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Siege of Dubrovnik
Part of the Croatian War of Independence
Date October 1991-May 1992 Location Dubrovnik area, Croatia Result Croatian victory
Combatants
Yugoslav Army (JNA) Montenegro Territorial Defence Forces	Croatian Army (HV)
Commanders
Veljko Kadijević (Chief of Staff of Yugoslav People's Army)	Anton Tus (Chief of Staff of Croatian Army 1991-1992) Janko Bobetko (from 1992)
Strength
Between 7,500 and 20,000 men [1]	Up to 2,000 soldiers and policemen
Casualties
About 150 soldiers [2]	Almost 100 soldiers and 82-88 civilians killed [3] [4]

Croatian War of Independence
Plitvice Lakes – Borovo Selo – Vukovar (Battle, Massacre) – The Barracks – Dubrovnik – Gospić – Otkos 10 – Škabrnja – Orkan 91 – Voćin – Miljevci – Maslenica – Medak Pocket – Flash – Zagreb – Storm

Siege of Dubrovnik (Croatian: Opsada Dubrovnika) is a term marking the battle and siege of the city of Dubrovnik and the surrounding area in Croatia as part of the Croatian War of Independence.

It was besieged and attacked by JNA and Montenegro forces in late 1991, with the major fighting ending in early 1992 and the Croatian counterattack finally lifting the siege and liberating the area in mid-1992.

Contents 1 Preface 2 The siege 2.1 Opposing forces 2.2 Initial attacks 2.3 Siege 2.4 Final operations 3 Aftermath 4 Accused for war crimes 5 References 6 External links

Dubrovnik is an old city located in the southernmost part of Dalmatia. It is a well-known tourist destination (a UNESCO World Heritage site), and was therefore demilitarized during the Communist Yugoslavia because it was considered that military presence does not go hand to hand with tourism. Because of this, when Croatia voted for independence in 1991, it was one of the few major cities in Croatia not to have major JNA military forces in the area, which spared it during the September's Battle of the barracks.

The geographical position of the city was somewhat problematic. With the land borders between Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) and Montenegro (in 1991, both still part of Yugoslavia), Dubrovnik and the surrounding area found itself isolated. The southernmost part of Croatia is separated by the BiH's sea corridor at Neum. Furthermore, the geographical area around the city is very mountainous and unsuitable for military operations; creating a significant supply problem which was to limit the amount of forces involved. This meant that, in the case of JNA attack from the neighbouring republics, Croatia's assistance would be limited to what can be transported to the area by sea.

Croat forces in the area were outnumbered and outgunned with next to no heavy equipment. They included just one locally conscripted unit - the 163rd Infantry Brigade, which - along with local police forces and volunteers - numbered up to 2,000 men, but had no tanks or heavy guns. The heaviest weapons available to the defenders were two Soviet 76 millimeter artillery guns from 1942. ^[5]

These were pitted against several brigades of the JNA and Montenegro Territorial Defence Force of between 7,500 and 20,000 men, with tanks and artillery elements of the Naval District Corps and assorted other Corps formations of south Bosnia and Montenegro. The attack at the time was portrayed as an entirely Montenegrian affair (despite mixed nationality of JNA troops and Serb guidance, Montenegrians made the majority of troops) and was therefore presented in Montenegro as "War for Peace" with claims of "30,000 armed Ustašas and 7,000 terrorists, including Kurdish mercenaries readying to attack Montenegro at any moment" ^[6].

By October 1991, War has already started throughout Croatia. On 1 October 1991, JNA forces from Montenegro (swelled by mobilization called on 16 September in Montenegro) and south BiH advanced to attack the surrounding area and occupied Prevlaka, Konavle, Cavtat and the entire area around Dubrovnik, including the important international airport. The airport was looted of valuable equipment which was taken to Montenegro - after independence in 2006, Montenegro has agreed to pay reparations for this, as well as return stolen art works, also taken from areas around Dubrovnik.

