Radislav Krstic
Encyclopedia
Radislav Krstić was the Deputy Commander
and later Chief of Staff
of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska
(the Bosnian Serb Army) from October 1994 until 12 July 1995. He was promoted to the rank of Major General
in June 1995 and assumed command of the Drina Corps on 13 July 1995.
In 1998 Krstić was indicted for War Crime
s by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
in The Hague
in connection with the massacre of around 8,000 Bosniak
POW and civilians on July 11, 1995 during the Srebrenica massacre
– Europe
's worst atrocity since World War II
. On August 2, 2001, Krstić became the first man convicted of genocide
by the Tribunal, and was sentenced to 46 years in prison. He was only the third person ever to have been convicted under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
. The sentence was subsequently shortened to 35 years in prison when an appeal court upheld a lesser charge for aiding and abetting genocide.
region of Northeastern Bosnia-Herzegovina, then Yugoslavia
. He attended primary school in Vlasenica and elementary school in Han Pijesak
, where he also completed his secondary education in a grammar school. Krstić describes his young years as very peaceful, and the community in which he lived as "heterogeneous" and very tolerant, particularly among the youth.
In 1968, upon completion of his secondary education, he began his university education by enrolling in the military academy
in Belgrade
. He graduated in 1972, whereupon he became an active duty
officer
of the former JNA
.
garrison
from 1972 to 1981, where he attended secondary military school at the hub there which was called "Josip Broz Tito". His first assignment was a platoon
commander at this secondary military school. He was also a company commander, and was head of his class during his graduating year. Krstić remembers Sarajevo as being unique in Yugoslavia
due to spirit of unity amongst the ethnically diverse population.
Krstić's tour of duty in Sarajevo ended in 1981 when he was posted to the general staff of the military academy in Belgrade. While this assignment was very sought-after by career-minded military officers, Krstić insisted that his family remain in Sarajevo, in the hopes that he might be reassigned there. Upon completion of his education in 1983, however, he was assigned to Negotin
, a small town positioned on the borders of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria
, and Romania
.
In mid-1986, Krstić was reassigned to Priština
, in Kosovo
, in charge of training of officers and units in the Priština corps. Due to the unrest that had begun brewing in that region, he was posted to Kosovska Mitrovica
in early 1987 as Chief of Staff of the Motorised Brigade
. He remained at that post until 1990 when he took over as the brigade commander of that garrison.
, Krstić decided that, rather than trying to find a place in this new Yugoslavia, as he was born in Bosnia and considered himself to be a citizen of Bosnia, he chose to return to Bosnia. He stayed with family in Han Pijesak for a short time, and in June 1992 with the war already in full swing, he reported to the Han Pijesak garrison and joined the Army of Republika Srpska
. He was immediately assigned with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
to the post of the Commander of the 2nd Romanija Motorized Brigade, which was located in the Sokolac
garrison. This brigade was a new experience for Krstić, as it was ethnically homogenous; composed only of ethnic Serbs
from the Sokolac
municipality
, Olovo
and Kladanj
municipalities, and from the refugees from the Zenica
, Kakanj
, Breza
, and Vareš
municipalities.
. On the Serbian Orthodox holiday of St. Ilija's Day in August 1993, behind the positions of Krstić's units that were engaged in the front line in the area of Kladanj, there was a synchronised infiltration
of Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
, and the villages in the territory of the Han Pijesak municipality, such as Žerovice, Rijeka
, and Potkosovaca were destroyed and most of their inhabitants killed. In late April of the following year there was a significant effort by the Eastern Bosnia Corps to break through the Kladanj front to capture Vlasenica and link up from the direction of Kladanj with the forces within the protected area of Žepa. The offensive
lasted for about 20 days, and it was crushed on May 20.
, Živinice
, Kladanj, and Olovo against Serbian defense lines. His predecessor also briefed him and told him that, despite the status of the safe area accorded to Srebrenica and Žepa and the obligations stemming from agreements on demilitarization, the forces of the 28th Mountain Division of the Eastern Bosnia Corps in Srebrenica
and Žepa
were, in fact procuring from Tuzla and Kladanj or directly from Sarajevo more weapons in addition to the light or infantry weapons they already had.
There were numerous reports from Serb intelligence
sources of the BiH Army troop movements in and out of protected enclaves carrying arms, reconnoitering Serb positions, and other military actions against Tuzla, Živinice, and Kladanj, all using UN protectorate
s as a base of operations in the region and operating under the radar so as to avoid notice by UNPROFOR. Krstić stayed at his post at the Corps Command until November 1, 1994, whereupon he established a brigade and took it to the area of the Herzegovinian Corps for the purpose of combatting the offensive which was being conducted by the Eastern Bosnia Corps from the area of Bjelasnica
and Igman
towards Treskavica
and Trnovo
. He remained in the area of Treskavica and Trnovo until mid-December 1994, whereupon he returned to his post as the command of the Corps in Vlasenica.
He was again briefed about the situation with operations that the Bosniak command of the 28th Division in Srebrenica, acting upon orders of the Main Staff of the 2nd Corps in Tuzla, was conducting towards the positions of the Drina Corps, in particular the Milici
municipality, Han Pijesak, and the Vlasenica municipality. He was also briefed about intel on the continuation of the army and weapons and ammunitions supply to the protected area to the members of the 28th Brigade. They began intercepting communications indicating an attempt by the BiH Army to conduct supply chain operations from Tuzla to link up with their forces in Srebrenica in an operation named "Skakavac" (grasshopper).
until the end of March 1995 when he was transferred to the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, remaining there until the end of April 1995. He was discharged from the military hospital at his request and stayed for a couple of days with his family in Kosovska Mitrovica, and then returned to Bosnia with his wife to report to his doctors in Sokolac and Vlasenica for further treatment. He underwent therapy alternately in Sokolac and Vlasenica until the middle of May 1995, when he returned to his official post.
