BAKU, Azerbaijan, August 4. Victory and Homeland Thanksgiving Day, Croatian Veterans Day, and the 30th Anniversary of the Military-Police Operation Storm will be marked with a central celebration on Tuesday, August 5, 2025, in Knin, Trend reports.
The program for the central celebration was presented at a press conference held at Knin City Hall by representatives of the Ministry of Croatian Veterans, the Ministry of Defence, the Ministry of the Interior, and the City of Knin.
The program was presented by State Secretary at the Ministry of Croatian Veterans and coordinator of the Organizing Committee for the commemoration, Darko Nekić; State Secretary at the Ministry of the Interior Tomislav Bilandžić; Commander of the Command Operational Center of the Croatian Armed Forces, Brigadier General Željko Ljubas; Head of the Šibenik-Knin Police Department Sandro Santini; and Mayor of Knin Marijo Ćaćić.
The jubilee celebration of Operation Storm will begin at 6:30 a.m. with a traditional wake-up call through the streets of Knin. Guests and participants are expected to arrive at the NK Dinara stadium by 9:30 a.m.
A wreath-laying ceremony honoring fallen, missing, and deceased Croatian veterans is scheduled for 8:45 a.m. at the Monument to the Croatian Victory "Storm 95" on Dr. Ante Starčević Square. Wreaths will be laid by the families of fallen, missing, and deceased veterans, war invalids, wartime commanders, war veterans' associations, top state officials of Croatia, representatives of the Croatian National Assembly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and representatives of counties and cities.
The central ceremony at NK Dinara stadium will begin at 9:40 a.m., followed by the traditional flag-raising ceremony at the Knin Fortress. This will be accompanied by the ringing of church bells, the raising of the Croatian flag with the national anthem, and honorary gun salutes.
Citizens and guests will be able to follow the fortress program via video screens installed at the stadium and the central city square.
At the stadium, invited speakers will deliver addresses, and a historical overview of Operation Storm will be read. The names of the fallen and missing Croatian veterans from the operation will be read aloud by their sons, adding an emotional touch to the occasion.
Simultaneously, at the Knin Fortress, 245 cadets of the Croatian Army and students of the Police Academy will symbolically step forward in honor of the 245 fallen and missing Croatian veterans of Operation Storm.
The stadium program will also feature musical performances and an impressive demonstration of the capabilities of the Croatian Armed Forces and Police, including an air show. The joint display will include members of the Special Forces Command, Croatian Air Force, and Intelligence Regiment, with UH-60M Black Hawk and OH-58D Kiowa Warrior helicopters. For the first time, the capabilities of Croatian-made FPV drones will be showcased.
The aerial program will also feature a performance by the aerobatic team "Wings of Storm," and a symbolic flyover by Rafale multirole fighter jets is expected above Knin.
After the main ceremony, a Holy Mass will be held at 12:00 p.m. in the Church of Our Lady of the Great Croatian Baptismal Vow.
Throughout the day, visitors will have the opportunity to view a tactical-technical exhibition of Croatian Army and Police weapons and equipment on Dr. Franjo Tuđman Street. A traditional military bean stew will also be distributed to citizens.
The all-day program in Knin will conclude with an evening concert organized by the City of Knin.
All citizens are invited to proudly display Croatian flags and celebrate our greatest victory with dignity throughout the country.