Combination of stiff resistance, rugged terrain and international attention blocked JNA's total attack and occupation of the city and they occupied high terrain around the city instead, placing artillery there to shell the city - thus the siege was started. At the same time, Yugoslav Navy was actively invovled in the bombardment, maintaining sea blockade and shelling the city from the Adriatic Sea. Food, water and electricity supply to the city was cut at the very beginning of the siege. The city was also crowded with 55,000 refugees from other war-torn areas in Croatia who thought they found a safe heaven in Dubrovnik. ^[7]

The siege had immediately raised attention, as western reporters took pictures of the shelling (especially the Old City of Dubrovnik - a UNESCO World Heritage Site) - which drew international criticism of the JNA forces. The siege was heavily present in the international media, which pushed the pivotal and much more brutal Battle of Vukovar into second plan. Even before the siege, international Community attempted several treaties to limit JNA advances into overwhelmingly Croat areas, but these were broken by JNA without regard ^[8].

International reactions did nothing to quell the brutal bombardment, however, and the shelling continued to the end of the year. Croatian Navy and coastal artillery had successfully repelled JNA Navy forces along Dalmatia, and the Navy withdrew to Montenegro naval base of Boka Kotorska, but the situation on the ground was still unfavorable. Towards the end of the year, Croatian defenders managed a small counterattack that was aimed at displacing the JNA from the surrounding mountains, but this did not end the shelling entirely.

Noted poet Milan Milišić became the first casualty of the shelling on October 5th. On 6 December 1991, the heaviest shelling was reported on what came to be known as the St. Nicholas day bombardment, during which 13 civilians were killed and 60 wounded ^[9].

The last ceasefire went into effect at the end of the year and the shelling ended by 1992.

As part of the ceasefire agreement, JNA left Croatia and moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina where the Bosnian War was to start in April. Since many of the units involved in attacks on Dubrovnik where originally from Corps formations in Bosnia, these were now returned to their home commands as JNA forces in planned a general offensive on the nearby BiH city of Mostar and many troops were withdrawn from the area around Dubrovnik.

The units left behind had now been weakened and limited to reserve troops and Croatia took advantage of the situation by redeploying elements of elite guard brigades (1st, 2nd and 4th) to the area, forming a command HQ under Janko Bobetko in April and starting a successful offensive which broke the blockade on 26 May 1992. After that, Operation Čagalj and Operation Tigar were launched to push the remaining forces away from the city and liberate the entire surrounding area, which was achieved by the end of July. The important Prevlaka area was also taken - which effectively meant a blockade of JNA Navy in Boka - but was recaptured by Montenegro forces. Following this, both sides agreed for a United Nations supervision of the area and the war for Dubrovnik ended.

The city and the area recovered remarkably from the war, and the city is now again a favorite tourist destination. Prevlaka has been returned from UN supervision to Croatian control and the newly independent Montenegro has expressed wish for improving relations with Croatia and has promised making war reparations and solving open border questions a priority.

• The ICTY has charged four JNA commanders with command responsibility: Veljko Kadijević, Blagoje Adžić, Borisav Jović and Aleksandar Vasiljević for war crimes done during the siege. Slobodan Milošević was also charged ^[10].

• General Pavle Strugar was sentenced to 8 years for his role in the shelling of the city ^[11].

• Miodrag Jokić (commander of JNA Naval District) was sentenced to 7 years ^[12].

• Vladimir Kovačević (commander of third battalion 472nd Motorized JNA Brigade) was accused together with Strugar, but his case was transferred to Courts of Serbia ^[13].

• Film footage of the shelling
• Indictment against P. Strugar and V. Kovačević (includes list of damaged religious, art and education buildings and monuments in the UNESCO protected old city) (Croatian)
• Publication "Dubrovnik: War for peace" on the siege of Dubrovnik published by Helsinki Commitee for human rights in Serbia (Serbian)
• United Nations report on the battle