09.04.2020.

Minister Vulin: We remember those who defended our homeland on Košare and Paštrik

Twenty-one years ago today, the Battle of Košare began, as well as the NATO's attempt to break through the ranks of units of the Yugoslav Armed Forces with the help of the Šiptar infantry and carry out ground aggression against our country, recalls the Minister of Defence Aleksandar Vulin who, together with the members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, laid a wreath today at the memorial to the killed members of the 125th Motorized Brigade, 58th Light Infantry Brigade, 7th Infantry Brigade, and 53rd Border Battalion in the “Rasina” barracks in Kruševac. The wreath was also laid by the Mayor of Kruševac, Jasmina Palurović.

- Today, we remember those who defended our homeland on Košare and Paštrik. Today, we remember those who gave their lives and we thank those who have survived and who are with us. Today we are talking about a great and glorious tradition. Twenty-one years ago, the attack on Košare began with NATO aggression, the last major and unpunished crime in the twentieth century - said Minister Vulin, noting that Serbia will never forget or stop remembering it, it will never stop reminding about it and asking "why was no one punished for NATO aggression – for this terrible crime?"

Twenty-one years ago, we defended Serbia on Košare and Paštrik, and today we defend it with our memory and our lives, Minister Vulin emphasizes, and says that we can protect ourselves from the terrible virus that is now threatening, we can save and preserve Serbia only if we show the same courage and discipline shown by the fighters on Košare and Paštrik.

- If we love our Serbia equally, if we are able to live for it, if we are there for our country, we will win this battle as well - said Minister Vulin.

After the wreath-laying ceremony, Minister Vulin and the Mayor of Kruševac, Jasmina Palurović visited the memorial room of the Command for the Development of Rasina Brigade, which preserves the tradition of the heroic 125th Motorized Brigade, at the “Car Lazar” Barracks.

Mayor Palurović said that Kruševac is a city which preserves tradition and the memory of all Serbian heroes.

- Kruševac is a city that respects and preserves its tradition and greatly appreciates all the heroes who contributed to the freedom of not only Kruševac, but the whole of Serbia. We remember all the victims, but at the same time we teach the young generations to protect and respect the fact that the victims gave their lives for freedom, and that is the most valuable thing.

According to the former War Commander of the 53rd Border Battalion, and the current Head of the Department for Tradition, Standard and Veterans, Colonel Duško Šljivančanin, the Battle of Košare culminated on 9th April, 1999, and actually began in 1997, when there was a rebellion in The Republic of Albania and when a considerable number of weapons passed into the hands of the people and later into the hands of terrorists, as well as in 1998 when fierce battles were fought on the Košare border outposts and across the entire state border.

- There were a lot of heroes on Košare and Paštrik in 1998 and 1999. In the context of today's events, I would like to mention one category of our fellow fighters, namely our doctors. As far as I know, in 1998 and 1999 no one succumbed to injuries without our doctors giving them medical assistance. Our doctors came to the front line where vehicles could not reach - Colonel Šljivančanin recalls his fellow fighters and quotes Saint Nikolaj Velimirović who says that "Glory belongs to martyrs, not executioners."

The memorial room of the Command for the Development of Rasina Brigade commemorates the forming, warfare and engagement of the 125th Motorized Brigade in the fight against the terrorist KLA in the territory of Kosovo and Metohija, as well as the most significant decorations and honours given to that heroic brigade.
During the NATO aggression, the 125th Motorized Brigade fought a victorious battle on Košare, gaining national and international reputation and importance in the defence of the SRY against NATO aggression. With its strength and firepower, the brigade prevented the operation of the terrorist KLA, protected vital facilities and the population from terrorist attacks.

In 1999, the President of the Republic of Serbia awarded the heroic 125th Motorized Brigade the Order of the National Hero for their courage, patriotism, battle achievements, friendship and responsibility.