On June 15, 1995, forces of the 2nd Corps of the BiH Army launched simultaneous offensives against the 1st Brčanska Brigade, the 1st Zvornik Infantry Brigade, and the 1st Vlasenica Brigade along the Tuzla-Zvornik and Kladanj-Vlasenica axes. There were casualties suffered on both sides, but the Drina Corps made territorial gains in the Kalesija
and Osmaci
mucipalities, and after four days of fighting the 2nd Corps was driven back to their original positions. The Eastern Bosnia Corps then concentrated their forces on the Tuzla-Zvornik axis, however, and after establishing a bridghead on the Spreča River, they broke through Serb lines and destroyed the villages of Markovica
, much of Osmaca, and the entire village of Zelena. The 28th Division of the 2nd Corps then occupied the villages of Višnjica
and Rječice, and when they attacked the VRS Main Staff from the direction of Banja Lučica
and Krivace. This territory was held until June 26, when the Drina Corps fortified their defenses and managed to halt and then repel the BiH Army back to their initial positions.
himself (although it is believed that Krstić was a co-planner), ordering that "The Command of the Drina Corps, pursuant to operations directive number 7 and 7/1 of the GS VRS, and on the basis of the situation in the Corps area of responsibility has the task of carrying out offensive activities with free forces deep in the Drina Corps zone, as soon as possible, in order to split apart the enclaves of Žepa and Srebrenica, and to reduce them to their urban areas." The directive went on to detail the "complete the physical separation of the Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves as soon as possible, preventing even communication between individuals between the two enclaves. By planned and well-thought-out combat operations, create an unbearable situation of total insecurity, with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica or Žepa."
The operational objective was to "By a surprise attack, to separate and reduce in size the Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves" whose purpose was to "To improve the tactical position of the forces in the depth of the area and to create conditions for the elimination of the enclaves." Mission parameters included a very accelerated timetable, complete radio silence, a ban on targeting UNPROFOR forces, and the operation was to be managed by several commanders, Krstić among them, from a forward command post in Pribicevac. There was also psychological components to the operation plan. The directive laid out support for combat operations by ordering that "The relevant state and military organs responsible for work with UNPROFOR and humanitarian organisations shall, through the planned and unobtrusively restrictive issuing of permits, reduce and limit the logistics
support of UNPROFOR to the enclaves and the supply of material resources to the Muslim population, making them dependent on our goodwill while at the same time avoiding condemnation by the International Community and international public opinion." It is believed that operations to this effect actually began three months before the attack in April 1995.
Reconnaissance
was carried out from the forward command post at Pribicevac, Besica Brdo, and the Bracan surface mine. Following this, the Drina Corps requested that the VRS provide the cooperation of the 65th Protective Motorised Regiment, as well as that of the 1st and 2nd Podrinje Light Infantry Brigades. A sudden flare-up of fierce resistance by the BiH Army against all VRS axes delayed the commencement of the operation by several days, and resources were concentrated on re-acquiring territory lost in these attacks.
Ratko Mladić
, commander of the VRS Main Staff arrived without advance notice at the forward command post in Pribicevac along with other senior VRS Generals to monitor combat operations. Once commanders radioed from the battle theater that they had accomplished their given tasks, Mladić radioed back "This is Panorama 01. You haven't accomplished your task. Continue the attack. Enter Srebrenica. I am now in command of the forces engaged in this operation." Resistance by the Eastern Bosnia Corps' 28th Division was finally beginning to flag, and Mladić had just effectively relegated Krstić to the role of an observer. Throughout the night and the next day, the VRS pressed forward, making gains in enough key areas to control all the needed strategic positions to take Srebrenica. It was at this point that NATO fighter pilots in F-16s began flying over combat operations.
On July 11, 1995 the Bratunac Light Infantry Brigade, reinforced by a unit from the Vlasenica Light Infantry Brigade, began a final push into Srebrenica from the Southeast. At 1430 the two F-16s conducted air strikes against VRS tanks, inflicting some damage during the thirty-minute attack, to which Mladić responded by ordering ground troops to take air attack defense measures, such as the burning of haystacks to create smokescreens.
The Drina Wolves from the 1st Battalion
of the Zvornik Brigade were the first VRS soldiers to enter the town of Srebrenica around 1600 that day. After the area was cleared and more forces arrived, Krstić and the other Generals departed the forward command post and reassembled in Srebrenica. Mladić immediately ordered the brigade commanders to press the attack onward to Potočari and Bratunac, but after logistical and other considerations raised by Krstić and Živanović, Mladić ordered troops to hold and stabilize their present lines. That night at a meeting with Mladić, Krstić was placed in charge of infantry forces that would be conducting an overnight march toward Žepa in preparation for combat
operations there. At this meeting it was also decided that Živanović would oversee the procurement of buses to remove civilians from Srebrenica to Kladanj.
It is known that Krstić visited Potočari at least once, he gave a television interview there, but it is not known the extent of his involvement in the ensuing Srebrenica Massacre
. It is known that the VRS separated the adult male refugees in Potočari from the others, and the latter were loaded to buses and transported to Kladanj. The former were taken in groups to isolated locations such as Čerska Valley, Kravica warehouse, Orahovac
, Branjevo Farm, Petkovci Dam and Kozluk
, blindfolded, and executed. The current body count stands at just over 6,000, with over two thousand more missing.
Seized VRS documents indicated that there were major logistical considerations provided for with regard to fueling of transport truck
s, transporting prisoners
, equipment to move earth for mass grave
s, as well as the assignment and provisioning of ammunition
for the executions. The following coded communication was intercepted over unsecured lines between VRS Main Staff Security Chief Ljubiša Beara
and Krstić in which Beara was requesting assistance with disposing of prisoners:
RK: I will see what I can do, but it will disturb a lot. Please, you have some men down there at Nastić's and Blagojević's.
LB: But I don't have any, and if I did—or if I did, I wouldn't still be asking for the third day.
RK: Check with Blagojevic, take his Red Berets.
LB: They're not there. Only four of them are still there. They took off, fuckers. They're not there anymore.
RK: I'll see what I can do.
LB: Check it out and have them go to Drago's. Krle, I don't know what to do anymore.
RK: Ljubo, take those MUP guys from up there.
LB: No, they won't do anything. I talked to them. There is no other solution but those 15 to 30 men with Indjić.
RK: Ljubo, you have to understand me, too. You guys have fucked me up so much.
LB: I understand, but you have to understand me, too. Had this been done then, we wouldn't be arguing over it now.
RK: Oh, now I'll be the one to blame.
LB: I don't know what to do. I mean it, Krle, there are still 3500 parcels that I have to distribute and I have no solution.
RK: I'll see what I can do.
Krstić then allegedly undertook to arrange that men from the Bratunac Brigade assist with the Branjevo Farm and the Pilica Dom executions.
