|first1=Mile|last1=Bjelajac|first2=Ozren|last2=Žunec|chapter=The War in Croatia, 1991–1995|pages=232–273|year=2012|publisher=]|location=West Lafayette, Indiana|isbn=9781557536174}}
*{{cite book|ref={{harvid|Central Intelligence Agency|2002}}|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=it1IAQAAIAAJ|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|author=], Office of Russian and European Analysis|year=2002|oclc=50396958|location=Washington, D.C.|isbn=9780160664724}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zZnagDP3gO4C|title=The Yugoslav Drama|first=Mihailo|last=Crnobrnja|publisher=]|location=Montreal, Quebec|year=1996|isbn=9780773566156}}
*{{cite book|last=Čuljak|first=Tihomir|title=Rat|trans-title=War|year=2003|language=hr|location=Osijek|isbn=953-98383-2-0}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0rIGA0rluO0C|title=Bosnia and Hercegovina: A Tradition Betrayed|first1=Robert J.|last1=Donia|first2=John|last2=Van Antwerp Fine|publisher=]|location=London, England|year=1994|isbn=9781850652120}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_C6rxHwEkN4C|title=Potentials of Disorder: Explaining Conflict and Stability in the Caucasus and in the Former Yugoslavia|editor1-first=Jan|editor1-last=Koehler|editor2-first=Christoph|editor2-last=Zürcher|publisher=]|location=Manchester, England|isbn=9780719062414|year=2003|chapter=Discourses, Actors, Violence: The Organisation of War-Escalation in the Krajina Region of Croatia 1990–91|first1=Hannes|last1=Grandits|first2=Carolin|last2=Leutloff|pages=23–45}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=oFXdiS25N78C|editor-first=Sabrina P.|editor-last=Ramet|title=Central and Southeast European Politics Since 1989|publisher=Cambridge University Press|year=2010|isbn=9781139487504|chapter=The War of Yugoslav Succession|first=Marko Attila|last=Hoare|author-link=Marko Attila Hoare|pages=111–136|location=Cambridge, England}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=e4pAs4JYSAMC|title=Homeland Calling: Exile Patriotism & the Balkan Wars|first=Paul|last=Hockenos|publisher=]|location=Ithaca, New York|year=2003|isbn=9780801441585}}
*{{cite book|last=Marijan|first=Davor|title=Bitka za Vukovar|trans-title=Battle of Vukovar|year=2004|language=hr|publisher=Hrvatski institut za povijest|location=Zagreb|isbn=9789536324453|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Y6EkPwAACAAJ}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=lIDkGPfxQrMC|title=War in the Balkans, 1991–2002|first=R. Craig|last=Nation|publisher=]|location=Carlisle, Pennsylvania|year=2003|isbn=9781584871347}}{{Dead link|date=September 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rPcVAQAAMAAJ|title=Počeci suvremene hrvatske države: kronologija procesa osamostaljenja Republike Hrvatske: od Memoranduma SANU 1986. do proglašenja neovisnosti 8. listopada 1991|language=hr|trans-title=Beginnings of the Modern Croatian State: A Chronology of the Independence of the Republic of Croatia: from 1986 SANU Memorandum to the Declaration of Independence on 8 October 1991|first=Ante|last=Nazor|publisher=Croatian Homeland War Memorial Documentation Centre|location=Zagreb, Croatia|year=2007|isbn=9789537439019}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9XKYAAAAQBAJ|title=Locating Urban Conflicts: Ethnicity, Nationalism and the Everyday|first1=Wendy|last1=Pullan|first2=Britt|last2=Baillie|publisher=]|location=Basingstoke, England|year=2013|isbn=9781137316882}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZXlQaffX3c4C|title=Perception and Reality in the Modern Yugoslav Conflict: Myth, Falsehood and Deceit 1991–1995|first=Brendan|last=O'Shea|year=2012|publisher=Routledge|location=London, England|isbn=9780415650243}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=fIFpAAAAMAAJ|title=Balkan Babel: The Disintegration of Yugoslavia From the Death of Tito to the Fall of Milošević|first=Sabrina P.|last=Ramet|publisher=]|location=Boulder, Colorado|year=2002|isbn=9780813339870}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1QbX90fmCVUC|first=Božo|last=Repe|editor-first=David P.|editor-last=Forsythe|title=Encyclopedia of Human Rights, Volume 1|chapter=Balkan Wars|publisher=]|location=Oxford, England|year=2009|isbn=9780195334029|pages=138–147}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mJNpAAAAMAAJ|title=The Death of Yugoslavia|first1=Laura|last1=Silber|first2=Allan|last2=Little|publisher=]|location=London, England|year=1996|isbn=9781575000053}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GuGe9fy4raoC|title=Burn This House: The Making and Unmaking of Yugoslavia|editor1-first=Jasminka|editor1-last=Udovicki|editor2-first=James|editor2-last=Ridgeway|chapter=Croatia: The First War|first=Ejub|last=Štitkovac|pages=154–174|publisher=]|location=Durham, North Carolina|year=2000|isbn=9780822325901}}
*{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ih_Is_q4Rz8C|title=Serbia Under Milošević: Politics in the 1990s|first=Robert|last=Thomas|publisher=C. Hurst & Co.|location=London, England|year=1999|isbn=9781850653417}}
*{{cite book|title=Forging War: The Media in Serbia, Croatia, Bosnia and Hercegovina|first=Mark|last=Thompson|author-link=Mark Thompson (historian)|publisher=University of Luton Press|location=Luton, England|year=1999|isbn=9781860205521}}
{{refend}}

