Republic of Serbian Krajina
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2008-07-09T19:25:16Z
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reverting back to previous version by Peccafly
{{Infobox Former Country
|native_name =Република Српска Крајина<br>''Republika Srpska Krajina''
|conventional_long_name = Republic of Serbian Krajina
|common_name = Serbian Krajina
|continent = Europe
|region = Balkans
|country = Croatia
|status = Unrecognized
|status_text = Self-proclaimed Serbian entity in [[Croatia]]<br><small>([[List of historical unrecognized countries|Internationally unrecognized]])</small>
|government_type = Republic
|era = Croatian War of Independence
|event_start = Log Revolution
|year_start = 1991
|date_start = April 1
|event_end = Surrender of troops
|year_end = 1995
|date_end = August 10
|event1 = Creation of [[SAO Krajina]]
|date_event1 = [[December 21]], [[1990]]
|event2 = Secession
|date_event2 = [[April 1]], [[1991]]
|event3 = Breakup of Yugoslavia
|date3 = [[June 25]], [[1991]]
|event_post = Erdut Agreement
|date_post = 1995-1998
|p1 = Republic of Croatia (1990-1991)
|flag_p1 = Flag of Croatia.svg
|s1 = Croatia
|s2 = Eastern Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem
|flag_s1 = Flag_of_Croatia.svg
|flag_s2 = Flag of Serbian Krajina (1991).svg
|image_flag = Flag of Serbian Krajina (1991).svg
|flag = Flag of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
|image_coat = Rsk grb.PNG
|image_map = RSK.png
|image_map_caption = Self-proclaimed Serbian entity in Croatia <br> Republic of Serbian Krajina
shown in red
|capital = Knin
|leader_title1 = [[List of heads of state of Krajina|Presidents]]
|leader_name1 = Milan Babić (1991-1992)
|leader_name2 = Goran Hadžić (1992-1994)
|leader_name3 = Milan Martić (1994-1995)
|leader_title2 = [[List of heads of government of Krajina|Prime Ministers]]
|leader_name1 = Dusan Vjestica (1991-1992)
|leader_name2 = Zdravko Zecevic (1992-1993)
|leader_name3 = Djordje Bjegovic (1993-1994)
|leader_name4 = Borislav Mikelic (1994-1995)
|leader_name5 = Milan Babić (1995)
}}
[[Image:CroatianSerbs.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Serb-populated areas in Croatia (according to the 1981 census)]]
The '''Republic of Serbian Krajina''' abbreviated '''RSK''' ([[Serbian language|Serbian]]: Република Српска Крајина, РСК; sometimes also translated ''"Republic of Serb Krajina"'') was a self-proclaimed [[Serbs in Croatia|Serbian]] entity within [[Croatia]] during the 1990s. Established in 1991, it was not recognized internationally. Its main portion was overrun by Croatian forces in 1995; a rump remained in existence in [[eastern Slavonia]] under [[United Nations|UN]] administration until its peaceful reincorporation into Croatia in 1998.
==Origins of the name ''Krajina''==
The name [[Krajina]] was adopted from the [[Military Frontier]] that was carved out of parts of the [[crown land]]s of [[Croatia in the Habsburg Empire|Croatia]] and [[Banovina of Slavonia|Slavonia]] by [[Habsburg Monarchy|Austria]] in 1553–1578 as a means of defending against the expansion of the [[Ottoman Empire]]. Many Croats, Serbs and [[Vlach]]s immigrated from nearby parts of Ottoman Empire (Ottoman Bosnia and Serbia) into the region and helped bolster and replenish the numbers of [[Croats]] as well as the garrisoned German troops in the fight against the Ottomans. The Austrians controlled the Frontier from military headquarters in Vienna and did not make it a [[crown land]], though it had some special rights in order to encourage settlement in an otherwise deserted, war-ravaged territory. The abolition of the military rule took place between 1869 and 1871. In order to attract Serbs to be part of Croatia on 11.5.1867 the Sabor solemnly declared that "the Triune Kingdom recognizes the Serbian/Vlach people living in it as a nation identical and equal with the Croatian nation." After that, the Military Frontier was reincorporated in [[Croatia in the Habsburg Empire|Croatia]] in 1881.
[[Image:Croatia Military Frontier.jpg|300px|left|thumb|Map of the original Krajina, the [[Military Frontier]]]]
Following [[World War I]], the regions formerly part of the Military Frontier became part of [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia]] where it was in the [[Sava Banovina]] with most of old Croatia-Slavonia. Between the two world wars the Serbs of the Croatian and Slavonian Krajinas, as well as the [[Bosnian Krajina]] and other regions west of [[Serbia]], organized a notable political party, the [[Independent Democratic Party]] under [[Svetozar Pribićević]]. In the new state there existed much tension between the Croats and Serbs over differing political visions, with the campaign for Croatian autonomy culminating in the assassination of their leader [[Stjepan Radić]] in the parliament and repression by the Serb dominated security structures.
