DODIK: MITROVDAN IN NEVESINJE WILL ALWAYS CARRY SPECIAL SENSE OF GLORY, BUT ALSO OF GRAVITY AND WARNING

BANJA LUKA, NOVEMBER 7 /SRNA/ - President Milorad Dodik said that the Mitrovdan battles, fought in 1992 and 1994 on the Nevesinje front, were among the brightest yet most painful moments in the history of Republika Srpska and the Republika Srpska Army Herzegovina Corps, as they were not merely military operations but symbols of the defense of the Herzegovina homeland and the struggle for national survival.

"At a time when the entire area was facing the threat of the complete physical disappearance of the Serb people in the face of the offensive by joint Muslim and Croat forces aimed at capturing Nevesinje and advancing deep into Herzegovina, Serb fighters, who were outnumbered and less well-armed, faced an extraordinary challenge. Nevertheless, they were not discouraged and embarked on an all-or-nothing struggle, knowing that they were defending their families, their homes, and their homeland. During those decisive days in November 1992 and 1994, when evildoers wanted to erase us from our own homeland and wipe out our very existence, Serb fighters did not retreat but stood firm like rocks – steadfast, courageous and unbreakable. They did not go to war out of hatred for others, but out of love for their own people. Their aim was not to take what belonged to others, but to defend what was theirs – their native land, homes, mothers, fathers and children," Dodik told SRNA on the occasion of the commemoration of the 1992 and 1994 Mitrovdan battles. In those difficult and uncertain days, Dodik stressed, they became more than an army – they became a shield not only for Nevesinje, but for the whole of Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. He said that the price of defending the area during the first Mitrovdan offensive, from November 8 to 14, 1992, was high, with 41 members of the Republika Srpska Army and one civilian killed, while more than 100 soldiers and five civilians were wounded. According to him, thanks to the bravest sons of the Serb people, Nevesinje defended not only its own survival, but also the survival of Herzegovina and Republika Srpska. He reminded that two years later, in 1994, the perpetrators once again sought to exploit an Orthodox religious holiday and the patron saint’s day celebrated by many families in the area – the feast of St. Demetrius /Mitrovdan/ – to launch an attack, counting on the element of surprise and the small number of troops manning the Serbian defensive lines. “A massive offensive was launched with the clear intention of ‘resolving the issue’ of Serb Herzegovina once and for all and erasing every trace of Serb existence in this area. However, the 1994 Mitrovdan Offensive demonstrated the strength, unity, courage and organizational capabilities of members of the Republika Srpska Army. Although the fighting was extremely fierce and the losses were heavy, the Serbian front line remained unconquered. The heroism of Serb fighters once again prevailed over the enemy’s force,” Dodik stressed. He said that 26 soldiers were killed and 68 wounded, 42 of them seriously, while four civilians were killed in the second Mitrovdan Battle, which ended in the defeat of the forces of the so-called Army of BiH. Dodik said that every year on St. Demetrius Day /Mitrovdan/, Nevesinje and Republika Srpska pay tribute to those who laid down their lives for freedom, ensuring that the name of every fallen soldier is preserved from oblivion. “The suffering endured in these battles was not in vain; it became the foundation of the freedom enjoyed by generations today and in the future. Every monument and every name inscribed on it in Nevesinje remind us that Serb fighters stopped the aggression in an honorable, courageous, and selfless manner, giving freedom to all of us, especially their descendants and all future generations,” Dodik said. He stressed that the grief felt by the families for their loved ones who gave their lives for Nevesinje, Herzegovina and Republika Srpska had been and remained part of the collective sorrow of the Serb people. However, he added, the pride everyone feels today when the names of these heroes are remembered should serve as a consolation and a guiding light, reminding us that their sacrifice was not in vain. “We have made a solemn vow that the memory of them must never fade. As long as we and our descendants live, St. Demetrius Day will carry a special sense of glory in Nevesinje, but also immense weight and serve as an eternal reminder. Eternal glory and gratitude to all the fallen heroes of the Mitrovdan Battles. We thank them for our freedom, and may St. Demetrius always protect us!” Dodik said. A memorial ceremony will be held in Nevesinje tomorrow, on St. Demetrius Day /Mitrovdan/, to commemorate the Mitrovdan Battles, fought in 1992 and 1994, which stand as a symbol of the Serb people's resistance and freedom in Herzegovina.