;Scientific journal articles
{{refbegin|40em}}
*{{cite journal|journal=Scrinia Slavonica|publisher=Croatian Historical Institute – Department of History of Slavonia, Srijem and Baranja|issn=1332-4853|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=17412&lang=en|issue=1|volume=2|date=October 2002|language=hr|first=Davor|last=Marijan|title=Bitka za Vukovar 1991.|trans-title=Battle of Vukovar|pages=367–402}}
*{{cite journal|journal=Review of Croatian History|publisher=Croatian Institute of History|issn=1845-4380|volume=7|issue=1|date=May 2012|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=126620|first=Davor|last=Marijan|title=The Sarajevo Ceasefire – Realism or strategic error by the Croatian leadership?|pages=103–123}}
*{{cite journal|journal=National Security and the Future|publisher=St. George Association, Zagreb|issn=1332-4454|url=http://hrcak.srce.hr/index.php?show=clanak&id_clanak_jezik=134460&lang=en|issue=3|volume=12|date=June 2011|title=Značaj obrane Vukovara u stvaranju hrvatske države|language=hr|trans-title=Significance of Vukovar Defence in Creation of the Croatian State|first=Stjepan|last=Sučić|pages=11–69}}
{{refend}}

;News reports
{{refbegin|40em}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|Glas Slavonije 2 June 2012}} |newspaper=] |date=2 June 2012 |first=Sanja |last=Butigan |title=Na spomenik ubijenim redarstvenicima četiri "S" ispisao mladić (20) iz Borova |language=hr |trans-title=A 20-Year Old Youth from Borovo Writes Four S-es on the Monument to the Killed Constables |url=http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/168586/8/Na-spomenik-ubijenim-redarstvenicima-cetiri-S-ispisao-mladic-20-iz-Borova |issn=0350-3968 |location=Osijek, Croatia |archive-date=3 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103140336/http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/168586/8/Na-spomenik-ubijenim-redarstvenicima-cetiri-S-ispisao-mladic-20-iz-Borova |url-status=live |df=dmy }}
*{{cite news |ref={{harvid|Nacional 13 February 2009}} |newspaper=] |date=13 February 2009 |first=Martina |last=Čizmić |title=Josip Boljkovac: Hrvatska je prva napala Srbe |language=hr |trans-title=Josip Boljkovac: Croatia Attacked Serbs First |url=http://www.nacional.hr/clanak/53359/josip-boljkovac-hrvatska-je-prva-napala-srbe |issn=1331-8209 |location=Zagreb, Croatia |archive-date=4 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104031117/http://www.nacional.hr/clanak/53359/josip-boljkovac-hrvatska-je-prva-napala-srbe |url-status=dead |df=dmy-all |access-date=24 September 2013 }}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Politika Plus 10 May 2012}} |publisher=Politika Plus |date=10 May 2012 |first=Vanja |last=Deželić |title=Puhovski: Spomen ploča u Borovu Selu osuđuje srpske teroriste, a ne Srbe kao manjinu |trans-title=Puhovski: Borovo Selo Memorial Plaque Condemns Serb Terrorists Rather Than Serbs as a Minority |language=hr |url=http://www.politikaplus.com/novost/56681/puhovski-spomen-ploca-u-borovu-selu-osuduje-srpske-teroriste-a-ne-srbe-kao-manjinu |location=Zagreb, Croatia |archive-date=3 November 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131103225806/http://www.politikaplus.com/novost/56681/puhovski-spomen-ploca-u-borovu-selu-osuduje-srpske-teroriste-a-ne-srbe-kao-manjinu |url-status=live |df=dmy }}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|Pavelić 1 February 2012}}|publisher=Balkan Insight|date=1 February 2012|first=Boris|last=Pavelić|title=Milan Marinkovic Sentenced for War Crimes in Borovo