Croatia and Serbia exchange accusations over missing persons and war archives

Tensions have escalated between Croatia and Serbia regarding unresolved issues from the Homeland War, specifically concerning missing persons and access to security archives.

Nikola Linta, representing the Alliance of Serbs in the region, criticized Croatian officials, calling their demands on Serbia “shameful and unacceptable.” Linta argued that Serbia should demand Croatia resolve the fate of missing persons—noting that over 1,000 of the 1,725 missing are of Serbian nationality—and open archives containing data on the killing of Serbian civilians and prisoners of war.

The Croatian Ministry of Veterans Affairs responded sharply to criticisms from Most party leader Nikola Grmoja, labeling his claims as “false accusations.” The Ministry stated that unresolved issues are the result of Serbian obstruction rather than Croatian inaction. According to the Ministry, Croatia has submitted 25 written requests to Serbian authorities since 2016 seeking data and documentation to help locate victims, but claims no cases have been resolved through cooperation with Serbian institutions since 2014.