KOVAČ: WE WILL MARK GRAVES, SUFFERING PATH, BUILD VOTIVE TEMPLE

BELGRADE, DECEMBER 6 /SRNA/ – Mitar Kovač, co-author of the monograph “From Ravna Gora to Zelengora” about the suffering of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland, told SRNA that approximately 23,000 soldiers and civilians perished in the area from the Drina River to the Neretva, therefore an initiative has been launched to mark all documented graves and to build a votive temple on Zelengora.

Kovač has emphasized there is also an initiative to mark the path of suffering, and that construction of the votive memorial temple above Orlovačko Lake on Zelengora is planned to begin in the spring. “There are already two monuments; the plan is to mark all the graves, 48 of which have been documented so far, as well as that path of suffering that ran from Zelengora, from the Drina, Brod na Drini, Foča, and the southern slopes of Mount Jahorina. I believe all this will contribute to efforts to uncover the truth about the scale of suffering these people endured,” Kovač said. Kovač stated that the construction of a large church is planned at the site where units of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland were positioned on May 12, 1945. “A few days ago I received information from the United States, from the people who initiated this and enjoy the understanding of the Republika Srpska authorities, that the project has been completed and that construction permits will be applied for over the winter, so the building can begin in the spring, given that the groundworks have already been finished,” Kovač explained. He noted that memorial churches have already been built in the villages of Romani near Kalinovik and Vrbnica near Foča, and that a church is also planned in Miljevina, dedicated to the suffering of this group in the Ponor pit. He believes that all of this would help raise awareness in local communities and Republika Srpska about the sacrifices Serbs made for freedom and help correct the historical injustice toward members of the Yugoslav Army in the Homeland. Kovač pointed out that the losses were much greater than previously assumed. “While working on the monograph, we had archival access to all documents. By adding up the losses in the area from Ivan Sedlo, or more precisely from the Drina, to the Neretva, we arrived at a figure of 23,000 soldiers and civilians,” he said. Kovač expressed confidence that the monograph, on which a team of experts worked for more than five years, will see a second edition due to the new facts uncovered, and that descendants will properly honour their ancestors.