Selo|url=http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/milan-marinkovic-sentenced-for-war-crimes-in-borovo-selo|archive-date=20 April 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130420100700/http://www.balkaninsight.com/en/article/milan-marinkovic-sentenced-for-war-crimes-in-borovo-selo|url-status=live}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|Jutarnji list 11 February 2009}}|newspaper=Jutarnji list|first=Tomislav|last=Prusina|url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/arhiva/jaman-boljkovac-laze/4010457/|title=Jaman: Boljkovac laže|trans-title=Jaman: Boljkovac is lying|date=11 February 2009}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|24sata.hr 2 May 2014}}|newspaper=24sata.hr|first=Danijela|last=Mikola|url=http://www.24sata.hr/news/nitko-nije-kaznjen-u-borovu-selu-ubijeno-12-redarstvenika-364751|title=Nitko nije kažnjen: U Borovu Selu ubijeno 12 redarstvenika|trans-title=No Justice: 12 Police Officers Killed in Borovo Selo|date=2 May 2014}}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|The New York Times 19 August 1990}} |newspaper=] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/19/world/roads-sealed-as-yugoslav-unrest-mounts.html |agency=] |title=Roads Sealed as Yugoslav Unrest Mounts |date=19 August 1990 |location=New York City |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=21 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921063029/http://www.nytimes.com/1990/08/19/world/roads-sealed-as-yugoslav-unrest-mounts.html |url-status=live |df=dmy }}
*{{cite news|ref={{harvid|Glas Slavonije 14 May 2014}}|newspaper=]|url=http://www.glas-slavonije.hr/235143/8/Tri-godine-zatvora-za-mucenje-hrvatskih-redarstvenika-1991|title=Tri godine zatvora za mučenje hrvatskih redarstvenika 1991.|trans-title=Three years in prison for the torture of two Croatian policemen in 1991|date=14 May 2014}}
{{refend}}

;Other sources
{{refbegin|40em}}
*{{cite web |ref={{harvid|Ministry of the Interior 2008}}|url=http://www.mup.hr/10351.aspx |language=hr |title=Memorijal 12 redarstvenika, 2008. |trans-title=12 Constables Memorial, 2008 |publisher=] |year=2008 |archive-date=25 September 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130925052113/http://www.mup.hr/10351.aspx |url-status=dead |df=dmy }}
*{{cite web|ref={{harvid|ICTY 12 June 2007}}|title=The Prosecutor vs. Milan Martic – Judgement|url=http://www.icty.org/x/cases/martic/tjug/en/070612.pdf|publisher=]|date=12 June 2007}}
{{refend}}

{{Wars and battles involving Croatia}}
{{Wars and battles involving Serbs}}
{{Yugoslav wars}}

{{coord|45|22|51.60|N|18|57|27.00|E|type:landmark_source:dewiki|display=title}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Borovo Selo, Battle Of}}
]
]
]
]
]
]
]
]

Latest revision as of 20:29, 9 December 2024

First armed clashes in the conflict which became known as the Croatian War of Independence

Battle of Borovo Selo
Part of the Croatian War of Independence and the Yugoslav Wars
Borovo Selo is located in CroatiaBorovo SeloBorovo Selo
Date2 May 1991
LocationBorovo Selo, Croatia
Result SAO Krajina and White Eagles victory
Belligerents
SAO Krajina  Croatia
Commanders and leaders
SAO Krajina Vukašin Šoškoćanin
White Eagles Vojislav Šešelj
Croatia Josip Džaja
Croatia Josip Reihl-Kir
Units involved

Krajina Territorial Defense

  • Borovo Selo Territorial Defense
Krajina Militia
Dušan the Mighty
White Eagles
Croatian Police
Strength
Unknown 180 policemen
Casualties and losses
1 killed
4 wounded
12 killed
22 wounded
2 captured
Croatian War
of Independence
1991

