Army of Republika Srpska: Difference between revisions

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| headquarters    = [[Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina|Pale]], [[Bijeljina]], [[Banja Luka]]
| headquarters    = [[Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina|Pale]], [[Bijeljina]], [[Banja Luka]]
| area            =  
| area            =  
| size            = 250,000 by formation<ref>{{cite book|ref={{harvid|CIA|2002b}}|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jodpAAAAMAAJ|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995, Volume 2|author=[[Central Intelligence Agency]], Office of Russian and European Analysis|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2002|page=268|isbn=978-0-16-066472-4}}</ref> <br> 155,000 (1995)<ref>{{cite book|ref={{harvid|CIA|2002b}}|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jodpAAAAMAAJ|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995, Volume 2|author=[[Central Intelligence Agency]], Office of Russian and European Analysis|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2002|page=268|isbn=978-0-16-066472-4}}</ref>  
| size            = 250,000 by formation<ref>{{cite book|ref={{harvid|CIA|2002b}}|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jodpAAAAMAAJ|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995, Volume 2|author=[[Central Intelligence Agency]], Office of Russian and European Analysis|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2002|page=268|isbn=978-0-16-066472-4}}</ref> <br> 155,000 (1995)<ref>{{cite book|ref={{harvid|CIA|2002b}}|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jodpAAAAMAAJ|title=Balkan Battlegrounds: A Military History of the Yugoslav Conflict, 1990–1995, Volume 2|author=[[Central Intelligence Agency]], Office of Russian and European Analysis|publisher=Central Intelligence Agency|location=Washington, D.C.|year=2002|page=268|isbn=978-0-16-066472-4}}</ref>
| colours          = {{Color box|#DE0000|border=darkgray}} Red<br>{{Color box|#00338D|border=darkgray}} Blue<br>{{Color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} White
| colours          = {{Color box|#DE0000|border=darkgray}} Red<br>{{Color box|#00338D|border=darkgray}} Blue<br>{{Color box|#FFFFFF|border=darkgray}} White
| split_from      = [[File:Logo of the JNA.svg|22px]] [[Yugoslav People's Army]]
| split_from      = [[File:Logo of the JNA.svg|22px]] [[Yugoslav People's Army]]
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| successor        =  
| successor        =  
| allies          = * [[File:Seal of the Yugoslav Army (1992–2003).svg|22px]] [[Yugoslav Army (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)|VJ]]
| allies          = * [[File:Seal of the Yugoslav Army (1992–2003).svg|22px]] [[Yugoslav Army (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia)|VJ]]
* [[File:Srpska vojska Krajine, oficirski emblem. 1993-1995.png|22px]] [[Serbian Army of Krajina|RSK]]
* [[File:Srpska vojska Krajine, oficirski emblem. 1993-1995.png|22px]] [[Serbian Army of Krajina|RSK]] (until 1995)
*  [[File:Logo of the National Defense Of Western Bosnia.png|22px]] [[National Defence of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia|NOZB]]
*  [[File:Logo of the National Defense Of Western Bosnia.png|22px]] [[National Defence of the Autonomous Province of Western Bosnia|NOZB]] (until 1995)
| opponents        = * [[File:Logo of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg|22px]] [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|ARBiH]] (until 1995)
| opponents        = * [[File:Logo of the Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina.svg|22px]] [[Army of the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|ARBiH]] (until 1995)
* [[File:Logo of Croatian Defence Council.svg|22px]] [[Croatian Defence Council|HVO]] (until 1995)
* [[File:Logo of Croatian Defence Council.svg|22px]] [[Croatian Defence Council|HVO]] (until 1995)
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* [[File:Patch of the Croatian Defence Forces.svg|22px]] [[Croatian Defence Forces|HOS]] (until 1993)
* [[File:Patch of the Croatian Defence Forces.svg|22px]] [[Croatian Defence Forces|HOS]] (until 1993)
* {{flag|NATO}}
* {{flag|NATO}}
| battles          =
| battles          = [[Bosnian War]]:
[[Bosnian War]]:
* [[Operation Corridor 92]]
* [[Operation Corridor 92]]
* [[Operation Vrbas 92]]
* [[Operation Vrbas 92]]
* [[Operation Sadejstvo]]
* [[Operation Sadejstvo]]
* [[Operation Lukavac '93]]
* [[Operation Star '94]]
* [[Operation Star '94]]
* [[Operation Shield 94]]
* [[Operation Shield '94]]
* [[Operation Spider]]
* [[Operation Spider]]
* [[Operation Tekbir '95]]
* [[Operation Tekbir '95]]
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| website          =  
| website          =  
| identification_symbol_label = Patch
| identification_symbol_label = Patch
| identification_symbol = [[File:Patch of the Army of Republika Srpska.svg|105px]]
| identification_symbol = [[File:Patch of the Army of Republika Srpska.svg|95px]]
| identification_symbol_2_label = Helmet decal
| identification_symbol_2_label = Helmet decal
| identification_symbol_2 = [[File:Army of Republika Srpska (helmet decal).svg|100px]]
| identification_symbol_2 = [[File:Army of Republika Srpska (helmet decal).svg|80px]]
| identification_symbol_3_label =  
| identification_symbol_3_label =  
| identification_symbol_3 =  
| identification_symbol_3 =  
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| identification_symbol_4 =  
| identification_symbol_4 =  
}}
}}
The '''Army of Republika Srpska''' ({{langx|sr|Војска Републике Српске/Vojska Republike Srpske}}; ВРС/'''VRS'''), commonly referred to in English as the '''Bosnian Serb Army''',<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/HhfdTjp5kDg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200301023244/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhfdTjp5kDg Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhfdTjp5kDg|title=Bosnia - Bosnian Serbs Launch Counter-Attack|last=AP Archive|date=21 July 2015|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> was the [[military]] of [[Republika Srpska (1992–1995)|Republika Srpska]], the self-proclaimed Serb [[secession]]ist republic, a territory within the newly independent [[Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (formerly part of [[Yugoslavia]]), which it defied and fought against. Active during the [[Bosnian War]] from 1992 to 1995, it continued to exist as the armed forces of RS, one of two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina, until 2006 when it was integrated into the [[Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. Forces of the VRS engaged in several campaigns, including [[Operation Corridor 92]], [[Operation Vrbas '92]], [[Operation Bura]], and [[Operation Spider]]; they were also involved in the [[siege of Sarajevo]], as well as the [[Srebrenica massacre]].
The '''Army of Republika Srpska''' ({{langx|sr|Војска Републике Српске, ВРС|Vojska Republike Srpske}}, '''VRS'''), commonly referred to in English as the '''Bosnian Serb Army''',<ref>Archived at [https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211211/HhfdTjp5kDg Ghostarchive]{{cbignore}} and the [https://web.archive.org/web/20200301023244/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhfdTjp5kDg Wayback Machine]{{cbignore}}: {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhfdTjp5kDg|title=Bosnia - Bosnian Serbs Launch Counter-Attack|last=AP Archive|date=21 July 2015|via=YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> was the [[military]] of [[Republika Srpska (1992–1995)|Republika Srpska]], the self-proclaimed [[secession]]ist republic, a territory within the newly independent [[Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina|Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (formerly part of [[Yugoslavia]]), which it defied and fought against. Active during the [[Bosnian War]] from 1992 to 1995, the Bosnian Serb Army under General [[Ratko Mladić]] became the most proficient military force in the [[Balkans]], as well as one of the most reviled armies in the world.<ref name="autogenerated1">Balkan Battlegrounds Vol.1, page. 141</ref> After the war it continued to exist as the armed forces of [[Republika Srpska]], one of two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina, until 2006 when it was integrated into the [[Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. During the conflict, the Bosnian Serb Army conducted several major operations, including [[Operation Corridor 92]], [[Operation Vrbas '92]], [[Operation Lukavac '93|Operation Lukavac]], [[Operation Shield '94]], and [[Operation Spider]]; The army also took part in the [[Siege of Sarajevo]], the longest siege in the history of modern warfare, as well as in the [[Srebrenica massacre]].<ref name="Building Desctruction/Damage">{{cite web |last1=Al-Bayati |first1=Sundus |title=A City that Doesn't Forget: Sarajevo Thirty Years after the War |url=https://www.sah.org/publications/sah-blog/blog-detail/sah-blog/2022/07/08/a-city-that-doesn-t-forget-sarajevo-thirty-years-after-the-war |website=Society of Architectural Historians |access-date=16 September 2024}}</ref>