Between 1939–1941, in an attempt to resolve the Croat-Serb political and social antagonism in the [[first Yugoslavia]], an autonomous [[Banovina of Croatia]] was created incorporating (amongst other territories) much of the former [[Military Frontier]] as well as parts of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. In 1941, the [[axis powers]] invaded Yugoslavia and in the aftermath the [[Independent State of Croatia]] (which included whole of today's Bosnia and Herzegovina and parts of Serbia (Eastern Syrmia) as well) was declared. The [[Ustaše]] (who were allegedly behind the assassination of the Serbian king of [[Kingdom of Yugoslavia|Yugoslavia]]) were installed by the Germans as rulers of the new country and promptly pursued a genocidal policy of persecution of Serbs, Jews and Croats (from opposition groups) leading to hundreds of thousands being killed. During this period, Croats coalesced around the ruling authorities or the communist anti-fascist [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]]. Serbs from around the [[Knin]] area tended to join the [[chetnik]]s, whilst Serbs from the [[Banija]] and [[Slavonia]] regions tended to join the [[Yugoslav Partisans|Partisans]].
At the end of the war, the communist dominated [[Partisans (Yugoslavia)|Partisans]] prevailed and the region was part of the [[People's Republic of Croatia]] until [[7 April]] [[1963]], when the federal republic changed it's name to the [[Socialist Republic of Croatia]]. The autonomous political organisations of the region were also suppressed by Tito (along with others such as the [[Croatian Spring]]); however, the Yugoslav constitutions of 1965 and 1974 did give substantial rights to national minorities including the Serbs in SR Croatia.
The Serbian "Krajina" entity to emerge upon Croatia's declaration of independence in 1991 would include three kinds of territories:
* a large section of the historical Military Frontier, in areas with a minority of Serbian population;
* areas such as parts of northern Dalmatia, that were never part of the Frontier but had a majority or a plurality of Serbian population, including the self-proclaimed entity's capital, [[Knin]];
* areas that bordered with Serbia and where Serbs are significant minority ([[Baranja]], [[Vukovar]]).
It should also be noted that large sections of the historical Military Frontier were outside of the Republic of Serb Krajina and contained a largely Croat population including much of [[Lika]], the area centred around the city of [[Bjelovar]], central and south-eastern [[Slavonia]].
<!--==Terminological notes==
There is geographical neither historical area called ''Krajina''-->
==The creation of the RSK==
{{Totally-disputed-section|date=March 2008}}
The Serb-populated regions in Croatia were of central concern to the Croatian and Serbian nationalist movements of the late 1980s, led respectively by [[Franjo Tuđman]] and [[Slobodan Milošević]]. The incidents started in 1988 and turned into full-scale Serbian political rallies in 1989. The Croatian nationalists' victory in 1990, based on a platform of achieving independence for Croatia, made matters more tense, especially since the country's Serbian minority was supported both politically and militarily by the Serb dominated [[Yugoslav People's Army]] (JNA) and Serbia under President Milošević. At the time, Serbs comprised about 12.2% of Croatia's population: 581,663 people declared themselves Serbs in the census of 1991.
Serbs became opposed to the policies of Tuđman, who became elected president in April 1990, because of his unhidden desire for an independent Croatia. Serbs in what would later become Krajina rebelled in August 1990 in an event which is known as the [[Log Revolution]], where barricades of logs were erected across roads throughout the south in August 1990 as a physical expression of separation from Croatia, which effectively severed Croatia in two, with the coastal region of [[Dalmatia]] separated from the rest of the country. The [[Constitution of Croatia|Croatian constitution]] was passed in December 1990 which put Serbs in a minority category along with other ethnic groups such as the Italians, Hungarians, and others. Some would later justify their claim to an independent Serb state by arguing that the new constitution contradicted the [[Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]], because in their view, Croatia was still legally governed by the [[Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia]]. But as Yugoslavia continued to show signs of fragmentation, and Croatian leaders insisted on the goal of an independent Croatia, the Yugoslav constitution began to lose its appearance of legitimacy. Ethnic Serbian politicians responded to these rejections by leaving parliament.
Serbs in Croatia had established a Serbian National Council in July 1990 to coordinate opposition to Croatian independence, believing that if Croatia could leave Yugoslavia, then they could leave Croatia. [[Milan Babić]], a dentist from the southern town of [[Knin]], was elected its president. The rebel Croatian Serbs established a number of [[paramilitary]] militias under the leadership of [[Milan Martić]], the police chief in Knin.
