NUŽDIĆ: PRESERVING LEGACY OF FALLEN SOLDIERS IS DUTY OF EVERY GENERATION

SOKOLAC, JUNE 16 /SRNA/ – Republika Srpska was created as a guarantee of the survival of the Serb people west of the Drina River, and the sacrifice of the soldiers of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps and the Republika Srpska Army obliges current generations to preserve the memory of the Homeland-Defense War and defend the institutions of Republika Srpska, Viktor Nuždić, Acting Director of the Republika Srpska Center for Research of War, War Crimes and Missing Persons, has stated today.

Following the commemoration of the Day of Defense of Serbs in the Sarajevo-Romanija region from 1992 to 1995, Nuždić reminded that Sarajevo Serbs were among the first to experience the horrors of war. He noted that numerous crimes were committed against Serbs in Sarajevo, citing the killing of the Serb wedding guest, crimes at Kazani, and the notorious Viktor Bubanj and Silos camps. "All of these were crimes committed against Sarajevo Serbs, which created the need for the formation of a strong Sarajevo-Romanija Corps that would defend the Serb population in this area", Nuždić said. He emphasized that the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps fought courageously throughout the war, withstood dozens of offensives and did not surrender a single inch of the territory it defended. "The Sarajevo-Romanija Corps fought heroically and defended what had been Serb land for centuries. That is why today we pay tribute both to the members of this corps and to all soldiers of the Army of Republika Srpska", Nuždić stressed. According to him, the freedom enjoyed by the Serb people today was paid for with the lives of thousands of soldiers who gave the most valuable thing they had and built it into the foundations of Republika Srpska. "We must never forget their sacrifice. That is why it is our duty, through a culture of remembrance, to preserve the truth about the Homeland-Defense War and pass it on to future generations", Nuždić said. He warned that Republika Srpska continues to face various pressures today, making it essential to strengthen trust in its institutions and work persistently to preserve historical memory. "Only if we preserve the memory of the events of the Homeland-Defense War and trust our institutions can we prevent such suffering from ever happening again", Nuždić said. He added that Republika Srpska is the only guarantor of the survival of the Serb people in these areas and that its preservation remains a permanent responsibility of all generations. The Sarajevo-Romanija Corps was established on May 22, 1992, by order of the Main Staff of the Republika Srpska Army, with its headquarters in Lukavica. Its soldiers repelled 35 offensives launched by units of the so-called Army of BiH against Sarajevo-Romanija Corps positions in an effort to reach the Drina River. The New Zejtinlik Military Cemetery in Sokolac is the final resting place of 949 fallen soldiers of the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps.