Zagreb rocket attack
Encyclopedia
The Zagreb rocket attacks were a series of two artillery
attacks conducted by Serb armed forces that fired ground-to-ground missiles on the Croatia
n capital of Zagreb
during the Croatian War of Independence
. The attack killed seven and wounded over 200 Croatian
civilians and was carried out on May 2 and May 3, 1995 as a retaliation for Croatian army offensive in Operation Flash
and deliberately targeted civilian locations. Zagreb was the largest of several cities hit by the attack. It was the only instance in the entire war in Croatia that cluster bombs were used in combat.
A cluster
warhead
loaded with 288 so-called bomblets was used in the attack. These bomblets were released at a height of 1,000m above densely populated civilian areas during the day, when the people were out on the streets. Upon impact, each bomblet exploded and released 420 steel pellets
. The lethal range of each pellet is ten metres. Each rocket released around 120,000 pellets in the attack. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) characterized the attack as a crime against humanity
and subsequently jailed two Serb officers: Milan Martić
and Momčilo Perišić
.
Milan Čeleketić announced to the press on March 24, 1995, more than a month prior to the attack, that should a Croatian offensive be launched, he expected to respond by targeting the "weak points," that is, "the parks of the Croatian cities" and added: "We know who the people in the parks are; civilians."
In May 1995, Croatia launched Operation Flash
which recaptured the area of western Slavonia
(UNPA
sector West), under Serb control since 1991. In neighboring Bosnia, leader of Republika Srpska
, Radovan Karadzic
, threatened to send help to the Serbs in Croatia. Following the rapid collapse of the Serb defence in the area, Serb leader Milan Martić
ordered Serb rocket artillery units in the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina
to fire missiles on the capital of Zagreb. Karlovac
and Sisak
were also subjected to retaliatory attacks.
The Yugoslav-produced Orkan 262 mm
Multiple rocket launcher
s (MRL) fires M-87 non-guided missiles. The ones fired against Zagreb were armed with aviation cluster bomb
warheads (called cassette bombs or Jinglebell), each of which contains 288 "bomblets" (smaller ammunition) which are ejected at a height of 1,000 meters above the target area. Upon impact, each bomblet explodes and releases 420 steel
pellets
, the lethal range of each of which is ten meters. This means that each rocket releases around 120,000 of these pellets, which have been characterized as designed specifically to kill or maim local infantry.
rocket artillery unit from Knin
was redeployed to Vojnić
(about 50 km
south of Zagreb).
The first attack occurred on May 2, at 10:25 hrs in the morning, at the time many civilians were in the streets. The targets hit included the Strossmayer promenade, Petrinjska street and Vlaška street where a tram
full of passengers was hit. The Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb
located in the city centre was also hit, as were Pleso
and its airport. In total, five civilians were killed and 146 injured.
The second attack occurred the following day, at 12:10 hrs. The children's hospital in Klaićeva street, the Croatian National Theatre building (which housed Russian, Ukrainian and British ballet dancers at the time, some of whom were wounded) and the Courthouse at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
were among those hit.
Two civilians were killed that day and 48 injured, which were less than the day before due to many people avoiding public areas following the first attack. Most of the missiles targeted the city center and surrounding streets, which were most likely to be filled with civilians in the morning. In total, seven people were killed and at about 200 injured (of which about 100 seriously) from these attacks.
Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi
met with Martić and condemned him for the attack. Martić then threatened to resume the attacks and spoke of "massive rocket attacks on Zagreb which would leave 100,000 people dead."
In August of the same year, Croatian forces launched Operation Storm
, displacing Serb forces from positions in range of Zagreb and other cities in Croatia. Despite this, other cities in Croatia were subject to artillery shelling from Bosnia and Herzegovina
and Serb-held Slavonia
until the Dayton Agreement
at the end of the year.
appeared on Serb television and publicly boasted about ordering the attacks. This video was later used against him during his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
(ICTY) after he was indicted for war crimes. The attack on Zagreb was one of the main points of the indictment against him, to which he confessed, but claimed it was a "legitimate action against the enemy". On June 12, 2007, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Momčilo Perišić
, Chief of the General Staff
of the Yugoslav Army
, was also indicted for his role in the rocket attack. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison because the judges ruled that he had effective control over the SVK
commanders since he issued orders to them and initiated disciplinary proceedings against them; therefore he was responsible for the failure to punish those who launched the rockets on Zagreb.