==Personnel==
==Personnel==
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==Post-war status and abolishment ==
==Post-war status and abolishment ==
After the war, the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina had two armies, that of the VRS and the [[Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (AFBiH). AFBiH was itself composed of two elements, the ARBiH and HVO. The two armies functioned without a common command, on the principle of "non-intervention in the affairs of the other". [[Bisera Turković]] noted that it was 'therefore questionable whether in say a foreign attack on Sarajevo [...the VRS] would defend this capital city'. The existence of the two separate armies was one of the factors impeding civil-military relations development.<ref name="FluriGustenau2005">{{cite book|author1=Philipp H. Fluri|author2=Gustav E. Gustenau|author3=Plamen I. Pantev|title=The Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in South East Europe: Continuing Democratic Reform and Adapting to the Needs of Fighting Terrorism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yo_CzZj9o_wC&pg=PA83|date=27 December 2005|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-7908-1656-3|pages=83–}}</ref> The VRS conducted demining.<ref>{{cite book|title=Landmine Monitor Report 2002: Toward a Mine-free World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPj16Xxyi9kC&pg=PA121|year=2002|publisher=Human Rights Watch|isbn=978-1-56432-277-7|pages=121–}}</ref>
After the war, the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina had two armies, that of the VRS and the [[Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina]] (VFBiH). VFBiH was itself composed of two elements, the ARBiH and HVO. The two armies functioned without a common command, on the principle of "non-intervention in the affairs of the other". [[Bisera Turković]] noted that it was 'therefore questionable whether in say a foreign attack on Sarajevo [...the VRS] would defend this capital city'. The existence of the two separate armies was one of the factors impeding civil-military relations development.<ref name="FluriGustenau2005">{{cite book|author1=Philipp H. Fluri|author2=Gustav E. Gustenau|author3=Plamen I. Pantev|title=The Evolution of Civil-Military Relations in South East Europe: Continuing Democratic Reform and Adapting to the Needs of Fighting Terrorism|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yo_CzZj9o_wC&pg=PA83|date=27 December 2005|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-3-7908-1656-3|pages=83–}}</ref> The VRS conducted demining.<ref>{{cite book|title=Landmine Monitor Report 2002: Toward a Mine-free World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZPj16Xxyi9kC&pg=PA121|year=2002|publisher=Human Rights Watch|isbn=978-1-56432-277-7|pages=121–}}</ref>