On July 13 there was a flurry of preparatory measures involving scouring the terrain for remaining members of the 28th Division, organizing mine groups to detect minefields and conduct demining operations, removing obstacles on roads within the protected area as well as roads between units and the staging area for the Žepa operation. Numerous executions of bound prisoners also took place in this region. On July 19 the following conversation between Krstić and Deputy Commander of the 1st Zvornik Infantry Brigade General Dragan Obrenović
was intercepted:
RK: Is that you, Obrenović?
DO: Yes.
RK: Krstić here.
DO: How are you General, sir?
RK: I'm great, and you?
DO: Thanks to you I am too.
RK: Way to go, Chief. And how's your health?
DO: It's fine, thank God, it's fine.
RK: Are you working down there?
DO: Of course we're working.
RK: Good.
DO: We've managed to catch a few more, either by gunpoint or in mines.
RK: Kill them all. God damn it.
DO: Everything, everything is going according to plan. Yes.
RK: Not a single one must be left alive.
DO: Everything is going according to plan. Everything.
RK: Way to go, Chief. The Turks are probably listening to us. Let them listen, the motherfuckers.
DO: Yeah, let them.
Despite losing some of his force in a transfer to augment operations in the Alibegovac and Kak areas, on the morning of July 17, the march on Žepa commenced, with the attack building to full swing a few days later. The attack was initially slowed down due to terrain features along the attack axes. Žepa fell to the VRS on August 1.
Krstić was relieved of his duties as Corps Commander on November 21, 1995 and he was sent to the National Defense School in Belgrade. He returned to the Main Staff of the VRS in September 1996 for further deployment, and was appointed to the post of the Chief of Inspection for Combat Readiness of the VRS. He was appointed the Commander of the 5th Corps in April 1998.
in The Hague
for genocide, complicity to commit genocide, extermination, two counts of murder
, and persecution
. On October 27, 1999 the indictment was amended to include one count of deportation and one count of inhumane acts.
on business when his car was disabled by road spikes and he was pulled through his car window and taken into custody in a joint SAS
-Navy SEAL operation launched by SFOR
. He was immediately transported to the Hague for trial. The Serb governments both in Banja Luka as well as Belgrade expressed outrage, and even Moscow
protested the manner in which Krstić was detained, in that it took place in an area of Bosnia patrolled by the Russian SFOR contingent, which was not apprised of the operation.
Krstić's trial
began five days after his abduction on December 7, 1998. His defense strategy was one of complete denial. He did not deny that war crimes had been committed by the VRS, but he denied that he issued orders for these actions. He pleaded ignorance and placed the likely responsibility on General Mladić's shoulders. He claimed that he did not participate in planning, organizing or the ordering of killing and deportation, concentrating on his attack on Žepa while the bulk of the killings were taking place. He even claimed to have known and heard nothing about any atrocities until his own trial. On August 2, 2001 Krstić was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 46 years in prison.
On December 20, 2004 Krstić was transferred to the United Kingdom
to serve his sentence. On May 7, 2010 three Muslim inmates attacked Krstić wounding him seriously in the Wakefield prison, where he is serving the sentence. The three men - Indrit Krasniqi, Iliyas Khalid and Quam Ogumbiyi - were sent for trial at Leeds Crown Court
. On 18 February, 2011, the trio were found guilty of "wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm", but were acquitted of attempted murder. The judge sentenced Krasniqi to life with a specified term of 12 years, Khalid to life with a 10-year term and Ogumbiyi, who played a smaller part in the attack than the other two, to life with a six-year term.
Svetozar Kosorić.
Deputy Commander
Deputy commander was a rank in the London Metropolitan Police which existed between 1946 and 1968.In 1946, the rank of chief constable, which was between superintendent and deputy assistant commissioner, was renamed deputy commander. At the same time, the rank of deputy assistant commissioner was...
and later Chief of Staff
Chief of Staff
The title, chief of staff, identifies the leader of a complex organization, institution, or body of persons and it also may identify a Principal Staff Officer , who is the coordinator of the supporting staff or a primary aide to an important individual, such as a president.In general, a chief of...
of the Drina Corps of the Army of Republika Srpska
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ; Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske ) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized...
(the Bosnian Serb Army) from October 1994 until 12 July 1995. He was promoted to the rank of Major General
Major General
Major general or major-general is a military rank used in many countries. It is derived from the older rank of sergeant major general. A major general is a high-ranking officer, normally subordinate to the rank of lieutenant general and senior to the ranks of brigadier and brigadier general...
in June 1995 and assumed command of the Drina Corps on 13 July 1995.
In 1998 Krstić was indicted for War Crime
War crime
War crimes are serious violations of the laws applicable in armed conflict giving rise to individual criminal responsibility...
s by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
in connection with the massacre of around 8,000 Bosniak
Bosniaks
The Bosniaks or Bosniacs are a South Slavic ethnic group, living mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with a smaller minority also present in other lands of the Balkan Peninsula especially in Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia...
POW and civilians on July 11, 1995 during the Srebrenica massacre
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of...
– Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
's worst atrocity since World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. On August 2, 2001, Krstić became the first man convicted of genocide
Genocide
Genocide is defined as "the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious, or national group", though what constitutes enough of a "part" to qualify as genocide has been subject to much debate by legal scholars...
by the Tribunal, and was sentenced to 46 years in prison. He was only the third person ever to have been convicted under the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide
The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 December 1948 as General Assembly Resolution 260. The Convention entered into force on 12 January 1951. It defines genocide in legal terms, and is the culmination of...
. The sentence was subsequently shortened to 35 years in prison when an appeal court upheld a lesser charge for aiding and abetting genocide.
Early life
Krstić was born in Neđaljišta in the VlasenicaVlasenica
Vlasenica is a municipality and town of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Administratively it is part of Vlasenica Region.-1912:...
region of Northeastern Bosnia-Herzegovina, then Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
. He attended primary school in Vlasenica and elementary school in Han Pijesak
Han Pijesak
Han Pijesak is a town and municipality of Republika Srpska entity in Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Settlements:• Babine Gornje• Berkovina• Brložnik• Džimrije• Gođenje• Han Pijesak• Japaga• Jelovci• Kraljevo Polje• Kram...
, where he also completed his secondary education in a grammar school. Krstić describes his young years as very peaceful, and the community in which he lived as "heterogeneous" and very tolerant, particularly among the youth.
