Eastern-Bosnian town of Visegrad marked the Russian Volunteer Detachment Day, on Friday, honouring the Russian soldiers who fought along Serb forces during the Bosnian war of 1992-1995.

“The Russian volunteer detachment came to Visegrad on December 31, 1992. Thanks to the Visegrad brigade and our volunteers who acted within the brigade, we defended Visegrad. In this way, we helped our brotherly Serb people on behalf of the Russian people and the Kozak detachment,” one of the Russian volunteer commanders Viktor Zapatin said.

The Rusian volunteers are soldiers from the Russian Federation who fought along the Army of Republika Srpska during the Bosnian war.

“We are forever indebted because people from another country gave their lives for the Republika Srpska entity (RS) which means so much to us,” Aleksandar Savic from the Visegrad Veteran Association said.

The Bosnian war lasted from 1992 to 1995. It ended with the signing of the Dayton Peace Agreement which also divided the country along the ethnic lines, making the Serb-dominated Republika Srpska entity, and the Bosniak-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Apart from the two semi-autonomous entities, there is also Brcko District in the north of the country, which is not dominated by either of the three constituent peoples.

Visegrad marks the Russian Volunteer Day on April 12, when three Russian soldiers died, and several were injured in 1993.

The Bosniak Victim's Association said the marking is but a provocation to the survivors and the victims.

During the Bosnian war, some 3,000 Bosniaks were killed. Of this number, there were 600 women and more than 100 children.