1992

1993

1994

1995

  • Timeline of all major events
  • Log Revolution
  • Events in Serbia
  • The Battle of Borovo Selo of 2 May 1991, known in Croatia as the Borovo Selo massacre (Croatian: Pokolj u Borovom Selu) and in Serbia as the Borovo Selo incident (Serbian: Инцидент у Боровом Селу), was one of the first armed clashes in the conflict which became known as the Croatian War of Independence. The clash was precipitated by months of rising ethnic tensions, violence, and armed combat in Pakrac and at the Plitvice Lakes in March. The immediate cause for the confrontation in the heavily ethnic Serb village of Borovo Selo, just north of Vukovar, was a failed attempt to replace the Yugoslav flag in the village with the flag of Croatia. The unauthorised effort by four Croatian policemen resulted in the capture of two by a Croatian Serb militia in the village. To retrieve the captives, the Croatian authorities deployed additional police, who drove into an ambush. Twelve Croatian policemen and one Serb paramilitary were killed before the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) intervened and put an end to the clashes.

    The confrontation resulted in a further deterioration of the overall situation in Croatia, leading Croats and Serbs to accuse each other of overt aggression and of being enemies of their nation. For Croatia, the event was provocative because the bodies of some of the dead Croat policemen killed in the incident were reportedly mutilated. The clash in Borovo Selo eliminated any hopes that the escalating conflict could be defused politically and made the war almost inevitable. The Presidency of Yugoslavia convened several days after the battle and authorised the JNA to deploy to the area to prevent further conflict. Despite this deployment, skirmishes persisted in the region. After the war, a former paramilitary was convicted of war crimes for his role in abusing the two captured policemen, and ultimately sentenced to three years in prison. Four others were indicted, but remain at large outside Croatia.

    Background

    See also: Log revolution

    In 1990, following the electoral defeat of the government of the Socialist Republic of Croatia by the Croatian Democratic Union (Hrvatska demokratska zajednica – HDZ), ethnic tensions between Serbs and Croats worsened. The Yugoslav People's Army (Jugoslovenska Narodna Armija – JNA) confiscated the weapons of Croatia's Territorial Defence (Teritorijalna obrana – TO) in order to minimise the possibility of violence following the elections. On 17 August, inter-ethnic tensions escalated into an open revolt of the Croatian Serbs, centred on the predominantly Serb-populated areas of the Dalmatian hinterland around Knin, and parts of Lika, Kordun, Banovina and eastern Croatia.

    In July 1990, local Serbs established a Serbian National Council to coordinate opposition to Croatian President Franjo Tuđman's policy of pursuing Croatian independence from Yugoslavia. Milan Babić, a dentist from Knin, was elected president of the council, while Knin's police chief, Milan Martić, established a number of paramilitary militias. The two men eventually became the political and military leaders of the Serb Autonomous Oblast of Krajina (SAO Krajina), a self-declared state incorporating the Serb-inhabited areas of Croatia. In March 1991, SAO Krajina authorities, backed by the government of Serbia, began consolidating control over the Serb-populated areas of Croatia, resulting in a bloodless skirmish in Pakrac and the first fatalities in the Plitvice Lakes incident.

    At the beginning of 1991, Croatia had no regular army. In an effort to bolster its defence, it doubled the number of police personnel to about 20,000. The most effective part of the police force was the 3,000-strong special police, which was deployed in twelve military-style battalions. In addition, Croatia had 9,000–10,000 regionally organised reserve police officers organised in 16 battalions and 10 companies, but they lacked weapons.

    Prelude

    Location map of eastern SlavoniaVukovarVukovarBorovo NaseljeBorovo NaseljeBorovo SeloBorovo SeloDaljDaljVinkovciVinkovciOsijekOsijekclass=notpageimage| Map of the eastern Slavonia area between Osijek and Vukovar (modern county lines provided for reference)

    In 1991, the village of Borovo Selo, situated on the right bank of the Danube opposite Serbia, was a part of the Vukovar municipality. While the city of Vukovar itself had an ethnically mixed population of 47.2 per cent Croats and 32.2 per cent Serbs, smaller settlements in the area were more homogeneous. Fourteen were predominantly populated by Croats, ten (including Borovo Selo) by Serbs, two by Ruthenians and the remaining two were ethnically mixed.