In 1968, upon completion of his secondary education, he began his university education by enrolling in the military academy
Military academy
A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...
in Belgrade
Belgrade
Belgrade is the capital and largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers, where the Pannonian Plain meets the Balkans. According to official results of Census 2011, the city has a population of 1,639,121. It is one of the 15 largest cities in Europe...
. He graduated in 1972, whereupon he became an active duty
Active duty
Active duty refers to a full-time occupation as part of a military force, as opposed to reserve duty.-Pakistan:The Pakistan Armed Forces are one of the largest active service forces in the world with almost 610,000 full time personnel due to the complex and volatile nature of Pakistan's...
officer
Officer (armed forces)
An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...
of the former JNA
Yugoslav People's Army
The Yugoslav People's Army , also referred to as the Yugoslav National Army , was the military of the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.-Origins:The origins of the JNA can...
.
Early military career
Krstić was first assigned to the SarajevoSarajevo
Sarajevo |Bosnia]], surrounded by the Dinaric Alps and situated along the Miljacka River in the heart of Southeastern Europe and the Balkans....
garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
from 1972 to 1981, where he attended secondary military school at the hub there which was called "Josip Broz Tito". His first assignment was a platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
commander at this secondary military school. He was also a company commander, and was head of his class during his graduating year. Krstić remembers Sarajevo as being unique in Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia
Yugoslavia refers to three political entities that existed successively on the western part of the Balkans during most of the 20th century....
due to spirit of unity amongst the ethnically diverse population.
Krstić's tour of duty in Sarajevo ended in 1981 when he was posted to the general staff of the military academy in Belgrade. While this assignment was very sought-after by career-minded military officers, Krstić insisted that his family remain in Sarajevo, in the hopes that he might be reassigned there. Upon completion of his education in 1983, however, he was assigned to Negotin
Negotin
Negotin is a town and municipality in the Bor District of north-eastern Central Serbia. It is situated near the borders between Serbia, Romania and Bulgaria. It is the judicial center of the Bor District. The population of the town is 16,716 while municipality has 36,879.-Name:The etymology of the...
, a small town positioned on the borders of Yugoslavia, Bulgaria
Bulgaria
Bulgaria , officially the Republic of Bulgaria , is a parliamentary democracy within a unitary constitutional republic in Southeast Europe. The country borders Romania to the north, Serbia and Macedonia to the west, Greece and Turkey to the south, as well as the Black Sea to the east...
, and Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
.
In mid-1986, Krstić was reassigned to Priština
Pristina
Pristina, also spelled Prishtina and Priština is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous municipality and district....
, in Kosovo
Kosovo
Kosovo is a region in southeastern Europe. Part of the Ottoman Empire for more than five centuries, later the Autonomous Province of Kosovo and Metohija within Serbia...
, in charge of training of officers and units in the Priština corps. Due to the unrest that had begun brewing in that region, he was posted to Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica
Kosovska Mitrovica , is a city and municipality in northern Kosovo. It is the administrative centre of the homonymous district....
in early 1987 as Chief of Staff of the Motorised Brigade
Brigade
A brigade is a major tactical military formation that is typically composed of two to five battalions, plus supporting elements depending on the era and nationality of a given army and could be perceived as an enlarged/reinforced regiment...
. He remained at that post until 1990 when he took over as the brigade commander of that garrison.
Joining the VRS
In mid 1992, after Bosnia proclaimed independenceIndependence
Independence is a condition of a nation, country, or state in which its residents and population, or some portion thereof, exercise self-government, and usually sovereignty, over its territory....
, Krstić decided that, rather than trying to find a place in this new Yugoslavia, as he was born in Bosnia and considered himself to be a citizen of Bosnia, he chose to return to Bosnia. He stayed with family in Han Pijesak for a short time, and in June 1992 with the war already in full swing, he reported to the Han Pijesak garrison and joined the Army of Republika Srpska
Army of Republika Srpska
The Army of Republika Srpska ; Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian Vojska Republike Srpske ) also referred to as the Bosnian Serb Army, was the military of today's Republika Srpska which was then the "Serbian Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina", a self-proclaimed state within the internationally recognized...
. He was immediately assigned with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel
Lieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
to the post of the Commander of the 2nd Romanija Motorized Brigade, which was located in the Sokolac
Sokolac
Sokolac is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the part of the City of East Sarajevo in the Republika Srpska entity....
garrison. This brigade was a new experience for Krstić, as it was ethnically homogenous; composed only of ethnic Serbs
Serbs
The Serbs are a South Slavic ethnic group of the Balkans and southern Central Europe. Serbs are located mainly in Serbia, Montenegro and Bosnia and Herzegovina, and form a sizable minority in Croatia, the Republic of Macedonia and Slovenia. Likewise, Serbs are an officially recognized minority in...
from the Sokolac
Sokolac
Sokolac is a town and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the part of the City of East Sarajevo in the Republika Srpska entity....
municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
, Olovo
Olovo
Olovo is a town and municipality situated about northeast of Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-About Olovo:The town Olovo is on Sarajevo-Tuzla highway and is located 50 km northeast Sarajevo. Olovo is a part of the Zenica-Doboj Canton...
and Kladanj
Kladanj
Kladanj is a town and municipality in Tuzla Canton, Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is administratively part of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity.-Kladanj:...
municipalities, and from the refugees from the Zenica
Zenica
Zenica is an industrial city in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is the capital of the Zenica-Doboj Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina entity...
, Kakanj
Kakanj
Kakanj , is an industrial town and a municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, located north of Visoko and southeast of Zenica. It was built along the slopes of wide hills on either side of the Zgošća river...
, Breza
Breza
Breza is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, famous for the local mining activities and production of coal. It covers an area of and is part of the Zenica-Doboj Canton in the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina....
, and Vareš
Vareš
Vareš is a town and municipality in central Bosnia and Herzegovina, famous for the local mining activities and production of iron. It is part of the Zenica-Doboj Canton and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-About Vareš:...
municipalities.
Early engagements
Krstić initially had command and control functional problems due to the inexperience of the officers in the brigade command and their subordinate units, but the situation rapidly improved, and in October of the same year he was promoted to the rank of ColonelColonel
Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...
. On the Serbian Orthodox holiday of St. Ilija's Day in August 1993, behind the positions of Krstić's units that were engaged in the front line in the area of Kladanj, there was a synchronised infiltration
Infiltration tactics
In warfare, infiltration tactics involve small, lightly equipped infantry forces attacking enemy rear areas while bypassing enemy front line strongpoints and isolating them for attack by follow-up troops with heavier weapons.-Development during World War I:...
of Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
The Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina was the military force of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina established by the government of Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1992 following the outbreak of the Bosnian War...
