Zagreb holds a military parade to celebrate Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day which marks the 20th anniversary of Operation Storm.
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Zagreb cheered and Belgrade wept on Tuesday as they marked the 20th anniversary of Operation Storm, which ended the war sparked by Croatia’s proclamation of independence from Yugoslavia and caused an exodus of Croatian Serbs.
Some 3,000 Croatian soldiers and other special forces, 300 military vehicles and 30 planes took part in the parade.
Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic said the offensive was “a clean, legitimate and brilliant military operation”.
The anniversary celebrations have for years burdened relations between Croatia and Serbia, the Balkan foes who are trying to patch up economic and political relations. For Zagreb the operation is a great victory, restoring control of its 18.4 percent of territory, while Belgrade views it as a huge suffering of the Serb people.
The offensive, which involved 100,000 men, was launched from Sisak and Karlovac in the north and made gains around Otocac and Gospic further south. Soon, the Krajina Serb capital of Knin was burning under a steady Croatian artillery and missile onslaught that sent citizens into air raid shelters.
In Serbia, officials attended church commemorations for the dead and those who fled.
A memorial service at the Sremska Raca bridge on the border with Croatia was attended by the President of the Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, and the Serbian Prime Minister Aleksandar Vucic.
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The verdict was overturned by an appeals court and the two were eventually released.