Artillery
Originally applied to any group of infantry primarily armed with projectile weapons, artillery has over time become limited in meaning to refer only to those engines of war that operate by projection of munitions far beyond the range of effect of personal weapons...
attacks conducted by Serb armed forces that fired ground-to-ground missiles on the Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
n capital of Zagreb
Zagreb
Zagreb is the capital and the largest city of the Republic of Croatia. It is in the northwest of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the Medvednica mountain. Zagreb lies at an elevation of approximately above sea level. According to the last official census, Zagreb's city...
during the Croatian War of Independence
Croatian War of Independence
The Croatian War of Independence was fought from 1991 to 1995 between forces loyal to the government of Croatia—which had declared independence from the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia —and the Serb-controlled Yugoslav People's Army and local Serb forces, with the JNA ending its combat...
. The attack killed seven and wounded over 200 Croatian
Croats
Croats are a South Slavic ethnic group mostly living in Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina and nearby countries. There are around 4 million Croats living inside Croatia and up to 4.5 million throughout the rest of the world. Responding to political, social and economic pressure, many Croats have...
civilians and was carried out on May 2 and May 3, 1995 as a retaliation for Croatian army offensive in Operation Flash
Operation Flash
The Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991...
and deliberately targeted civilian locations. Zagreb was the largest of several cities hit by the attack. It was the only instance in the entire war in Croatia that cluster bombs were used in combat.
A cluster
Cluster
-In science:* Cluster , a small group of atoms or molecules* Cluster chemistry, an array of bound atoms intermediate in character between a molecule and a solid...
warhead
Warhead
The term warhead refers to the explosive material and detonator that is delivered by a missile, rocket, or torpedo.- Etymology :During the early development of naval torpedoes, they could be equipped with an inert payload that was intended for use during training, test firing and exercises. This...
loaded with 288 so-called bomblets was used in the attack. These bomblets were released at a height of 1,000m above densely populated civilian areas during the day, when the people were out on the streets. Upon impact, each bomblet exploded and released 420 steel pellets
Pellet (air gun)
An air gun pellet is, for the most part, a non-spherical projectile designed to be fired from an air gun. But this is not always the case.Pellets differ from bullets used in firearms because of the pressures encountered; firearms operate at pressures of thousands of atmospheres, while airguns...
. The lethal range of each pellet is ten metres. Each rocket released around 120,000 pellets in the attack. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY) characterized the attack as a crime against humanity
Crime against humanity
Crimes against humanity, as defined by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court Explanatory Memorandum, "are particularly odious offenses in that they constitute a serious attack on human dignity or grave humiliation or a degradation of one or more human beings...
and subsequently jailed two Serb officers: Milan Martić
Milan Martic
Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina...
and Momčilo Perišić
Momcilo Perišic
Momčilo Perišić was a Serbian general and Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army until 1998. On 6 September 2011 Perišić was found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment...
.
Introduction
During the early part of the war, the Croatian capital Zagreb was spared from devastation, as it was far from the frontlines. Serb GeneralGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Milan Čeleketić announced to the press on March 24, 1995, more than a month prior to the attack, that should a Croatian offensive be launched, he expected to respond by targeting the "weak points," that is, "the parks of the Croatian cities" and added: "We know who the people in the parks are; civilians."
In May 1995, Croatia launched Operation Flash
Operation Flash
The Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991...
which recaptured the area of western Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
(UNPA
UNPA
The abbreviation UNPA can refer to several different entities:* In India, the United National Progressive Alliance* In the United Nations:**United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, a proposed elected parliament for the UN...
sector West), under Serb control since 1991. In neighboring Bosnia, leader of Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska
Republika Srpska is one of two main political entities of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the other being the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina...
, Radovan Karadzic
Radovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
, threatened to send help to the Serbs in Croatia. Following the rapid collapse of the Serb defence in the area, Serb leader Milan Martić
Milan Martic
Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina...
ordered Serb rocket artillery units in the self-proclaimed Republic of Serbian Krajina
Republic of Serbian Krajina
The Republic of Serbian Krajina was a self-proclaimed Serb entity within Croatia. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. It formally existed from 1991 to 1995, having been initiated a year earlier via smaller separatist regions. The name Krajina means "frontier"...
to fire missiles on the capital of Zagreb. Karlovac
Karlovac
Karlovac is a city and municipality in central Croatia. The city proper has a population of 49,082, while the municipality has a population of 59,395 inhabitants .Karlovac is the administrative centre of Karlovac County...
and Sisak
Sisak
Sisak is a city in central Croatia. The city's population in 2011 was 33,049, with a total of 49,699 in the administrative region and it is also the administrative centre of the Sisak-Moslavina county...
were also subjected to retaliatory attacks.
The Yugoslav-produced Orkan 262 mm
M87 LRSV
The M-87 Orkan is an Yugoslavian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher. The generic M-87 project was configured with 12 launch tubes mounted on FAP 2832 truck. It has a range of about 50km, able to deliver war heads, anti-tank and anti-personnel mines...
Multiple rocket launcher
Multiple rocket launcher
A multiple rocket launcher is a type of unguided rocket artillery system. Like other rocket artillery, multiple rocket launchers are less accurate and have a much lower rate of fire than batteries of traditional artillery guns...
s (MRL) fires M-87 non-guided missiles. The ones fired against Zagreb were armed with aviation cluster bomb
Cluster bomb
A cluster munition is a form of air-dropped or ground-launched explosive weapon that releases or ejects smaller sub-munitions. Commonly, this is a cluster bomb that ejects explosive bomblets that are designed to kill enemy personnel and destroy vehicles...
warheads (called cassette bombs or Jinglebell), each of which contains 288 "bomblets" (smaller ammunition) which are ejected at a height of 1,000 meters above the target area. Upon impact, each bomblet explodes and releases 420 steel
Steel
Steel is an alloy that consists mostly of iron and has a carbon content between 0.2% and 2.1% by weight, depending on the grade. Carbon is the most common alloying material for iron, but various other alloying elements are used, such as manganese, chromium, vanadium, and tungsten...
pellets
Pelletizing
Pelletizing is the process of compressing or molding a material into the shape of a pellet. A wide range of different materials are pelletized including chemicals, iron ore, animal compound feed, and more.- Pelletizing of iron ore :...
, the lethal range of each of which is ten meters. This means that each rocket releases around 120,000 of these pellets, which have been characterized as designed specifically to kill or maim local infantry.
Strikes
On May 1, a meeting was held between leaders of the RSK. Although negotiations were on-going, Martić and Čeleketić were not in favor of a peaceful solution. At 1 p.m. on May 1, Milan Čeleketić ordered, with Milan Martić present, an artillery barrage on Sisak which was opened at 5 p.m. that day. On the same day, M-87 OrkanM87 LRSV
The M-87 Orkan is an Yugoslavian self-propelled multiple rocket launcher. The generic M-87 project was configured with 12 launch tubes mounted on FAP 2832 truck. It has a range of about 50km, able to deliver war heads, anti-tank and anti-personnel mines...
rocket artillery unit from Knin
Knin
Knin is a historical town in the Šibenik-Knin county of Croatia, located near the source of the river Krka at , in the Dalmatian hinterland, on the railroad Zagreb–Split. Knin rose to prominence twice in history, as a one-time capital of both the Kingdom of Croatia and briefly of the...
was redeployed to Vojnić
Vojnic
Vojnić is a municipality in Karlovac County, Croatia. There are 5,495 inhabitants, 50% which are Serbs and 36% which are Croats. The municipality is part of Kordun.-Demography:...
(about 50 km
KM
KM, Km, or km may stand for:*Kilometre *Kernel methods*Kettle Moraine High School*Khmer language *Kuomintang , a centre-right political party in the Republic of China on Taiwan...
south of Zagreb).
The first attack occurred on May 2, at 10:25 hrs in the morning, at the time many civilians were in the streets. The targets hit included the Strossmayer promenade, Petrinjska street and Vlaška street where a tram
Tram
A tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
full of passengers was hit. The Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb
Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb
The Classical Gymnasium in Zagreb is the home of the oldest high schools in Croatia and southeastern Europe. It was founded by the Society of Jesus in 1607 and hasn't stopped working since...
located in the city centre was also hit, as were Pleso
Pleso
Pleso is a settlement located to the southeast of the city of Zagreb. Nowadays, Pleso is the northernmost section of the city of Velika Gorica....
and its airport. In total, five civilians were killed and 146 injured.
The second attack occurred the following day, at 12:10 hrs. The children's hospital in Klaićeva street, the Croatian National Theatre building (which housed Russian, Ukrainian and British ballet dancers at the time, some of whom were wounded) and the Courthouse at the Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square
Nikola Šubić Zrinski Square is a square and park in Donji Grad, the central part of Zagreb, the capital of Croatia. It is located near the central Ban Jelačić Square, halfway towards the Main Railway Station. It is a part of the so-called Green horseshoe or Lenuzzi's horseshoe , which consists of...
were among those hit.