    Amid the worsening ethnic tensions, Borovo Selo was barricaded on 1 April, one day after the Plitvice Lakes clash. Two days later, the JNA garrison in Vukovar increased its combat readiness to the maximum level. In early spring, the Croats and Serbs reached an agreement whereby Croatian police would not enter Borovo Selo without explicit consent from local Serb authorities. A political rally was held in Borovo Selo on 14 April, and by the end of the month the situation had become more volatile. Speakers at the rally—Serbian Radical Party (Srpska radikalna stranka – SRS) leader Vojislav Šešelj, Serbian National Assembly member Milan Paroški and Serbian Minister of Diaspora Stanko Cvijan—promoted the creation of Greater Serbia, a state which would unite all Serbs within a single country. They all repeated their speeches, together with an open call for dissenting Croats to be killed, a week later in Jagodnjak, north of Osijek.

    In addition, White Eagles paramilitaries arrived in Borovo Selo in mid-April at the request of local militia commander Vukašin Šoškoćanin. The paramilitaries were either armed directly by Serbia's Ministry of the Interior or by a militia linked to the SAO Krajina, with the approval of the Serbian authorities. By the end of April 1991, the White Eagles in Borovo Selo were joined by fighters from the Dušan the Mighty paramilitary unit, which was linked to the Serbian National Renewal party.

    In mid-April, Armbrust rockets were fired from Croatian positions outside Borovo Selo into the village. According to one version of the event, several rounds were fired at agricultural machinery that served as barricades in the outskirts of Borovo Selo. According to a second version, three rockets were fired at the village with the specific aim of inflaming ethnic tensions. One of the rockets struck a house and another landed in a field without detonating. There were no casualties. Radio-Television Belgrade subsequently broadcast images of the rockets and presented them as evidence of Croatian aggression, further exacerbating inter-ethnic tensions. The rockets were fired by a group of men who were led to the site by Osijek police chief Josip Reihl-Kir, who was later killed by Croatian irregulars. Croatia's Interior Minister Josip Boljkovac later indicated that the group included Deputy Defence Minister Gojko Šušak, Branimir Glavaš and Vice Vukojević. Šušak claimed that he had nothing to do with the incident, but admitted to having been in the area at the time. Nikola Jaman, then a reserve unit commander in the Ministry of the Interior, later stated that he had led the action, and denied that Šušak, Glavaš and Vukojević had been involved. He claimed that the action was planned together with Reihl-Kir.

    Timeline

    Croatian police in Borovo Selo, 2 May 1991.

    During the evening of 1 May 1991, four Croatian policemen entered Borovo Selo in an unauthorised attempt to replace a flag of Yugoslavia in the village with a flag of Croatia. The attempt resulted in an armed clash. Two of the policemen were wounded and taken prisoner. The other two fled after sustaining minor injuries, one a wounded foot and the other a grazed head. According to Croatia's Ministry of the Interior, the police had been patrolling the Dalj–Borovo Selo road at the time of the incident. Even though the officers were assigned to the Osijek police administration, the Vinkovci police administration—which was assigned authority over the Vukovar municipality—asked the Vukovar police station to contact Šoškoćanin about the incident. Vukovar police contacted him at 4:30 a.m., but Šoškoćanin reportedly said he knew nothing. At 9:00 a.m., Vinkovci police chief Josip Džaja telephoned Šoškoćanin and received the same answer. When Reihl-Kir contacted Šoškoćanin half an hour later, the latter confirmed the incident and said the police had shot at members of the local population, wounding one. Reihl-Kir failed to secure the release of the two captured officers.

    Reihl-Kir and Džaja concluded that a party should be sent to Borovo Selo. Šoškoćanin agreed to grant the police safe passage under a white flag. A force of twenty to thirty policemen subsequently entered Borovo Selo. Although they bore a white flag, they were ambushed by paramilitaries and members of a local militia. Around 150 policemen arrived from Osijek and Vinkovci on buses and were deployed as reinforcements. The force dispatched from Vinkovci entered Borovo Selo and was ambushed, while the reinforcements sent from Osijek via Dalj were stopped at a roadblock north of Borovo Selo and failed to enter the village. A firefight ensued and lasted until 2:30 p.m., when seven JNA armoured personnel carriers (APCs) moved into the village from Dalj. Another convoy of APCs deployed by the JNA through Borovo Naselje, just south of Borovo Selo, was stopped by a crowd of Croat women who refused to let them through.

