In Novi Grad, today is the 28th anniversary of the martyrdom of Serbs in the military-police operation “Storm” by the Croatian army and police. According to the data of the “Veritas” Documentation and Information Center, during the “Storm” more than 220,000 Serbs were expelled from Croatia, and around 2,000 of them were killed.
In the Church of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, a memorial service was held for the victims of the “Storm”. The memorial service was attended by representatives of the municipality of Novi Grad, the Documentation and Information Center “Veritas” and numerous citizens.
After that, candles were lit along the road towards the “Bridge of Salvation” on the Una River, and a wreath was lowered into the river from the bridge. In August 1995, 100,000 refugees from the then Republika Srpska Krajina, mainly from the areas of Banija, Kordun and Lika, crossed this bridge.
In Svodna near Novi Grad, flowers will be laid today at the memorial cross, which was erected in 2012 by the Documentation and Information Center “Veritas” for the six civilians killed in August 1995.
Tomorrow, a memorial service will be held and wreaths will be laid at the memorial cross on Petrovačka cesta, and a visit to the Memorial Room in Drinić is planned at 12:00 p.m.
The celebration is organized by “Veritas” in cooperation with the municipality of Novi Grad and the Church Municipality of Novi Grad.
Action “Storm” began on August 4, 1995 with the offensive of the Croatian army and police in the area of Banija, Lika, Kordun and northern Dalmatia. A day later, on August 5, the Croatian army entered Knin, and columns of refugees headed towards Serbia.
The central ceremony commemorating the martyred and exiled Serbs in the “Storm” was held on Friday, August 4 in Prijedor, organized by the committee of the governments of Republika Srpska and Serbia for nurturing the tradition of liberation wars.
Photo: Srna
