The celebration of May 12, the Day of the Republika Srpska Army (VRS) and the Third Infantry Regiment of BiH, began with the service of a memorial service for the fallen defenders in the Kozara barracks in Banja Luka.
This was reported by RTRS, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
The celebrations were attended by Serbian member of the Presidium of BiH Milorad Dodik, Chairman of the Council of Ministers of BiH Zoran Tegeltija, Prime Minister of the Republika Srpska Radovan Viskovic, Director of Police of the RS Sinisa Kostresevic, veterans of the VRS, representatives of the RS in the federal authorities. As well as a few Serbian generals and commanders of the BiH Armed Forces, staffed predominantly by Bosniaks and a few collaborators, and the commander of the Serbian Third Infantry Regiment, Milorad Krajsumovic.
“The Third Infantry Regiment, which inherited the achievements of the Republika Srpska Army, is the guarantor of the survival of the Serbian people and the Republika Srpska in this area,” Dodik said, speaking at the celebration ceremony. – The Serbian army and the Serbian people are traditionally freedom-loving, and always stand on the side of peace, freedom, justice and truth...
Not only on this day, but every day we must remember the noble path of the Republika Srpska Army in the past defensive-patriotic war, which it followed to protect the territory of the Republika Srpska. And with special respect we must pay tribute to the fallen Serbian soldiers, who forever laid the most valuable thing they had - their lives and health - at the foundation of our Republika Srpska.”
The Assembly of the Serbian People of BiH, at its meeting in Banja Luka on May 12, 1992, decided to form the Republika Srpska Army (VRS). The Bosnian Serb army served 210 thousand soldiers, 23 thousand 801 died on the battlefield, it existed from May 12, 1992 to January 1, 2006, after which the country’s Western curators forbade the Bosnian Serbs to have their own armed forces.
The military heritage and identity of the VRS is maintained in the Third Infantry Regiment, as well as in the Sixth Infantry Brigade of the BiH Armed Forces, stationed in Banja Luka. The holiday of the Glory of the Cross of the VRS falls on Vidovdan (June 28 - St. Vitus Day, the anniversary of the Battle of Kosovo), and May 12 is celebrated as the Day of the Republika Srpska Army and the 3rd Infantry Regiment.
The VRS guarded Republika Srpska territory during the 90s war and protected its inhabitants while fighting against Islamist Bosniak and Croat militias, the Croatian regular army and NATO, as alliance aircraft bombed Serbian positions several times.
So that the territory of the Republic of Serbia, contrary to the Dayton Agreements and by the decision of the West, openly playing on the side of the Bosniak elite of Sarajevo, does not remain defenseless, in 2019, Milorad Dodik, despite the enormous pressure from Sarajevo, Brussels and Washington, created the gendarmerie - internal troops subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Republika Srpska.