In 2003 the army began to integrate into the [[Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. In 2005 a fully integrated unit of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats was deployed to augment the US-led coalition forces in [[Iraq]].<ref name="unified ">{{cite web |date=2005-06-02|url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050602/news_1n2bosnia.html|title = Bosnia's first unified army platoon deployed to Iraq|work = The San Diego Union-Tribune| access-date = 2007-09-26 | last=Nedim Dervisbegovic | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071015063236/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050602/news_1n2bosnia.html| archive-date= 15 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> On 6 June 2006, it was fully integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Ministry of Defence of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gaub|first1=Florence|title=Military Integration after Civil Wars: Multiethnic Armies, Identity and Post Conflict Reconstruction|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|location=Canada|isbn=9780203841051|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_vGBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT236|access-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>{{sfn|Ramet|2010|p=324}}
In 2003 the army began to integrate into the [[Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina]]. In 2005 a fully integrated unit of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats was deployed to augment the US-led coalition forces in [[Iraq]].<ref name="unified ">{{cite web |date=2005-06-02|url = http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050602/news_1n2bosnia.html|title = Bosnia's first unified army platoon deployed to Iraq|work = The San Diego Union-Tribune| access-date = 2007-09-26 | last=Nedim Dervisbegovic | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20071015063236/http://www.signonsandiego.com/uniontrib/20050602/news_1n2bosnia.html| archive-date= 15 October 2007 | url-status= live}}</ref> On 6 June 2006, it was fully integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Ministry of Defence of [[Bosnia and Herzegovina]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gaub|first1=Florence|title=Military Integration after Civil Wars: Multiethnic Armies, Identity and Post Conflict Reconstruction|date=2011|publisher=Routledge|location=Canada|isbn=9780203841051|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=j_vGBQAAQBAJ&pg=PT236|access-date=31 March 2016}}</ref>{{sfn|Ramet|2010|p=324}}
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==Leadership==
==Leadership==
{{Main|General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska}}
{{Main|General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska}}
The supreme commander of the VRS was General [[Ratko Mladić]],<ref>{{cite web|year=2007 |url=https://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mla-ai021010e.htm |title=The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – Case No. IT-95-5/18-I |publisher=UN – ICTY |access-date=2007-09-26 |quote=On 12 May 1992, Ratko MLADIC was appointed Commander of the Main Staff of the VRS, a position he held until at least 22 December 1996. On 24 June 1994, Ratko MLADIC was promoted to the rank of General Colonel. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919030718/http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mla-ai021010e.htm |archive-date=19 September 2007 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref> later indicted at the [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia|International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia]] (ICTY) for genocide, as were some other high-ranking Serb officers. Mladić was [[Ratko Mladić#Arrest, trial and conviction|arrested in Serbia]] on 26 May 2011.
The supreme commander of the VRS was General [[Ratko Mladić]].<ref>{{cite web|year=2007 |url=https://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mla-ai021010e.htm |title=The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia – Case No. IT-95-5/18-I |publisher=UN – ICTY |access-date=2007-09-26 |quote=On 12 May 1992, Ratko MLADIC was appointed Commander of the Main Staff of the VRS, a position he held until at least 22 December 1996. On 24 June 1994, Ratko MLADIC was promoted to the rank of General Colonel. |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919030718/http://www.un.org/icty/indictment/english/mla-ai021010e.htm |archive-date=19 September 2007 |url-status=live |df=dmy }}</ref>The Command of the Army of Republika Srpska was organized into several key sectors and departments:
 
* Staff for operational and educative affairs – Major general  [[:sr:Манојло Миловановић|Manojlo Milovanović]] (also deputy commander)
* Sector for intelligence and security affairs – Colonel [[Zdravko Tolimir]]
* Sector for morale, religious and legal affairs – Major general [[Milan Gvero]]
* Sector for rear services – Major general [[:sr:Ђорђе Ђукић|Đorđe Đukić ]]
 
Closest advisors to General Mladić were Milovanović (operations and planning), Tolimir (intelligence), Gvero (political affairs), and Đukić (logistics).<ref name="bb269">Balkan Battlegrounds Vol.2, p. 269</ref> According to opinion of some experts who studied the course of the [[Bosnian War]], the Command of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska proved to be the most capable military leadership among the participants in the war:
 
''{{quote|The Main Staff, although composed of various officers arriving from different commands, developed during the war into the most professional staff and planning body among the warring parties in the Bosnian War.<ref name="bb269"/>}}''