    Aftermath

    Casualties

    Twelve Croatian policemen were killed and 21 injured in the ambush. The two captured policemen were ferried across the Danube and transported to Novi Sad, but were released and returned to Osijek by the evening of 2 May. Vojislav Milić, a paramilitary from Valjevo, was the only fatality among the Serb militia. Four other paramilitaries were wounded. Some of the police killed at Borovo Selo were found to have been mutilated, their ears cut, their eyes gouged out and their throats slit. These acts were meant to inflame ethnic hatred.

    Escalation to war

    The municipal building at the center of the May 1991 incident, as seen in April 2021

    The clash led Tuđman's advisers to advocate an immediate declaration of independence from Yugoslavia and retaliation against the JNA, which Croats viewed as being pro-Serb. On 3 May, Tuđman opined that Croatia and Serbia were virtually at war, but said he hoped the international community would stop the violence. According to the Croatian historian Davor Marijan, Tuđman's decision not to retaliate against the JNA was often interpreted at the time as cowardice bordering treason, leading to public criticism and the resignation of General Martin Špegelj from the post of defence minister. Nonetheless, the decision afforded Croatia much-needed time to prepare for war, as Yugoslav Navy Fleet Admiral Branko Mamula later acknowledged. The incident shocked the Croatian public, causing a massive shift in public opinion towards demonisation of Serbs, supported by the Croatian media. Serbs were collectively labelled "Chetniks", "terrorists" and "enemies of Croatia". Similarly, Serbs referred to Croats as "Ustaše" and "enemies of the Serb people". Thus, a political settlement to avoid all-out war became increasingly unlikely. After the clash, war appeared unavoidable.

    On 8–9 May, the Presidency of Yugoslavia convened to discuss the events in Borovo Selo and deliberate over a JNA request for military intervention. The presidents of all of Yugoslavia's constituent republics were present at the meeting. The Croatian leadership permitted the JNA to be deployed to areas where inter-ethnic tensions were running high. On 9 May, representatives of the federal and Croatian governments visited Vukovar. Federal representatives visited Borovo Selo, unlike the Croatian government officials who stated they "refused to talk to terrorists". In response to the Borovo Selo clash, the JNA redeployed a part of the 12th Proletarian Mechanised Brigade from Osijek and the 1st Mechanised Battalion of the 453rd Mechanised Brigade based in Sremska Mitrovica to the Vukovar area. At the same time, the 2nd Mechanised Battalion of the 36th Mechanised Brigade was moved from Subotica to Vinkovci. Despite the deployment of the JNA in the area, ethnically motivated skirmishes persisted until the start of the Battle of Vukovar in late August.

    Memorial controversy and prosecution

    The Borovo Selo memorial as it appeared prior to 2012

    During the 1996–98 United Nations administration established pursuant to the Erdut Agreement to restore the area to Croatian control, three Croatian non-governmental organisations erected a memorial on public property at the entrance to Borovo Selo, but the site was quickly vandalised. A new monument was erected in the centre of the village in 2002, but this was also vandalised soon after completion. A new plaque bearing the names of the 12 Croatian policemen killed in the incident was added to the monument in 2012, but was also subject to vandalism. Although the vandalism was condemned by local Serb politicians, they complained that the memorial was offensive to the Serb minority and imposed guilt on the entire community because it branded Serb forces at Borovo Selo in 1991 as "Serb terrorists".

    In February 2012, an Osijek court convicted Milan Marinković of war crimes and sentenced him to three-and-a-half years in prison for mistreating two captured Croatian police officers. In 2014, Marinković's sentence was reduced to three years on appeal. Four other men were indicted in relation to the officers' mistreatment. Since they live outside Croatia, they are not subject to prosecution by the Croatian judiciary.