In August 1990, a referendum was held in the Krajina on the question of Serb "sovereignty and autonomy" in Croatia. The resolution was confined exclusively to Serbs and, not surprisingly, passed by a majority of 99.7%. Equally unsurprisingly, it was declared illegal and invalid by the Croatian government, who stated that Serbs had no constitutional right to break away from Croatian territory.
Babić's administration announced the creation of a [[SAO Krajina|Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina]] (or ''SAO Krajina'') on [[December 21]], [[1990]]. On [[March 16]] [[1991]] another referendum was held which asked ''"Are you in favour of the SAO Krajina joining the Republic of Serbia and staying in Yugoslavia with Serbia, Montenegro and others who wish to preserve Yugoslavia?"''. With 99.8% voting in favour, the referendum was approved and the Krajina assembly declared that ''"the territory of the SAO Krajina is a constitutive part of the unified state territory of the Republic of Serbia"''.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/martic/trialc/judgement/mar-tcjud070612e.pdf PROSECUTOR v. MILAN MARTIĆ JUDGEMENT (pg. 46)]</ref> On [[April 1]], [[1991]], it declared that it would secede from Croatia. Other Serb-dominated communities in eastern Croatia announced that they would also join SAO Krajina and ceased paying taxes to the [[Zagreb]] government, and began implementing its own currency system, army regiments, and postal service.
Croatia held a referendum on independence on [[May 19]], [[1991]], in which the electorate—minus many Serbs, who chose to boycott it—voted overwhelmingly for independence with the option of confederate union with other Yugoslav states. On [[June 25]], [[1991]], Croatia and Slovenia both declared their independence from Yugoslavia. As the JNA attempted unsuccessfully to suppress Slovenia's independence in the short [[Slovenian War]], clashes between rebelled Croatian Serbs and Croatian security forces broke out almost immediately, leaving dozens dead on both sides. Serbs calling themselves [[Chetniks]]<ref name="Seselj article">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2317765.stm Vojislav Seselj forces]</ref> were supported by the JNA, which provided them military arms. Many Croatians fled their homes in fear, or were forced out by the rebel Serbs. The [[European Union]] and [[United Nations]] attempted to broker ceasefires and peace settlements, but to no avail.
Around August 1991, the leadership of the Serbian Krajina, and that of Serbia, allegedly agreed to embark on what war crimes prosecutors would later describe as a "joint criminal enterprise which consisted of permanently and forcibly removing the non-Serb population of Krajina in order to make them part of a new Serb-dominated state".<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/p627-e.htm JUDGE RODRIGUES CONFIRMS INDICTMENT CHARGING SLOBODAN MILOSEVIC WITH CRIMES COMMITTED IN CROATIA]</ref><ref>[http://usinfo.state.gov/dhr/Archive/2004/Jan/29-319268.html ICTY Accepts Babic Plea of Crimes Against Humanity] </ref> The leaders are documented to have included Milan Babić, and other rebelled Croatian Serbs' figures such as Milan Martić, the Serbian militia leader [[Vojislav Šešelj]] and Yugoslav Army commanders including General [[Ratko Mladić]], who was at the time the commander of JNA forces in Croatia.
According to testimony given by Babić in his subsequent war crimes trial, during the summer of 1991 the Serbian secret police—under Milošević's command—set up "a parallel structure of state security and the police of Krajina and units commanded by the state security of Serbia". Shadowy groups of paramilitaries with names such as the "Vukovi sa Vucjaka" ("Wolves from Vucjak") and the "Beli Orlovi" ("White Eagles"), funded by the Serbian [[secret police]], were also a key component of this structure.<ref name="Seselj indictment">[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/ses-ii030115e.htm Seselj indictment]</ref>
A wider-scale war was launched in August 1991. Over the following months, a large area of territory, amounting to a third of Croatia, was controlled by the rebel Serbs. The Croatian population suffered heavily, fleeing or evicted with numerous killings, leading to [[ethnic cleansing]].<ref name="ICTY evidence">[http://usinfo.state.gov/dhr/Archive/2004/Jan/29-319268.html ICTY evidence; Babic pleads guilty to crimes]</ref> The bulk of the fighting occurred between August and December 1991 when approximately 80,000 Croats were expelled (and some were killed).<ref name="Croatian refugees">[http://www.refugees.org/countryreports.aspx?id=822 Croatian refugees]</ref> Many more died and or were displaced in fighting in eastern [[Slavonia]] (this territory along the Croatian/Serbian border was not part of the Krajina, and it was the JNA that was the principal actor in that part of the conflict). The [[Gospić massacre]] was one of the war crimes committed by Croatian military against the Serbian civilians.
On [[December 19]], [[1991]], the SAO Krajina proclaimed itself the Republic of Serbian Krajina. On [[February 26]], [[1992]], the SAO Western Slavonia and SAO Slavonia, Baranja and Western Srem were added to the RSK, which initially had only encompassed the territories within the SAO Krajina. The Serb Army of Krajina (''Српска Војска Крајине'' / ''Srpska Vojska Krajine'' ; abbreviated ''СВК'' / ''SVK'') was officially formed on [[March 19]], [[1992]]. The RSK occupied an area of some 17,028 km² at its greatest extent. Croatia then was beginning to form an army and their main defenders, the local police, were overpowered by the JNA military who supported rebelled Croatian Serbs. The RSK was located entirely inland, but they soon started advancing deeper into Croatian territory.<ref name="ICTY evidence" /> They shelled the Croatian coastal town of [[Zadar]] killing over 80 people in nearby areas and damaging the Maslenica bridge that connected northern and southern Croatia. They also tried to overtake [[Šibenik]], but the defenders successfully repelled the attack by JNA. The main city theatre was also bombed by JNA forces.<ref name="Sibenik theatre">[http://www.sibenik.hr/vodic/kultura/sibensko_kazaliste.asp Sibenik theatre destroyed]</ref> The city of [[Vukovar]], however, was completely devastated by JNA attacks.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref> The city of Vukovar that warded off JNA attacks for month (and where a lot of its elite troops were destroyed{{Fact|date=April 2007}}) eventually fell. 2,000 defenders of Vukovar and civilians were killed, 800 went missing and 22,000 were forced into exile.<ref name="Vukovar deaths and prisoners">[http://www.iwpr.net/?p=tri&s=f&o=325671&apc_state=henh Vukovar death toll]</ref><ref name="Vukovar deaths">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/6162474.stm Vukovar civilians killed]</ref> The wounded were taken from Vukovar Hospital to Ovcara near Vukovar where they were executed.<ref name="Vukovar massacre">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/2988304.stm Vukovar massacre]</ref>
==The uneasy peace of 1992==
A ceasefire agreement was signed by Presidents Tuđman and Milošević in January 1992, paving the way for the implementation of a United Nations peace plan put forward by [[Cyrus Vance]]. Under the [[Peace plans offered before and during the Bosnian War|Vance Plan]], four United Nations Protected Areas (UNPAs) were established in Croatian territory which was claimed by RSK. The Vance Plan called for the withdrawal of the JNA from Croatia and for the return of refugees to their homes in the UNPAs. The JNA officially withdrew from Croatia in May 1992 but much of its weaponry and many of its personnel remained in the Serb-held areas and were turned over to the RSK's security forces. Refugees were not allowed to return to their homes and many of the remaining Croats and other nationalities left in the RSK were expelled or killed in the following months.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref><ref name="Babic Guilty">[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3433721.stm BBC NEWS | Europe | Babic admits persecuting Croats<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> On [[February 21]], [[1992]], the creation of the United Nations Protection Force ([[UNPROFOR]]) was authorised by the [[UN Security Council]] for an initial period of a year, to provide security to the UNPAs.
The agreement effectively froze the front lines for the next three years. Croatia and the RSK had effectively fought each other to a standstill. The Republic of Serbian Krajina was not recognised [[de jure]] by any other country or international organisation. Nevertheless it gained support from Serbia's allies, [[Greece]], [[Russia]], and [[Romania]].
With the creation of new [[Counties of Croatia|Croatian counties]] on [[December 30]], [[1992]], the Croatian government also set aside two autonomous regions (''kotar'') for ethnic Serbs in the areas of Krajina. However, Serbs considered this too late, as it was not the amount of autonomy they wanted, and by now they had declared [[de facto]] independence.
[[Image:Former Yugoslavia wartime 1.PNG|300px|thumb|right|War in former Yugoslavia,1993]]
[[UNPROFOR]] deployed throughout the region in order to maintain the ceasefire, although in practice its light armament and restricted rules of engagement meant that it was little more than an observer force. It proved wholly unable to ensure that refugees returned to the RSK. Indeed, the rebelled Croatian Serbs authorities continued to make efforts to ensure that they could ''never'' return, destroying villages and cultural and religious monuments to erase the previous existence of the Croatian inhabitants of the Krajina.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref> Milan Babić later testified that this policy was driven from Belgrade through the Serbian secret police—and ultimately Milošević—who he claimed were in control of all the administrative institutions and armed forces in the Krajina.<ref name="Babic testification">[http://www.iwpr.net/?p=tri&s=f&o=164710&apc_state=henitri200407 Babic testifies against Milosevic]</ref> This would certainly explain why the Yugoslav National Army took the side of the rebelled Croatian Serbs in spite of its claims to be acting as a "peacekeeping" force. It should be noted that Milošević has denied this, claiming that Babić had made it up "out of fear".
===Demographics===
By the start of the 1990s and before the war, about two thirds of the Krajina (later UNPA zones North and South- not Western or Eastern Slavonia) population was Serb. These Serbs accounted for about 29% of the total Serb population in the then-SR Croatia (and in turn the ethnic Serb population accounted for about 12.2% of the total population of SR Croatia). The increase in ethnic tensions caused the demographic proportions to shift markedly even before the fighting broke out.
The official [[census]] held in the spring of 1991, just before the war began, is recorded in Republic of Croatia statistics books, but not currently available online. Hence, there are two different sources for pre-war population distribution: the ICTY indictment against Milošević, given in the 1st table below, and the official Croatian data excerpted from the books, presented in the 2nd table.
The allocation of the population in the different parts of the RSK was, according to the ICTY source, as follows:
{| align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="3"
! style="background:#F5F5DC;" | UNPA Zones<br> North and South
! style="background:#F5F5DC;" | UNPA Sector<br> West
! style="background:#F5F5DC;" | UNPA Sector<br> East
! style="background:#F5FFDC;" | Total
|-
| 168,437 (67%) Serbs<BR> 70,708 (28%) Croats<BR> 13,101 (5%) others
| 14,161 (60%) Serbs<BR> 6,864 (29%) Croats<BR> 2,577 (11%) others
| 61,492 (32%) Serbs<BR> 90,454 (47%) Croats<BR> 40,217 (21%) others
| 244,090 (52.15%) Serbs<br>168,026 (35.9%) Croats<br> 55,895 (11.94%) others
|-
|<small>(Source: [http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mil-ii011008e.htm ICTY])</small>
|}
However, the cited figures differ from those published in official Croatian census, which gives the following data:
{| align="center" cellpadding="5" cellspacing="3"
! style="background:#F5F5DC;" | UNPA Zones<br> North and South
! style="background:#F5F5DC;" | UNPA Sector<br> West
! style="background:#F5F5DC;" | UNPA Sector<br> East
! style="background:#F5FFDC;" | Total
|-
| 169,906 (66.7%) Serbs<BR> 69,646 (28%) Croats<BR> 13,183 (5.5%) others
| 35,206 (35.4%) Serbs<BR> 43,063 (43.3%) Croats<BR> 21,183 (21.3%) others
| 57,208 (30.4%) Serbs<BR> 92,398 (49.1%) Croats<BR> 35,578 (20.5%) others
| 258,320 (48.16%) Serbs<br> 205,107 (38.24%) Croats<br> 72,944 (13.6%) others
|}
Both calculations does not include "pink zones" (zones outside UNPA, but inside RSK). These zones are usually with much bigger percentage of Serbs than UNPA zones. Examples of rose zones include [[Medak]], [[Vrlika]], [[Lički Osik]] ("Teslingrad"), [[Vrhovine]], and [[Plaski]].
The largest discrepancy is in the UNPA Sector West, which might refer to the fact that this zone originally included large patches of western Slavonia (areas around [[Grubišno Polje]], [[Daruvar]], [[Pakrac]] and the western slopes of [[Papuk]]), but these weren't controlled by the RSK in the later stages of the war.
During the period when the RSK was formed, it was difficult to determine the exact population due to the war situation. Many Serb refugees from elsewhere in Croatia and Bosnia settled in the Krajina and a steady stream of people left the region to escape its pervasive poverty.
According to a local census by the RSK authorities from 1993, there were 480,000 residents: 91% Serbs (433,595), 7% Croats and 2% others. In 1994, the RSK's government estimated the population at 430,000 people.<ref>[http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/serbian_digest/151/t151-4.htm RSK 1993 census results]</ref> The apparent fall in the population may have been due to the general systematic expulsions outweighing the intake of Serbs from elsewhere. On the other hand, Croatian authorities hold these figures to be a pure morale-boosting fiction; the number of Serbs (virtually all of the population) who fled Eastern Slavonia and UNPA zones North and South in 1995 have been estimated by UN authorities to range between 150,000-200,000 people. Since the sector East did not account, after ethnic cleansing, for more than 50,000-70,000 inhabitants, the entire RSK population, as estimated by Croatian authorities, oscillated somewhere between 200,000 and 250,000.
==The decline of the RSK==
[[Image:Krajina Dinar.jpg|250px|right|thumb|A 5,000,000 Dinar bill of RSK (1992)]]
The partial implementation of the Vance Plan drove a wedge between the governments of the RSK and Serbia, the RSK's principal backer and supplier of fuel, arms and money. Milan Babić strongly opposed the Vance Plan but was overruled by the RSK's assembly.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref> On [[February 26]], [[1992]], he was deposed and replaced as President of the RSK by [[Goran Hadžić]], a Milošević loyalist. Babić remained involved in RSK politics but as a considerably weaker figure.
The position of the RSK eroded steadily over the following three years. On the surface, the RSK had all the trappings of a state: an army, a parliament and president, a government with its own ministries and even its own currency and stamps. Its economy was, however, wholly dependent on support from the rump Yugoslavia, which had the effect of importing that country's [[hyperinflation]]. The RSK issued its own currency, the [[Krajina dinar]] (HRKR), in parallel with the [[Yugoslav dinar]] in July 1992. This issue was followed by the "October dinar" (HRKO), first issued on [[October 1]], [[1993]] and equal to 1,000,000 Reformed Dinar, and the "1994 dinar", first issued on [[January 1]], [[1994]], and equal to 1,000,000,000 October dinar.
The economic situation in the rebelled areas soon became disastrous. By 1994, only 36,000 of its citizens were employed out of a population of 430,000. The war severed its trade links with the rest of Croatia, with its few industries left idle. It had few natural resources on which to rely and had to import most of its resources, goods and fuel. Its agriculture was devastated, operating at little more than a subsistence level.[http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/serbian_digest/151/t151-4.htm] Professionals went abroad to Serbia or elsewhere to escape the republic's economic hardships. To make matters worse still, the RSK's government was grossly corrupt and the region became a haven for black market and other criminal activity. It was clear by the mid-1990s that the RSK was economically inviable without a peace deal or support from Yugoslavia.<ref name="Evidence">Milosevic and the JNA http://hrw.org/reports/2006/milosevic1206/4.htm#</ref> This was especially clear in Belgrade where the RSK had become an unwanted economic and political burden for Milošević. His government sought to push the rebelled Croatian Serbs into settling the conflict but was rebuffed, much to its frustration.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref>
The republic's weakness also affected its armed forces, the [[Vojska Srpske Krajine]] (VSK). Since the 1992 ceasefire had been agreed, Croatia had spent large sums of money importing weapons and training its armed forces with the aid of American contractors. At the same time, the VSK had grown steadily weaker, with its soldiers poorly motivated, trained and equipped.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref><ref name="National Security"> Testimony from RSK generals http://www.nsf-journal.hr/issues/v3_n3-4/11.htm </ref> The VSK had only about 55,000 soldiers available to cover a front of some 600 km in Croatia plus 100 km along the border with the [[Bihać]] pocket in Bosnia; 16,000 of these were stationed in eastern Slavonia, leaving only some 39,000 to defend the main part of the RSK. In reality, only 30,000 of the theoretical 55,000 were capable of being fully mobilised. The VSK had little mobility and faced a far stronger Croatian army. It was also politically divided between supporters of Hadžić and Babić. On occasion, this rivalry broke out into clashes between rival units, which left several people wounded.{{Fact|date=April 2007}}
An early demonstration of the new Croatian capabilities came in January 1993, when the revitalised Croatian army launched an attack on Serbian positions around [[Maslenica]] in southern Croatia (which prevented them from utilizing sea access via Novigradsko more). In a second offensive in September 1993 the Croatian army overran the [[Medak pocket]] in the southern Krajina in an attempt to gain back the Serb-held Croatian land. The Croatian action was halted by extreme pressure from international diplomacy, but the Croatian army continued to strengthen. Although the rebelled Croatian Serbs were able to bring up reinforcements fairly quickly, the strength of the Croatian forces proved to be superior. Hadžić sent an urgent request to Belgrade to send reinforcements, arms and equipment. In response, around 4,000 paramilitaries under the command of [[Vojislav Šešelj]] (the "[[White Eagles (paramilitary)|White Eagles]]") and the "[[Arkan]]" (the "[[Serb Volunteer Guard]]") arrived to bolster the VSK. They found that the RSK government and military was in a chaotic state.{{Fact|date=April 2007}}
== Operation Storm ==
{{main|Operation Flash|Operation Storm}}
Following the rejection by both sides of the [[Z-4 plan]] for reintegration, the RSK's end came in 1995, when Croatian forces gained control of western Slavonia in [[Operation Flash]] (May) followed by the biggest part of occupied Croatia in an overrunning way in [[Operation Storm]] (August). The RSK was disbanded, and almost the entire Serb population fled.<ref name="Tanner: Croatia">Tanner, Marcus (1997) ''Croatia: a nation forged in war''</ref> Croatia celebrates the liberation on [[August 5]] as Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day.