, and the villages in the territory of the Han Pijesak municipality, such as Žerovice, Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
, and Potkosovaca were destroyed and most of their inhabitants killed. In late April of the following year there was a significant effort by the Eastern Bosnia Corps to break through the Kladanj front to capture Vlasenica and link up from the direction of Kladanj with the forces within the protected area of Žepa. The offensive
Offensive (military)
An offensive is a military operation that seeks through aggressive projection of armed force to occupy territory, gain an objective or achieve some larger strategic, operational or tactical goal...
lasted for about 20 days, and it was crushed on May 20.
UN "Safe Area" warnings
On August 15, 1994, Krstić was appointed Chief of Staff of the Drina Corps. Krstić worked with his replacement to familiarize him with his roles and function until September 1, and then worked with the former Chief of Staff whom he would be replacing to learn his new post until September 28. He was then briefed about Bosnian operations coming from the direction of TuzlaTuzla
Tuzla is a city and municipality in Bosnia and Herzegovina. At the time of the 1991 census, it had 83,770 inhabitants, while the municipality 131,318. Taking the influx of refugees into account, the city is currently estimated to have 174,558 inhabitants...
, Živinice
Živinice
Živinice is a town and municipality in northeastern Bosnia and Herzegovina, located south of Tuzla. It is part of the Tuzla Canton of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-History:The origin of the name Živinice is still not established. According to M...
, Kladanj, and Olovo against Serbian defense lines. His predecessor also briefed him and told him that, despite the status of the safe area accorded to Srebrenica and Žepa and the obligations stemming from agreements on demilitarization, the forces of the 28th Mountain Division of the Eastern Bosnia Corps in Srebrenica
Srebrenica
Srebrenica is a town and municipality in the east of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in the Bosnian Serb entity of Republika Srpska. Srebrenica is a small mountain town, its main industry being salt mining and a nearby spa. During the Bosnian War, the town was the site of the July 1995 massacre,...
and Žepa
Žepa
Žepa is a town in the east of Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina in the municipality of Rogatica. Žepa is located northeast of Rogatica itself, southwest of Srebrenica and northwest of Višegrad...
were, in fact procuring from Tuzla and Kladanj or directly from Sarajevo more weapons in addition to the light or infantry weapons they already had.
There were numerous reports from Serb intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
sources of the BiH Army troop movements in and out of protected enclaves carrying arms, reconnoitering Serb positions, and other military actions against Tuzla, Živinice, and Kladanj, all using UN protectorate
Protectorate
In history, the term protectorate has two different meanings. In its earliest inception, which has been adopted by modern international law, it is an autonomous territory that is protected diplomatically or militarily against third parties by a stronger state or entity...
s as a base of operations in the region and operating under the radar so as to avoid notice by UNPROFOR. Krstić stayed at his post at the Corps Command until November 1, 1994, whereupon he established a brigade and took it to the area of the Herzegovinian Corps for the purpose of combatting the offensive which was being conducted by the Eastern Bosnia Corps from the area of Bjelasnica
Bjelašnica
Bjelašnica is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is found directly to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Mt. Igman. Bjelašnica's tallest peak rises to an elevation of 2067 meters ....
and Igman
Igman
Igman is a mountain in central Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is found directly to the southwest of Sarajevo, bordering Bjelašnica mountain and the city of Ilidža. Igman's highest point, Vlahinja Ridge, is 1502 meters , making it the shortest of the Sarajevo mountains.Igman is a popular destination...
towards Treskavica
Treskavica
Treskavica is a mountain in Bosnia and Herzegovina, situated in Trnovo municipality just south of city of Sarajevo.Mala Ćaba peak at 2088 meters , makes Treskavica the tallest of all the mountains circling Sarajevo, and only some 300 meters shorter than the tallest mountain in the country...
and Trnovo
Trnovo
Trnovo may refer to:*In Bosnia and Herzegovina:**Trnovo, Republika Srpska, a town and municipality**Trnovo, Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, the rural part of the same pre-war municipality, presently in the Sarajevo Canton*In Bulgaria:...
. He remained in the area of Treskavica and Trnovo until mid-December 1994, whereupon he returned to his post as the command of the Corps in Vlasenica.
He was again briefed about the situation with operations that the Bosniak command of the 28th Division in Srebrenica, acting upon orders of the Main Staff of the 2nd Corps in Tuzla, was conducting towards the positions of the Drina Corps, in particular the Milici
Milici
Milići is a small town and a municipality in Republika Srpska, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-1991:total: 16,038* Serbs - 7,931 * Muslims by nationality - 7,805 * "Yugoslavs" - 68 * Croats - 7...
municipality, Han Pijesak, and the Vlasenica municipality. He was also briefed about intel on the continuation of the army and weapons and ammunitions supply to the protected area to the members of the 28th Brigade. They began intercepting communications indicating an attempt by the BiH Army to conduct supply chain operations from Tuzla to link up with their forces in Srebrenica in an operation named "Skakavac" (grasshopper).
Landmine injury
On December 29, 1994, while inspecting force deployment at Kladanj and Olovo, Krstić stepped on a landmine and was seriously wounded. He was taken to a military hospital in Sokolac where, on January 3, his right leg below his knee was amputated. He stayed in the military hospital in MeljineMeljine
Meljine is a small town in Montenegro. According to the 2003 census, the town has a population of 1120 people....
until the end of March 1995 when he was transferred to the Military Medical Academy in Belgrade, remaining there until the end of April 1995. He was discharged from the military hospital at his request and stayed for a couple of days with his family in Kosovska Mitrovica, and then returned to Bosnia with his wife to report to his doctors in Sokolac and Vlasenica for further treatment. He underwent therapy alternately in Sokolac and Vlasenica until the middle of May 1995, when he returned to his official post.