    Footnotes

    1. Hoare 2010, p. 117.
    2. Hoare 2010, p. 118.
    3. The New York Times 19 August 1990.
    4. ICTY 12 June 2007.
    5. Repe 2009, pp. 141–142.
    6. ^ Central Intelligence Agency 2002, p. 90.
    7. Central Intelligence Agency 2002, p. 86.
    8. Sučić 2011, p. 19.
    9. Sučić 2011, p. 32.
    10. Štitkovac 2000, p. 157.
    11. Nazor 2007, p. 64.
    12. Thomas 1999, p. 97.
    13. ^ O'Shea 2012, p. 10.
    14. Thomas 1999, p. 96.
    15. Čuljak 2003, p. 52.
    16. ^ Nation 2003, p. 105.
    17. ^ Hockenos 2003, p. 58.
    18. ^ Silber & Little 1996, p. 141.
    19. Nacional 13 February 2009.
    20. Jutarnji list 11 February 2009.
    21. Hockenos 2003, pp. 58–59.
    22. ^ Ministry of the Interior 2008.
    23. Bjelajac & Žunec 2012, p. 249.
    24. ^ Ramet 2002, p. 64.
    25. ^ Štitkovac 2000, p. 158.
    26. ^ Hockenos 2003, p. 59.
    27. Thompson 1999, p. 30.
    28. Marijan 2004, p. 51.
    29. Donia & Van Antwerp Fine 1994, p. 225.
    30. Marijan 2012, p. 118.
    31. Silber & Little 1996, p. 142.
    32. Grandits & Leutloff 2003, p. 37.
    33. Štitkovac 2000, p. 159.
    34. Nazor 2007, p. 67.
    35. Sučić 2011, p. 33.
    36. Marijan 2002, p. 368.
    37. Pullan & Baillie 2013, p. 122.
    38. Glas Slavonije 2 June 2012.
    39. Politika Plus 10 May 2012.
    40. ^ Pavelić 1 February 2012.
    41. Glas Slavonije 14 May 2014.

    References

    Books
    Scientific journal articles
    News reports
    Other sources
    Wars and battles involving Croatia
    Medieval wars
    and battles
    8th/9th-century battles
    Croatian–Hungarian wars
    Croatian–Bulgarian wars
    Croatian-Venetian wars
    High and Late Middle Ages
    wars and battles




    Croatian–Ottoman wars
    Hundred Years'
    Croatian–Ottoman War

    (1493–1593)
    Long War
    (1593–1606)
    Austro-Turkish War
    (1663–1664)
    Great Turkish War
    (1683–1699)
    18th-century
    Ottoman wars
    European 17th/18th-
    century wars
    Thirty Years' War
    Seven Years' War
    19th-century wars
    French Revolutionary
    and Napoleonic Wars
    Hungarian Revolution
    of 1848–49
    Third Italian War
    of Independence
    Austro-Hungarian –
    Bosnia-Herzegovinian War
    20th-century wars
    World War I
    World War II
    Croatian War of Independence
    (1991–1995)
    War in Bosnia and Herzegovina
    (1992–1995)
    21st-century
    conflicts
    War in Afghanistan
    (2001–2021)
    Golan Heights ceasefire
    after Yom Kippur War
    Category
    Wars and battles involving Serbs
    Medieval
    Serbian–Bulgarian
    Serbian–Ottoman
    Serbian–Byzantine
    Other
    Foreign rule
    Habsburgs
    Ottomans
    Venice
    Russia
    19th century
    Serbian Revolution
    Ottoman
    Other
    20th century
    Macedonian Struggle
    Balkan Wars
    World War I
    Interwar
    World War II
    Croatian War
    Bosnian War
    Kosovo War
    21st century
    Peacekeeping
    Yugoslav Wars
    Wars and conflicts
    Background
    Anti-war protests
    Successor states
    Unrecognized entities
    Serb Autonomous Regions
    United Nations protectorate
    Armies
    Military formations and volunteers
    External factors
    Politicians
    Top military commanders
    Other notable commanders
    Key foreign figures
    Croatian War of Independence
    Part of the Yugoslav Wars
    Prelude
    1991
    1992
    1993–94
    1995
    Timeline of the Croatian War of Independence
    Internment camps
    Other
    Bosnian War
    Part of the Yugoslav Wars
    Belligerents
    Bosniak side
    Croat side
    Serb side
    Western Bosnian side
    Prelude
    1992
    1993
    1994
    1995
    Internment camps
    Aspects
    Timeline of the Bosnian War (Timeline of the Croat–Bosniak War)
    Breakup of Yugoslavia
    Overview
  • Breakup of Yugoslavia (1991–1992)
  • Timeline of the breakup of Yugoslavia (1980–2008)
  • Background
    Events and actors
    Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia Independence referendums in Yugoslavia
    Republics and provinces
    Autonomy
    Consequences
    Nationalism

    45°22′51.60″N 18°57′27.00″E / 45.3810000°N 18.9575000°E / 45.3810000; 18.9575000

    Categories: