Russia Summons Croatian Attach Over Reports of Mercenaries in Ukraine. Along with Germany and Poland, it is one of the countries to which additional USand NATO troops are already being deployed. Russian Warships Enter Adriatic Sea, Ministry of Defence Doesn't React. Emotivni ambasador: 'Molim svijet, Europu i NATO da zaustave avla! In a parliamentary hearing the following month, Yanev then declared: "We should stop reading the foreign press and speculating. Albania is not home to any openly pro-Russian political groups. DW explains what's at stake. (ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images). Bosnia, with a complex mix of Serbs, Muslims and Croats, was next to try for independence. Two million individuals out of the four million population sought refuge in the neighboring country of Bosnia-Herzegovina. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Legal Statement. One thing is certain: Serbian and Croatian volunteers can be found on both sides of the war. Bosnias Serb leader Milorad Dodik has been working to form an independent state, supported by Serbia and Russia. Bulgaria's defense minister, Stefan Yanev, is apparently comfortable with the idea. Ukrainian refugees tend to mainly stay in countries bordering to Ukraine or move to countries in Western Europe where they have family or friends. [39], At the beginning of Russian invasion, protests against the invasion and in support of Ukraine were held in several Croatian cities. [41] In Slavonski Brod some young woman attacked the protesters by yelling: "What does [Slavonski] Brod have from Ukraine!? According to a survey by the INSCOP Research polling institute, of all the countries in the region, Romania is the one where NATO enjoys the highest level of trust among the population. [22] In a response to that, Milanovi again became a "star" of Russian media, with Russian state-owned news agency TASS for example quoting Milanovi's statement that "NATO is a warring party in Ukraine". This group brings together citizens from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine who fled to Serbia to escape theregime of Russian PresidentVladimir Putin. He also said the letter was a threat to every Albanian, and it should mark the end of all cooperation with Serbia. "We are and remain a loyal member of NATO. Premium Powerups Explore Gaming Croatian Mercenary Liquidated in the SMO. [54] On 4 March 2022, the Croatian military attach in Moscow eljko Akrap was summoned to Russian Defence Ministry where Russians attempted to hand him a protest note, claiming that Croatian citizen Denis eler "brought 200 foreign mercenaries from Croatia" to fight for Ukraine. This would require NATO to withdraw all its troops from countries like Romania and Bulgaria and close its bases there. Denis Seler, the former leader of the fan group of the football club Dinamo Zagreb, who has repeatedly fought with Ukraine since 2014, believes this figure is too high. On 25 April 2022, Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson, On 22 July 2022, the Kremlin announced that Croatia was added to the ", This page was last edited on 24 February 2023, at 09:47. [6] The only MP which abstained from voting in favour was Katarina Peovi of Workers' Front, claiming that this declaration "militarizes Croatian society". New hurdles for rescuers at sea in the Mediterranean, Tunisia: Presidential scapegoating stokes fear and support, Canada Soccer president resigns amid equal pay dispute, Thousands of migrants have died in Southern Texas, Russian paramilitary unit of mercenaries known as the Wagner Group, the occupation and annexation of Crimea in 2014, war that was already raging in eastern Ukraine. Bosnia's Serbs, backed by Serbs elsewhere in Yugoslavia, resisted. The U.N. WebCroatia has completed preparations for the delivery of 15 transport helicopters to Ukraine#ukraine #russia "The president does not speak for Croatia, but for himself," said the Croatian foreign minister, Gordan Grlic Radman. N1 news outlet reported that, in his reply to the Russians, the attach wrote that neither Croatias Defence Ministry nor any other Croatian state institution has any connection to individuals who might be in Ukraine, or information on those individuals. As with BiH, everything hinges on what Belgrade has to say. Although the Croatian War has been over for more than twenty years, the aftermath is still present within the region. On the other hand, he mustn't anger Putin so much that he turns off the gas, or seeks revenge in Syria.". There was an explosion This is also seen as the reason why Serbia, a candidate country for membership of the European Union, has not imposed sanctions on Russia. Croatia sows confusion with threat to pull NATO troops over Ukraine crisis Foreign minister clashes with president and the soldiers are already home. [4] When Politico wrote about posibility of Ukrainian troops being trained in EU including in Croatia, Milanovi was first to rise up against it. Serbian political forces remain quiet, waiting for guidelines from Belgrade, which has been largely silent so far. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. These are the moves of desperate people, Seler told news site Index. By Lauren Simmonds 22 August 2022. The West is arguing about how best to deal with Russia, and NATO member states from Croatia to Turkey are central to these deliberations. NATO-member Croatias president on Monday criticized Western nations for supplying Ukraine with heavy tanks and other weapons in its campaign against invading Russian forces, saying those arms deliveries will only prolong the war. https://borgenproject.org/wp-content/uploads/logo.jpg, Understanding the Top Sectors for Chinese Foreign Aid to Africa. Disintegration of Russia, change of the government? EPA-EFE/RUSSIAN DEFENCE MINISTRY PRESS SERVICE/HANDOUT HANDOUT EDITORIAL USE ONLY/NO SALES. Serbs suffered too. Last week, a drone flew more than 350 miles beyond Ukraines western border before crashing in Croatia, a NATO member country. U RH malo iznenaenje", "Jutarnji list Vie tisua Zagrepana na skupu podrke Ukrajini. This explains why negotiations to secure the release of Vjekoslav Prebeg, a Croatian citizen fighting for Ukraine,who was captured by the Russians near Mariupol and tried by a Russian court,were so discreet. This announcement was made several days before Russias invasion. President Biden and President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy meet at the White House in Washington, D.C. (Ukrainian Presidency/Handout/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images). Serbs have strong sympathies with fellow Orthodox Christian Russians, while many Croats back Ukraines resistance to domination by Moscow, Serbias close ally. As the Minsk deal seems to be less and less capable of ending the conflict between Russian-led separatist forces in Donbas and the Ukrainian army, more voices sound in support of the Croatian Scenario. Former member of this party Ivan Vilibor Sini complained against Croatian government's decision to grant 3500 HRK of financial aid to Ukrainian refugees. The summit was attended by representatives of 32 states, while 11 more participated in the summit via videolink. What's he waiting for? Croatian President Zoran Milanovic speaks during a joint press conference at the presidential Sandor Palace in Budapest on Jan. 20, 2023. Croatian citizens held an anti-war protest Thursday with a march to the Russian Embassy. When Croatia later got involved in the Bosnia-Herzegovina conflict, Bosniak Muslims were also separated. Slovenia and Macedonia had already gone. (Mustafa Ciftci/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images), On Monday, Croatias Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic reacted to the presidents positions by saying they "directly harm Croatias foreign policy position.". I thought these were serious people. They will join the current 600 EUFOR personnel stationed in BiH since 2014. "A year has passed and we are only now talking about tanks," Milanovic said. The war ended in 1995 after Nato bombed the Bosnian Serbs and Muslim and Croat armies made gains on the ground. The problem remains, however, claims that Kosovo has sent mercenaries to Ukraine, which could serve as a pretext for military action from Serbia, or Russia, in a worst-case scenario. Although this decision was made on the level of the European Union, Aleksandar Vui's government in Belgrade blamed Croatia for termination of supply after which people and media close to President Vui publicly insulted Croatia and its institutions for the next few days by comparing them to the historical far-right Ustae movement.[65][66][67]. Notable people attending the protest included Croatian education minister Radovan Fuchs, president of the Croatian Helsinki Committee Ivan Zvonimir iak, European parliamentarian Tonino Picula, and French ambassador in Croatia Gal Veyssire. A drone that is likely to have been used in the fighting within Ukraine has crashed in Croatia after possibly traveling over multiple NATO countries. [3] On 25 February 2022, the Croatian Parliament adopted the Declaration on Ukraine, with 133 votes in favour and one vote abstaining. After Croatia expelled 11 Russian diplomats and 6 members of administration, Russia responded by expelling 5 diplomats from the Croatian embassy in Moscow. Regional officials said at least three people died and a further 13 were wounded by Russian shelling that hit numerous towns and villages in the Donetsk region during the last 24 hours. Britains Foreign Office has, however, reminded all Britons that it advises against any travel to Ukraine. Waiting for Rain: Shrinking Lakes Spell Trouble for Serbias Breadbasket, Russian Rumour-Mongering Causes Fear of War in Transnistria, BIRN Report: War in Ukraine Focuses Minds, Pandemic and Ukraine War Aggravate Suffering for Bosnians with PTSD, With TikToks and School Trips, Activists Take on Slovakias Disinformation Ecosystem, Rio Tinto Spends Million Euros on Serbian Land since Mine Cancellation, A Year of War in Ukraine: Where the Grassroots Support Grows, Albanian Mine Pollution Puts Lake Ohrids UNESCO Status at Risk, Game on: Young Macedonians Spy Gold in E-Sports Boom, A Year of War in Ukraine: Journalists Face Trauma of Reporting Atrocities. A handful of Croatian citizens have joined the war on the Russian side. Thats why we are going to help Ukrainians in the war, one volunteer told Vecernji list daily, referencing Croatias independence war against Serb-led Yugoslavia in the 1990s. 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