Croatia and Bosnia hold anniversary ceremonies to honor war heroes

In Vukovar, Croatia, county prefect Ivan Bosančić placed a wreath and lit a candle at the Memorial Cemetery of war victims, commemorating the 35th anniversary of the formation of the legendary “Kuni” defensive units – the 4th Vukovar, Opatovac and 2nd Vinkovci battalions – created in June 1991. The units, which initially formed the first organized armed force in eastern Slavonia, suffered heavy losses, with 87 fighters killed or missing in the 4th Vukovar battalion and substantial casualties in the Vinkovci battalion.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, a ceremony on the Dujmovi hills beneath Treskavica marked the 34th anniversary of the death of Kemo Mehanić, a commander of the Trnovo water unit killed on 16 June 1992. Mehanić was posthumously awarded the “Golden Lily” and a police bravery medal. Family members, municipal officials and veteran associations laid flowers and remembered his sacrifice as part of the broader cultural memory of the conflict.