A number of Croatian army officers (such as general [[Ante Gotovina]]) were indicted by the ICTY in the Hague for alleged command responsibility for the atrocities committed by Croatian soldiers against the civilian Serb population.<ref name="Gotovina indictment">Gotovina indictment http://www.un.org/icty/cases-e/cis/gotovina/cis-gotovina.pdf</ref> Serbia did not intervene, having earlier indicated in the state-controlled media that it was finally washing its hands of the rebelled Croatian Serbs.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
Around 150,000–200,000 rebelled Croatian Serbs were organizely evacuated in 1995, most of whom ended up in Serbia, and some went to eastern Slavonia. The bulk of them were evacuated immediately by the RSK authorities,<ref name="Martic Order">Martic order http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Martic-order1995.jpg</ref> while others fled after the operation due to fear and uncertainty caused by the aftermath of the operation. The widespread fear wasn't unsupported, because a number of Serb civilians were indeed killed by advancing Croatian forces and in several atrocities following the operation - UNPROFOR documented more than two hundred murders by November.{{Fact|date=February 2007}} There was also widespread arson committed by the Croatians, judged by the ICTY to be an action organised to prevent the Serbs from returning.<ref name="Gotovina indictment" /> The end result was that only 4,000 Serb inhabitants remained in the main part of the former RSK (i.e. excluding eastern Slavonia) after the offensive.{{Fact|date=February 2007}}
Some Serbs and most of the expelled Croats have since returned, but the rebelled Croatian Serb population is still only a fraction of its pre-1995 numbers. The autonomous regions planned by the government in 1992 were disbanded on [[February 7]], [[1997]] and the areas were integrated into civic counties.
The parts of the former RSK in eastern Croatia (along the [[Danube]]) remained in place as the [[Eastern Slavonia|Republic of Eastern Slavonia]], [[Baranya (region)|Baranja]] and western [[Srijem]] (previously the ''Srpska Autonomna Oblast Slavonija, Baranja i zapadni Srem'', or sometimes called ''Sremsko-Baranjska Oblast''). The national and local authorities signed the [[Erdut Agreement]] in 1995, sponsored by the United Nations, that set up a transitional period during which the [[UNTAES]] peacekeepers would oversee a peaceful reintegration of this territory into Croatia. This process was completed in 1998. After peaceful reintegration Croatian islands of [[Island of Šarengrad|Šarengrad]] and [[Island of Vukovar|Vukovar]] has stayed under Serbian military control. Only in 2004 Serbian military is withdrawn from island and changed with Serbian police so this question is still opened.<ref>[http://www.novosti.co.yu/code/navigate.php?Id=1&status=jedna&vest=70384] Serbian refusal of [[Badinter Arbitration Committee]] decision on Serbian</ref>
==War crimes==
===Croatians===
Several Croatian military leaders were indicted by the [[ICTY]] of various war crimes, including persecution, murder, plunder and planning the ethnic cleansing.
*[[Ante Gotovina]] is charged with ranking responsibility for the murder of about 150 Serbs and persecution and deportation of thousands.<ref>BBC, [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7288994.stm Croats in Hague war crimes trial]</ref>
*[[Mladen Markac]] and [[Ivan Cermak]] are charged because the individuals planned, established, implemented and/or participated in a joint criminal enterprise, the common purpose and objectives of which were the permanent removal of the Serb population from the Krajina region, by force, fear or threat of force, persecution, forced displacement, transfer and deportation, appropriation and destruction of property and other means, which constituted or involved the commission of crimes.<ref>[http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/mladen_markac_473.html Trial Watch: Mladen Markac<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> <ref>[http://www.trial-ch.org/en/trial-watch/profile/db/facts/ivan_cermak_474.html Trial Watch: Ivan Cermak<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
===Serbs===
Almost the entire RSK leadership ended up being indicted of war crimes by the [[ICTY]].<ref name="ICTY indictments">List of ICTY Indictments http://www.un.org/icty/cases-e/index-e.htm</ref>
*[[Milan Babić]], president of the RSK, was sentenced to 13 years for persecution on political, racial and religious grounds as a crime against humanity, to which he pleaded guilty. He was found dead in his [[ICTY]] prison cell on [[March 6]], [[2006]], having apparently committed suicide.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/cases-e/cis/babic/cis-babic.pdf "RSK" (IT-03-72) Milan Babić]</ref>
*[[Milan Martić]], president of the RSK, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for multiple war crimes, including persecution, torture, deportation, and attacks on civilians.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/pressreal/2007/pr1162e-summary.htm Summary of Judgement for Milan Martić]</ref>
*[[Goran Hadžić]] is still at large.<ref name="Hadzic at large">Hadzic at large http://www.un.org/icty/cases-e/index-e.htm</ref>
*[[Jovica Stanišić]], head of Serbia's State Security Service, and [[Franko Simatović]], a commander of the State Security Service, are indicted on several accounts of persecution as a crime against humanity and murder.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/staj-in2ndamd060515.pdf The Prosecutor of the Tribunal Against Jovica Stanisic and Franko Simatovic]</ref>
*[[Momčilo Perišić]], Chief of the General Staff of the Yugoslav Army, is awaiting trial on counts of murder.<ref>[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/per-sai080205e.pdf The Prosecutor v. Momcilo Perisic]</ref>
==Legal status==
During the time of its existence (1992-1995), this entity did not achieve international recognition, and according to the [[Constitution of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia|Constitution of SFR Yugoslavia]] (and [[SR Croatia]]) of 1974 it did not have any right to self-determination, nor to the secession from SR Croatia. In January 1992 the [[Arbitration Commission of the Peace Conference on the former Yugoslavia|Badinter commission]] concluded that Yugoslavia was "in dissolution" and that the republics - including Croatia - should be recognised as independent states when they asked so.<ref>http://lawreview.kentlaw.edu/articles/80-1/Hasani%20PDF3.pdf</ref><ref>[http://www.ejil.org/journal/Vol3/No1/art13.html The Opinions of the Badinter Arbitration Committee: A Second Breath for the Self-Determination of Peoples<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> They also assigned these republics territorial integrity. For most of the world this was a reason to recognise Croatia. However, Serbia did not accept the conclusions of the commission or recognise Croatia at this point and the conclusion of the commission is disputed among international lawyers.
