ON ETERNAL WATCH: 81 MEMBERS OF THE ELITE "VUKOVI SA DRINE" UNIT

ZVORNIK, MAY 16 /SRNA/ – The 34th anniversary of the formation of the Drina Wolves /Vukovi sa Drine/ Podrinje Special Forces Detachment of the Army of Republika Srpska was marked in Zvornik today. This unit stood up to defend the Serbian people when it was most needed, and 81 of its members laid down their lives on the ramparts of the homeland.

Colonel Milan Jolović, known as "Legenda" /Legend/, told journalists that the "Vukovi sa Drine" was one of the most elite units of the Army of Republika Srpska, operating as a maneuver unit with an area of responsibility stretching from Herzegovina to Krajina. Jolović emphasized that they participated in all military operations organized by the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska. "In the 1990s, as clean-shaven young men alongside other members of the Army of Republika Srpska and the Ministry of Internal Affairs, we stood on the ramparts of our homeland to protect and defend the Serbian people and vulnerable Serbian civilians," Jolović said. Thanks to unity, which he described as the greatest achievement of the Defense-Homeland War, Jolović stated that history was prevented from repeating itself as it did in 1914 and 1941, when the Serbian people suffered catastrophic losses experiencing genocide. The Assistant Minister for Veteran and Disability Protection of Republika Srpska, Nebojša Vidaković, stated that the "Vukovi sa Drine" defended the Podrinje and Birač regions, as well as the entirety of Republika Srpska. Emphasizing that this unit, its members, and its commanders are well-known across Republika Srpska for their heroic exploits, Vidaković stressed that the people who gave their lives for Republika Srpska and the freedom of their nation must never be forgotten. On the occasion of this anniversary, a memorial service was held and wreaths were laid at the Monument for 1,080 Fallen Soldiers of the Defense-Homeland War. The commemoration was attended by families of the fallen, the Minister of Transport and Communications of Republika Srpska Zoran Stevanović, members of the Third Infantry /Republika Srpska/ Regiment, representatives of organizations and associations stemming from the Defense-Homeland War, and citizens. The Deputy Commander of the "Vukovi sa Drine" unit, Mile Vukadinović, stated that more than 250 members of this unit were severely wounded, some two, three, four times, and one of them as many as eight times. The Mayor of Zvornik, Bojan Ivanović, said that the name of the "Vukovi sa Drine" unit is associated not only with its wartime path but also with courage, strength, honor, sacrifice, peace, and freedom. "Vukovi sa Drine were always where they needed to be and when it was the hardest," Ivanović said, emphasizing that this day should always be marked to remember all those who built their lives into the freedom and foundations of Republika Srpska. Wreaths were laid by families of the fallen soldiers, representatives of the Government of Republika Srpska, the city of Zvornik, the elite "Vukovi sa Drine" unit, veteran organizations from Zvornik, Osmaci, Šekovići, Vlasenica, and Bratunac, the "Garda Panteri" from Bijeljina, the "Bijeli Vukovi" from Pale, war veterans from Serbia, as well as other organizations derived from the Defense-Homeland War. Prior to this, those present visited the Memorial Room, which houses photographs and names of the fallen members of the "Vukovi sa Drine" unit alongside photographs detailing its wartime history.