The Bosnian Army offensive
Upon returning to his official duties, Krstić was again briefed that activity by Bosnian Muslim forces between Tuzla and the UN protectorates was increasing, and Serb forces were suffering heavy losses to infiltrators. Serb intelligence reported that, despite a no-fly order on much of the area, BiH military helicopters were landing in protected areas daily with munitions and supplies. Noting the buildup toward a major offensive by the BiH Army, the Drina Corps began preparations for a counter-offensive.On June 15, 1995, forces of the 2nd Corps of the BiH Army launched simultaneous offensives against the 1st Brčanska Brigade, the 1st Zvornik Infantry Brigade, and the 1st Vlasenica Brigade along the Tuzla-Zvornik and Kladanj-Vlasenica axes. There were casualties suffered on both sides, but the Drina Corps made territorial gains in the Kalesija
Kalesija
Kalesija is a town and municipality in north-eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina. The town of Kalesija is located east of Tuzla. It is administratively part of the Tuzla Canton and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina.-Kalesija:...
and Osmaci
Osmaci
Osmaci is a village and a municipality located in eastern Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Republika Srpska entity of BiH.-History:...
mucipalities, and after four days of fighting the 2nd Corps was driven back to their original positions. The Eastern Bosnia Corps then concentrated their forces on the Tuzla-Zvornik axis, however, and after establishing a bridghead on the Spreča River, they broke through Serb lines and destroyed the villages of Markovica
Markovica
Markovica is a village in the municipality of Lučani, Serbia. According to the 2002 census, the village has a population of 193 people....
, much of Osmaca, and the entire village of Zelena. The 28th Division of the 2nd Corps then occupied the villages of Višnjica
Višnjica
Višnjica is an urban neighborhood of Belgrade, the capital of Serbia. It is located in Belgrade's municipality of Palilula.- Location :...
and Rječice, and when they attacked the VRS Main Staff from the direction of Banja Lučica
Banja Lučica
Banja Lučica is a village in the municipality of Sokolac, Bosnia and Herzegovina.-References:...
and Krivace. This territory was held until June 26, when the Drina Corps fortified their defenses and managed to halt and then repel the BiH Army back to their initial positions.
Operation Krivaja 95
Believing that the UN-protected enclaves of Srebrenica and Žepa were never demilitarized, and that they hid what amounted to "five or six brigades" of BiH Army troops and weapons, the VRS Main Staff ordered the Drina Corps Command to undertake an operation codenamed Krivaja 95. This was in response to a March 8, 1995 directive from the Bosnian Serb President Radovan KaradžićRadovan Karadžic
Radovan Karadžić is a former Bosnian Serb politician. He is detained in the United Nations Detention Unit of Scheveningen, accused of war crimes committed against Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian Croats during the Siege of Sarajevo, as well as ordering the Srebrenica massacre.Educated as a...
himself (although it is believed that Krstić was a co-planner), ordering that "The Command of the Drina Corps, pursuant to operations directive number 7 and 7/1 of the GS VRS, and on the basis of the situation in the Corps area of responsibility has the task of carrying out offensive activities with free forces deep in the Drina Corps zone, as soon as possible, in order to split apart the enclaves of Žepa and Srebrenica, and to reduce them to their urban areas." The directive went on to detail the "complete the physical separation of the Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves as soon as possible, preventing even communication between individuals between the two enclaves. By planned and well-thought-out combat operations, create an unbearable situation of total insecurity, with no hope of further survival or life for the inhabitants of Srebrenica or Žepa."
The operational objective was to "By a surprise attack, to separate and reduce in size the Srebrenica and Žepa enclaves" whose purpose was to "To improve the tactical position of the forces in the depth of the area and to create conditions for the elimination of the enclaves." Mission parameters included a very accelerated timetable, complete radio silence, a ban on targeting UNPROFOR forces, and the operation was to be managed by several commanders, Krstić among them, from a forward command post in Pribicevac. There was also psychological components to the operation plan. The directive laid out support for combat operations by ordering that "The relevant state and military organs responsible for work with UNPROFOR and humanitarian organisations shall, through the planned and unobtrusively restrictive issuing of permits, reduce and limit the logistics
Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of destination in order to meet the requirements of customers or corporations. Logistics involves the integration of information, transportation, inventory, warehousing, material handling, and packaging, and...
support of UNPROFOR to the enclaves and the supply of material resources to the Muslim population, making them dependent on our goodwill while at the same time avoiding condemnation by the International Community and international public opinion." It is believed that operations to this effect actually began three months before the attack in April 1995.
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance
Reconnaissance is the military term for exploring beyond the area occupied by friendly forces to gain information about enemy forces or features of the environment....
was carried out from the forward command post at Pribicevac, Besica Brdo, and the Bracan surface mine. Following this, the Drina Corps requested that the VRS provide the cooperation of the 65th Protective Motorised Regiment, as well as that of the 1st and 2nd Podrinje Light Infantry Brigades. A sudden flare-up of fierce resistance by the BiH Army against all VRS axes delayed the commencement of the operation by several days, and resources were concentrated on re-acquiring territory lost in these attacks.
Srebrenica
On July 9, around 1700 hours, GeneralGeneral
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić
Ratko Mladić is an accused war criminal and a former Bosnian Serb military leader. On May 31, 2011, Mladić was extradited to The Hague, where he was processed at the detention center that holds suspects for the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia...
, commander of the VRS Main Staff arrived without advance notice at the forward command post in Pribicevac along with other senior VRS Generals to monitor combat operations. Once commanders radioed from the battle theater that they had accomplished their given tasks, Mladić radioed back "This is Panorama 01. You haven't accomplished your task. Continue the attack. Enter Srebrenica. I am now in command of the forces engaged in this operation." Resistance by the Eastern Bosnia Corps' 28th Division was finally beginning to flag, and Mladić had just effectively relegated Krstić to the role of an observer. Throughout the night and the next day, the VRS pressed forward, making gains in enough key areas to control all the needed strategic positions to take Srebrenica. It was at this point that NATO fighter pilots in F-16s began flying over combat operations.
On July 11, 1995 the Bratunac Light Infantry Brigade, reinforced by a unit from the Vlasenica Light Infantry Brigade, began a final push into Srebrenica from the Southeast. At 1430 the two F-16s conducted air strikes against VRS tanks, inflicting some damage during the thirty-minute attack, to which Mladić responded by ordering ground troops to take air attack defense measures, such as the burning of haystacks to create smokescreens.
