35th anniversary of Battle of Vukovar marked

Croatian Veterans Minister Tomo Medved said Vukovar rightfully and proudly bears the title of hero city, with its defenders standing up to the aggressors knowing they were defending not only their city but also the Croatian people's right to freedom. Vukovar became a symbol of resistance and, tragically, of sacrifice, he said.

Medved said Croatia was watching attempts in neighbouring Serbia to distort the truth, downplay war crimes and turn the culture of remembrance into a means of creating new divisions, citing the recent glorification of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic. He called on Serbia to face up to its role in the aggression and provide information about people still missing from the Homeland War, saying only on such foundations could a safer future be built.

The commemoration began with a military band parade through Vukovar, followed by an exhibition of Croatian Army, police and firefighters' equipment and weapons along the Danube. A Vukovar defender, retired Colonel Drago Agadza, raised the flag on the city's Water Tower as a Rafale fighter jet flew overhead. The Ministry of Croatian Veterans also presented the work of its Directorate for Detained and Missing Persons.

Vukovar was under siege by the JNA and Serbian paramilitary forces for 87 days, with the battle ending on 18 November 1991 with the Serbian occupation, which lasted until 15 January 1998 and the peaceful reintegration of the Croatian Danube region. The battle is generally considered to have begun on 25 August 1991, when the JNA and Serbian paramilitary forces launched a major tank and infantry assault on the city.