==Government in exile==
{{Main|Republic of Serbian Krajina Government in Exile}}
There exists a self-proclaimed government in exile for the Republic of Serbian Krajina. This government existed for a short time period after Operation Storm, but was reconstituted in 2005. This self-proclaimed government has changed the official name of the Republic of Serbian Krajina to Republic of Serb-Krajina.
==See also==
*[[List of heads of state of Krajina]]
*[[List of heads of government of Krajina]]
*[[Republika Srpska]]
*[[Z-4 plan]]
*[[Towns in the Former RSK]]
*[[Serbs of Croatia]]
*[[Island of Vukovar]]
*[[Island of Šarengrad]]
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: Image:Serb refugees.jpg|Exodus of Serbian population from Krajina in August 1995 -->
<!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: Image:Crs199501l.jpg|A postage stamp that was used in RSK -->
<!-- Deleted image removed: Image:Knin Licence Plates.JPG|License plates issued by the RSK -->
</gallery>
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
==Sources==
* {{hr icon}} Barić, Nikica: ''Srpska pobuna u Hrvatskoj 1990.-1995.'', Golden marketing. Tehnička knjiga, Zagreb, 2005., ISBN 953-212-249-4
* {{hr icon}} [http://www.hic.hr/ratni-zlocini/hrvatska/dalmacija/unpa.htm HIC] Ratni zločini srpskih vojnih i paravojnih postrojbi u Lici i sjevernoj Dalmaciji 1991. - 1995.
* {{hr icon}} Mass Killing and Genocide in Croatia 1991./92., Ministarstvo zdravstva RH, 1992.
* Ratni zločini u BiH, Helsinki Watch, 1992.
* "The Army of Serbian Krajina", ''Jane's Intelligence Review'', [[1 October]] [[1993]]
* ''[http://www.ess.uwe.ac.uk/comexpert/ANX/III.htm Final Report of the United Nations Commission of Experts, [[28 December]] [[1994]]: The military structure, strategy and tactics of the warring factions]''
* "Operation Storm - Attack on the Krajina", ''Jane's Intelligence Review'', [[1 November]] [[1995]]
* ''[http://www.un.org/icty/cases/indictindex-e.htm Initial Indictment of Slobodan Milošević - Croatia]'', [[ICTY]], [[8 October]] [[2001]]
* ''[http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/bab-ii031117e.htm Initial Indictment of Milan Babić]'', [[17 November]] [[2003]]
* {{hr icon}} [http://www.dorh.hr/default.asp?ru=167&gl=200703300000002&sid=&jezik=1 Državno odvjetništvo] Podnijet istražni zahtjev protiv više osoba zbog ratnog zločina protiv civilnog stanovništva i ratnog zločina protiv ratnih zarobljenika
* ''[http://www.birn.eu.com/insight_17_7_eng.php Operation Storm Destroyed “Greater Serbia”]
==External links==
* [http://www.andrija-hebrang.com/homeland_war.htm The Homeland War]
*{{hr icon}} [http://arhiv.slobodnadalmacija.hr/20010114/novosti2.htm Slobodna Dalmacija] Granić kaže da Haag nema dokumente o agresiji na Hrvatsku?
* (Serbian/English) [http://www.krajinaforce.com Glas prognanih Krajisnika / Voice of exiled Krajishniks] Krajinaforce
* (English) [http://daccessdds.un.org/doc/UNDOC/GEN/N95/766/51/PDF/N9576651.pdf?OpenElement Resolution adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations] A/RES/49/43 The situation in the occupied territories of Croatia
* [http://www.veritas.org.yu/slike/krajina.jpg Map] (from a site run by minister of intelligence of so-called RSK)
[[Category:Republic of Serbian Krajina|*]]
[[Category:Former Slavic countries|Serbian Krajina]]
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