The Drina Wolves from the 1st Battalion
Battalion
A battalion is a military unit of around 300–1,200 soldiers usually consisting of between two and seven companies and typically commanded by either a Lieutenant Colonel or a Colonel...
of the Zvornik Brigade were the first VRS soldiers to enter the town of Srebrenica around 1600 that day. After the area was cleared and more forces arrived, Krstić and the other Generals departed the forward command post and reassembled in Srebrenica. Mladić immediately ordered the brigade commanders to press the attack onward to Potočari and Bratunac, but after logistical and other considerations raised by Krstić and Živanović, Mladić ordered troops to hold and stabilize their present lines. That night at a meeting with Mladić, Krstić was placed in charge of infantry forces that would be conducting an overnight march toward Žepa in preparation for combat
Combat
Combat, or fighting, is a purposeful violent conflict meant to establish dominance over the opposition, or to terminate the opposition forever, or drive the opposition away from a location where it is not wanted or needed....
operations there. At this meeting it was also decided that Živanović would oversee the procurement of buses to remove civilians from Srebrenica to Kladanj.
It is known that Krstić visited Potočari at least once, he gave a television interview there, but it is not known the extent of his involvement in the ensuing Srebrenica Massacre
Srebrenica massacre
The Srebrenica massacre, also known as the Srebrenica genocide, refers to the July 1995 killing, during the Bosnian War, of more than 8,000 Bosniaks , mainly men and boys, in and around the town of Srebrenica in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by units of the Army of Republika Srpska under the command of...
. It is known that the VRS separated the adult male refugees in Potočari from the others, and the latter were loaded to buses and transported to Kladanj. The former were taken in groups to isolated locations such as Čerska Valley, Kravica warehouse, Orahovac
Orahovac
Orahovac is a town and municipality in western Kosovo, in the District of Đakovica.-Name:Its Serbian name stems from the Serbian word orah , meaning "walnut"....
, Branjevo Farm, Petkovci Dam and Kozluk
Kozluk
Kozluk, formerly Hazzo or Hazo, is a district of Batman Province, Turkey. The mayor is Mehmet Raşit Haşimi ....
, blindfolded, and executed. The current body count stands at just over 6,000, with over two thousand more missing.
Seized VRS documents indicated that there were major logistical considerations provided for with regard to fueling of transport truck
Truck
A truck or lorry is a motor vehicle designed to transport cargo. Trucks vary greatly in size, power, and configuration, with the smallest being mechanically similar to an automobile...
s, transporting prisoners
Prisoner of war
A prisoner of war or enemy prisoner of war is a person, whether civilian or combatant, who is held in custody by an enemy power during or immediately after an armed conflict...
, equipment to move earth for mass grave
Mass grave
A mass grave is a grave containing multiple number of human corpses, which may or may not be identified prior to burial. There is no strict definition of the minimum number of bodies required to constitute a mass grave, although the United Nations defines a mass grave as a burial site which...
s, as well as the assignment and provisioning of ammunition
Ammunition
Ammunition is a generic term derived from the French language la munition which embraced all material used for war , but which in time came to refer specifically to gunpowder and artillery. The collective term for all types of ammunition is munitions...
for the executions. The following coded communication was intercepted over unsecured lines between VRS Main Staff Security Chief Ljubiša Beara
Ljubiša Beara
Ljubiša Beara is a Bosnian Serb who participated in the War in Bosnia and Herzegovina. He was Colonel and Chief of Security of the Bosnian Serb Army Main Staff....
and Krstić in which Beara was requesting assistance with disposing of prisoners:
RK: I will see what I can do, but it will disturb a lot. Please, you have some men down there at Nastić's and Blagojević's.
LB: But I don't have any, and if I did—or if I did, I wouldn't still be asking for the third day.
RK: Check with Blagojevic, take his Red Berets.
LB: They're not there. Only four of them are still there. They took off, fuckers. They're not there anymore.
RK: I'll see what I can do.
LB: Check it out and have them go to Drago's. Krle, I don't know what to do anymore.
RK: Ljubo, take those MUP guys from up there.
LB: No, they won't do anything. I talked to them. There is no other solution but those 15 to 30 men with Indjić.
RK: Ljubo, you have to understand me, too. You guys have fucked me up so much.
LB: I understand, but you have to understand me, too. Had this been done then, we wouldn't be arguing over it now.
RK: Oh, now I'll be the one to blame.
LB: I don't know what to do. I mean it, Krle, there are still 3500 parcels that I have to distribute and I have no solution.
RK: I'll see what I can do.
Krstić then allegedly undertook to arrange that men from the Bratunac Brigade assist with the Branjevo Farm and the Pilica Dom executions.
Stupcanica 95
Over the next few days Krstić assembled the commanders from several brigades present in the area that would be contributing some or all of their forces to the Žepa attack (now codenamed Stupcanica 95), including the 1st Zvornik Infantry Brigade, the Bratunac Light Infantry Brigade, the Birač Infantry Brigade, the 2nd Romanija Motorised Brigade, the 1st Podrinje Light Infantry Brigade, the 5th Podrinje Light Infantry Brigade, the 1st Milici Light Infantry Brigade, the 1st Vlasenica Light Infantry Brigade, and the 5th Mixed Artillery Regiment. In Viogora they assembled the Bratunac Brigade, the Milici Brigade, and the Independent Skelani Battalion, marched southward, and arrived at the wider assembly area of Podravanje, Rupovo Brdo, and Bracan. They would be attacking along the line of Podravanje-Orlov Kamen, Zlovrh and on to Žepa.On July 13 there was a flurry of preparatory measures involving scouring the terrain for remaining members of the 28th Division, organizing mine groups to detect minefields and conduct demining operations, removing obstacles on roads within the protected area as well as roads between units and the staging area for the Žepa operation. Numerous executions of bound prisoners also took place in this region. On July 19 the following conversation between Krstić and Deputy Commander of the 1st Zvornik Infantry Brigade General Dragan Obrenović
Dragan Obrenovic
Dragan Obrenović was a Serb senior officer and commander in the Yugoslav People's Army and the Bosnian Serb Army ....
was intercepted:
RK: Is that you, Obrenović?
DO: Yes.
RK: Krstić here.
DO: How are you General, sir?
RK: I'm great, and you?
DO: Thanks to you I am too.
RK: Way to go, Chief. And how's your health?
DO: It's fine, thank God, it's fine.
RK: Are you working down there?
DO: Of course we're working.
RK: Good.
DO: We've managed to catch a few more, either by gunpoint or in mines.
RK: Kill them all. God damn it.
DO: Everything, everything is going according to plan. Yes.
RK: Not a single one must be left alive.
DO: Everything is going according to plan. Everything.
RK: Way to go, Chief. The Turks are probably listening to us. Let them listen, the motherfuckers.
DO: Yeah, let them.
