1991 Siege of Kijevo

Significance

The siege of Kijevo stands as one of the earliest military confrontations of the Croatian War of Independence. The operation was conducted jointly by the JNA's 9th Corps under Colonel Ratko Mladić and Krajina Serb police forces under Milan Martić, marking an early instance of coordination between the Yugoslav federal military and the Serbian Autonomous Oblast of Krajina against a Croat-inhabited village. The initial siege was ultimately lifted following negotiations prompted by major protests in Split against the JNA, demonstrating that political and civilian pressure could, at this early stage of the conflict, constrain military action. The episode illustrated the volatile intersection of federal Yugoslav forces and Krajina Serb paramilitaries that would characterize much of the subsequent war.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (2)