Two civilians were killed that day and 48 injured, which were less than the day before due to many people avoiding public areas following the first attack. Most of the missiles targeted the city center and surrounding streets, which were most likely to be filled with civilians in the morning. In total, seven people were killed and at about 200 injured (of which about 100 seriously) from these attacks.
Aftermath
After May 4 and the end of Operation Flash, United NationsUnited Nations
The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace...
Special Envoy Yasushi Akashi
Yasushi Akashi
Yasushi Akashi is a senior Japanese diplomat and United Nations administrator. Akashi graduated with Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Tokyo in 1954, studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Virginia, and later at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University...
met with Martić and condemned him for the attack. Martić then threatened to resume the attacks and spoke of "massive rocket attacks on Zagreb which would leave 100,000 people dead."
In August of the same year, Croatian forces launched Operation Storm
Operation Storm
Operation Storm is the code name given to a large-scale military operation carried out by Croatian Armed Forces, in conjunction with the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to gain back control of parts of Croatia which had been claimed by separatist ethnic Serbs, since early...
, displacing Serb forces from positions in range of Zagreb and other cities in Croatia. Despite this, other cities in Croatia were subject to artillery shelling from Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina , sometimes called Bosnia-Herzegovina or simply Bosnia, is a country in Southern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula. Bordered by Croatia to the north, west and south, Serbia to the east, and Montenegro to the southeast, Bosnia and Herzegovina is almost landlocked, except for the...
and Serb-held Slavonia
Slavonia
Slavonia is a geographical and historical region in eastern Croatia...
until the Dayton Agreement
Dayton Agreement
The General Framework Agreement for Peace in Bosnia and Herzegovina, also known as the Dayton Agreement, Dayton Accords, Paris Protocol or Dayton-Paris Agreement, is the peace agreement reached at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base near Dayton, Ohio in November 1995, and formally signed in Paris on...
at the end of the year.
War crimes charges by the ICTY
Immediately following the attacks, Milan MartićMilan Martic
Milan Martić is a Serbian politician, former president of the Republic of Serbian Krajina...
appeared on Serb television and publicly boasted about ordering the attacks. This video was later used against him during his trial at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
(ICTY) after he was indicted for war crimes. The attack on Zagreb was one of the main points of the indictment against him, to which he confessed, but claimed it was a "legitimate action against the enemy". On June 12, 2007, he was sentenced to 35 years in prison.
Momčilo Perišić
Momcilo Perišic
Momčilo Perišić was a Serbian general and Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army until 1998. On 6 September 2011 Perišić was found guilty for war crimes and crimes against humanity and was sentenced to 27 years of imprisonment...
, Chief of the General Staff
Chief of the General Staff
The Chief of the General Staff is a post in many armed forces , the head of the military staff.See also:*Chief of the General Staff *Chief of General Staff of Azerbaijani Armed Forces...
of the Yugoslav Army
Yugoslav Army
Aside from the Yugoslav People's Army, the terms Yugoslav Army, Army of Yugoslavia, or Military of Yugoslavia may refer to:* Yugoslav Partisans , the Yugoslav resistance army during World War II...
, was also indicted for his role in the rocket attack. He was sentenced to 27 years in prison because the judges ruled that he had effective control over the SVK
Military of Serbian Krajina
* Armored Vehicles** T-34/85** T-55** T-72 ** M-84 ** PT-76** OT M-60** BVP M-80** BOV ** BRDM-2** M36 Jackson** M18 Hellcat* Artillery** M-63 Plamen** M-77 Oganj * Anti-aircraft ** ZSU-57-2** M53/59 Praga...
commanders since he issued orders to them and initiated disciplinary proceedings against them; therefore he was responsible for the failure to punish those who launched the rockets on Zagreb.
External links
- YouTube: Recording of Milan Martić admitting ordering the shellings as retaliation to military defeat in Operation FlashOperation FlashThe Serbs in western Slavonia took part in the organized rebellion against the government of the Republic of Croatia that had just proclaimed independence in June 1991, by proclaiming the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Western Slavonia in August 1991...
- Raketiranje Zagreba: osveta za vojnički poraz tijekom »Bljeska«