Despite losing some of his force in a transfer to augment operations in the Alibegovac and Kak areas, on the morning of July 17, the march on Žepa commenced, with the attack building to full swing a few days later. The attack was initially slowed down due to terrain features along the attack axes. Žepa fell to the VRS on August 1.
Promotion to Drina Corps Commander
Generals Mladić and Tolimir joined Krstić at the forward command post in Krivaca on the day the Žepa attack began and informed him that he (Krstić) would be soon taking over duties as Corps Commander. About a week later, after the forward command post had been moved to Godjenje, Mladić ordered Krstić to travel to a restaurant near Han Pijesak to take over Živanović's post as Corps Commander. There was a formal ceremony, after which Krstić performed some transitory duties and visited his family briefly in Kosovska Mitrovica.Post-war
In August 1995, Krstić went to Zvornik and joined Obrenović in a review of the right flank of the 7th battalion trenches. A Srebrenica Massacre survivor was heard on a soldier's transistor radio giving an account over the radio broadcast from Tuzla. Krstić ordered that the radio be switched off, with the admonition that they should not listen to enemy radio. He then asked Obrenović if he had issued orders that enemy radio should not be listened to and Obrenović said that he had not. Krstić refused to discuss the executions further.Krstić was relieved of his duties as Corps Commander on November 21, 1995 and he was sent to the National Defense School in Belgrade. He returned to the Main Staff of the VRS in September 1996 for further deployment, and was appointed to the post of the Chief of Inspection for Combat Readiness of the VRS. He was appointed the Commander of the 5th Corps in April 1998.
Indictment by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia
On November 1, 1998 Krstić was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former YugoslaviaInternational Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia
The International Tribunal for the Prosecution of Persons Responsible for Serious Violations of International Humanitarian Law Committed in the Territory of the Former Yugoslavia since 1991, more commonly referred to as the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia or ICTY, is a...
in The Hague
The Hague
The Hague is the capital city of the province of South Holland in the Netherlands. With a population of 500,000 inhabitants , it is the third largest city of the Netherlands, after Amsterdam and Rotterdam...
for genocide, complicity to commit genocide, extermination, two counts of murder
Murder
Murder is the unlawful killing, with malice aforethought, of another human being, and generally this state of mind distinguishes murder from other forms of unlawful homicide...
, and persecution
Persecution
Persecution is the systematic mistreatment of an individual or group by another group. The most common forms are religious persecution, ethnic persecution, and political persecution, though there is naturally some overlap between these terms. The inflicting of suffering, harassment, isolation,...
. On October 27, 1999 the indictment was amended to include one count of deportation and one count of inhumane acts.
Arrest and trial
On Wednesday, December 2, 1998, Krstić was driving through the village of Vršani on the Bijeljina-Brčko road while en route to Banja LukaBanja Luka
-History:The name "Banja Luka" was first mentioned in a document dated February 6, 1494, but Banja Luka's history dates back to ancient times. There is a substantial evidence of the Roman presence in the region during the first few centuries A.D., including an old fort "Kastel" in the centre of...
on business when his car was disabled by road spikes and he was pulled through his car window and taken into custody in a joint SAS
Special Air Service
Special Air Service or SAS is a corps of the British Army constituted on 31 May 1950. They are part of the United Kingdom Special Forces and have served as a model for the special forces of many other countries all over the world...
-Navy SEAL operation launched by SFOR
SFOR
The Stabilisation Force was a NATO-led multinational peacekeeping force in Bosnia and Herzegovina which was tasked with upholding the Dayton Agreement. It replaced the previous force IFOR...
. He was immediately transported to the Hague for trial. The Serb governments both in Banja Luka as well as Belgrade expressed outrage, and even Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
protested the manner in which Krstić was detained, in that it took place in an area of Bosnia patrolled by the Russian SFOR contingent, which was not apprised of the operation.
Krstić's trial
Trial
A trial is, in the most general sense, a test, usually a test to see whether something does or does not meet a given standard.It may refer to:*Trial , the presentation of information in a formal setting, usually a court...
began five days after his abduction on December 7, 1998. His defense strategy was one of complete denial. He did not deny that war crimes had been committed by the VRS, but he denied that he issued orders for these actions. He pleaded ignorance and placed the likely responsibility on General Mladić's shoulders. He claimed that he did not participate in planning, organizing or the ordering of killing and deportation, concentrating on his attack on Žepa while the bulk of the killings were taking place. He even claimed to have known and heard nothing about any atrocities until his own trial. On August 2, 2001 Krstić was convicted on all counts and sentenced to 46 years in prison.
Islamic Prison Attack
On August 15, 2001, Counsel for Krstić filed a notice of appeal against the Trial Chamber judgement, arguing that the Trial Chamber both misconstrued the legal definition of genocide and erred in applying the definition to several circumstances of the case. The Appeal's Chamber dismissed the appeal with regard to the legal definition of genocide. With regard to factual errors, the Appeal's Chamber on April 19, 2004 dismissed the appeal on some issues, but granted it with regard to other issues. They pronounced him not guilty of genocide, but affirmed his guilt as an aider and abbetor to genocide, thus redefining Krstić's involvement and cutting 11 years from his sentence.On December 20, 2004 Krstić was transferred to the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
to serve his sentence. On May 7, 2010 three Muslim inmates attacked Krstić wounding him seriously in the Wakefield prison, where he is serving the sentence. The three men - Indrit Krasniqi, Iliyas Khalid and Quam Ogumbiyi - were sent for trial at Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court
Leeds Crown Court is the highest court in West Yorkshire, England. The buildings are situated in Westgate in Leeds city centre, adjacent to Leeds magistrates courts.-Notable cases:...
. On 18 February, 2011, the trio were found guilty of "wounding with intent to commit grievous bodily harm", but were acquitted of attempted murder. The judge sentenced Krasniqi to life with a specified term of 12 years, Khalid to life with a 10-year term and Ogumbiyi, who played a smaller part in the attack than the other two, to life with a six-year term.
Family
Krstić is married and has a daughter named Tamara. His brother-in-law is former Drina Corps Chief of Intelligence Lieutenant ColonelLieutenant colonel
Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...
Svetozar Kosorić.
External links
- ICTY official site: The Cases: Krstić (IT-98-33) "Srebrenica-Drina Corps"
- ICTY official site: Case Information Sheet: Radislav Krstić
- TRIAL: Krstić before ICTY