The Day of the Missing and Fallen in the Defense-Patriotic War of Republika Srpska was commemorated at the Monastery of St. Nicholas on Mount Ozren, in the municipality of Petrovo. Republika Srpska Prime Minister Savo Minić attended the commemoration and said that Republika Srpska would complete the search for those missing from the Defense-Patriotic War and strengthen its capacities to ensure that Serb sacrifices were not in vain.
“We will always remember our soldiers and all those who gave their lives for Republika Srpska, and we will strengthen Srpska and its capacities so that their sacrifice was not in vain. Serb mothers have nowhere to light a candle for their children who are still missing, and it is time for that to change. That is why, from this place, we want to send the message that Serbs suffered terrible losses, that they were attacked, that they defended themselves on their centuries-old ancestral lands, that they were attacked by NATO and by mujahideen who cut off Serb heads and played football with them,” Minić said.
“If the world does not see that, we do, and we want it to be known,” Minić added.
He stressed that Serbs in Republika Srpska must not be naive and that they must remain united and strong together with Serbia if they want to preserve their republic.
“For this reason, Republika Srpska must have the capacity and strength to protect its people. Republika Srpska must be strengthened and allies must be sought so that the suffering from the previous war is not repeated. For those seeking some alternative, there is none. The world has become polarized, and there is now a clear distinction between good and evil. We are on the side of good,” Minić said.
Isidora Graorac, president of the Republika Srpska Organization of Families of Captured and Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians, stressed that the process of searching for missing persons should be returned to the jurisdiction of Republika Srpska.
Speaking in Petrovo, Graorac said this was necessary because families of missing Serbs still do not know the fate of their loved ones, 31 years after the war.
She stressed that Republika Srpska is still searching for more than 1,600 people, around 1,000 of whom are civilians, including children.
The commemoration program for those missing and fallen in the Defense-Patriotic War began with a liturgy at the Church of St. Nicholas of Myra within the monastery.
A memorial service was held for soldiers and civilians killed in the Defense-Patriotic War of Republika Srpska at the Memorial Cross in the courtyard of the Monastery of St. Nicholas of Myra.
The memorial service, conducted by Abbot Gavrilo at the Memorial Cross, was attended by Republika Srpska National Assembly members Danijel Jošić and Zoran Blagojević, Minister of Labor and Veterans and Disability Protection Radan Ostojić, Minister of Internal Affairs Željko Budimir, president of the Republika Srpska Organization of Families of Captured and Fallen Soldiers and Missing Civilians Isidora Graorac, and president of the Veterans Organization of Republika Srpska Milovan Gagić.
Also attending were Nikola Vukelić, State Secretary in Serbia’s Ministry of Labor, Employment, Veteran and Social Affairs, members of the Third Infantry Republika Srpska Regiment, representatives of the Republika Srpska Red Cross Organization, and representatives of local communities across Republika Srpska.
Wreaths and flowers were laid at the Memorial Cross and at the monument to Spomenko Gostić, the youngest member of the Army of Republika Srpska.
The commemoration was organized by the Republika Srpska Government Committee for Fostering the Traditions of Liberation Wars.
A total of 23,749 soldiers and 6,481 civilians gave their lives for Republika Srpska, with the heaviest losses recorded in 1992, when there were around 13,000 Serb victims.
Source: RTRS