==Military operations==
==Military operations==
*[[Operation Corridor 92]] (24 June – 6 October 1992) against Croatian forces; victory
[[File:Roundel of Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992) – Serbian Militia.svg|thumb|Roundel used by Republika Srpska's [[Militia (Yugoslavia)|Militia]]]]
*[[Operation Vrbas '92]] (June – October 1992) against ARBiH and HVO; victory
* [[1992 Yugoslav campaign in Bosnia]] (3 April – 19 May 1992) – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
*[[Operation Bura|Mitrovdan offensive]] (8–13 November 1992) against HVO, HOS, HV; victory
* [[Battle of Kupres (1992)]] (3–11 Apr 1992) against HVO, HOS, HV – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
*[[Operation Sadejstvo]] (20 July — 27 July 1993) against ARBiH; victory
* [[Operation Jackal]] (7 – 26 June 1992) against HVO, HV – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
*[[Operation Star '94]] (6–18 April 1994) against ARBiH and NATO forces; victory
* [[Operation Corridor 92]] (24 Jun – 6 Oct 1992) against HVO, HOS, HV – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
*[[Operation Spider]] (16 November –17 December 1994) against ARBiH; victory
* [[Operation Vrbas '92]] (Jun–Oct 1992) against ARBiH, HVO – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
*[[Operation Shield 94]] (4–20 November 1994) against the 5th Corps of ARBiH; victory
* [[Operation Bura]] (8–13 Nov 1992) against HVO, HOS, HV – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
*[[Battle of Orašje]] (5 May – 10 June 1995) against Croatian forces; defeat
* [[Brčko offensive|Operation Corridor '93]] (1–12 Jan 1993) against ARBiH, HVO – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Cerska '93]] (10 Feb – 17 Apr 1993) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Sadejstvo]] (20–27 Jul 1993) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Lukavac '93]] (2 Jul – 19 Aug 1993) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Star '94]] (6–18 Apr 1994) against ARBiH, NATO – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Brana '94]] (1 Jun – 5 Jul 1994) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Breza '94]] (4–12 Sept 1994) against ARBiH – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
* [[Battle of Kupres (1994)]] (3 Nov 1994) against ARBiH, HVO – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
* [[Operation Autumn '94]] (11–20 Nov 1994) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Shield '94]] (4–20 Nov 1994) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Spider]] (16 Nov – 17 Dec 1994) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Tekbir '95]] (15–28 Jun 1995) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Krivaja '95]] (6–11 Jul 1995) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Siege of Žepa|Operation Stupčanica '95]] (25-26 July 1995) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Summer '95]] (25–29 Jul 1995) against HV, HVO – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
* [[Operation Mistral 2]] (8–15 Sep 1995) against HV, HVO – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
* [[Operation Sana]] (13 Sep – 13 Oct 1995) against ARBiH – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
* [[Operation Una]] (18–19 Sep) against HV – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>
* [[Operation Southern Move]] (8–11 Oct 1995) against HV, HVO – <span style="color:red;font-weight:bold;">Defeat</span>
* [[Operation Prijedor '95]] (12–20 Oct 1995) against ARBiH – <span style="color:green;font-weight:bold;">Victory</span>


== Special units ==
== Special units ==
* [[Garda Panteri|Panthers Guard Special Brigade]] (Garda Panteri) ({{lang|sr|Специјална бригада Гарда Пантери}}), [[East Bosnia Corps|East-Bosnian Corps]] <!-- formerly the National Guard of TO (SAO) Semberija and Majevica -->
* [[1st Guards Brigade (Army of Republika Srpska)|1st Guards Motorized Brigade]] ({{lang|sr|Прва гардијска моторизована бригада}}), [[General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska|General Staff]]
* 65th Protection Motorized Regiment ({{lang|sr|65. заштитни моторизовани пук}}), [[General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska|General Staff]]
* [[Garda Panteri|"Panthers" Special Guards Brigade]] (Garda Panteri) ({{lang|sr|Специјална бригада Гарда Пантери}}), [[East Bosnia Corps|East-Bosnian Corps]] <!-- formerly the National Guard of TO (SAO) Semberija and Majevica -->
* [[Wolves of the Drina]], or Drina Wolves ({{lang|sr|Вукови са Дрине}}), [[Drina Corps]]
* [[Wolves of the Drina]], or Drina Wolves ({{lang|sr|Вукови са Дрине}}), [[Drina Corps]]
* Special Unit "Peša" ({{lang|sr|Специјална Јединица "Пеша"}}), [[East Bosnia Corps|East-Bosnian Corps]]
* Special Unit "Peša" ({{lang|sr|Специјална Јединица "Пеша"}}), [[East Bosnia Corps|East-Bosnian Corps]]
* Special Unit "Mando" ({{lang|sr|Специјална Јединица "Мандо"}}), [[East Bosnia Corps|East-Bosnian Corps]]
* Special Unit "Mando" ({{lang|sr|Специјална Јединица "Мандо"}}), [[East Bosnia Corps|East-Bosnian Corps]]
* Special Unit "Osmaci" ({{lang|sr|Специјална Јединица "Осмаци"}}), [[Drina Corps]]
* Special Unit "Osmaci" ({{lang|sr|Специјална Јединица "Осмаци"}}), [[Drina Corps]]
* 1st Guards Motorized Brigade ({{lang|sr|Прва гардијска моторизована бригада ГШ}}), [[General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska|General Staff]]
* 65th Protection Motorized Regiment ({{lang|sr|65. заштитни моторизовани пук}}), [[General Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska|General Staff]]
* Serb Guard Ilidža ({{lang|sr|Српска Гарда Илиџа}}), [[Sarajevo-Romanija Corps]]
* Serb Guard Ilidža ({{lang|sr|Српска Гарда Илиџа}}), [[Sarajevo-Romanija Corps]]
* White Wolves ({{lang|sr|Бели Вукови}})
* White Wolves ({{lang|sr|Бели Вукови}}), [[Sarajevo-Romanija Corps]]


== Organization ==
== Organization ==
[[File:Mapa Vojske Republike Srpske.png|thumb|Territorial organization of the VRS]]
[[File:Заклетва војника 2001. године на Војном полигону Мањача..jpg|thumb|right|Oath-taking Ceremony in 2001 at the Manjača Military Range]]
[[File:Заклетва војника 2001. године на Војном полигону Мањача..jpg|thumb|right|Oath-taking Ceremony in 2001 at the Manjača Military Range]]
The [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] stated that:
The [[International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia]] stated that:
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* [[East Bosnia Corps]] – [[Bijeljina]]
* [[East Bosnia Corps]] – [[Bijeljina]]
* [[Sarajevo-Romanija Corps]] – [[Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina|Pale]]
* [[Sarajevo-Romanija Corps]] – [[Pale, Bosnia and Herzegovina|Pale]]
* [[Drina Corps]] – [[Han Pijesak]]
* [[Drina Corps]] – [[Vlasenica]]
* [[Herzegovina Corps]] – [[Bileća]]
* [[Herzegovina Corps]] – [[Bileća]]


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{{Main|Republika Srpska Air Force}}
{{Main|Republika Srpska Air Force}}


Formerly known as ''Ratno Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske'' or ''RV i PVO RS''. Beginning on 1 June 2004, the [[Republika Srpska]] Air Force was officially called, ''Prvi Puk Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske'', also known as '''1st Aviation Regiment and Air Defence Force of the Republic of Srpska's Army'''.
Formerly known as ''Ratno Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske'' or ''RV i PVO RS''. Beginning on 1 June 2004, the [[Republika Srpska]] Air Force was officially called, ''Prvi Puk Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske'', also known as 1st Aviation Regiment and Air Defence Force of the Republic of Srpska's Army.


== See also ==
== See also ==
Line 246: Line 273:
{{Reflist|30em}}
{{Reflist|30em}}


== Books ==
== Bibliography ==
* {{cite book| last=Innes| first=Michael A.|ref=Innes| year=2006| publisher=Routledge|  url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Wp0B0xHqsAC&q=Bosnian+Security+after+Dayton:+New+Perspectives| title= Bosnian Security after Dayton: New Perspectives| isbn=9780203969014| access-date=4 March 2013}}
* {{cite book| last=Innes| first=Michael A.|ref=Innes| year=2006| publisher=Routledge|  url=https://books.google.com/books?id=2Wp0B0xHqsAC&q=Bosnian+Security+after+Dayton:+New+Perspectives| title= Bosnian Security after Dayton: New Perspectives| isbn=9780203969014| access-date=4 March 2013}}
* {{cite web |last=Koknar |first=Ali M. |url=http://www.bosnia.org.uk/news/news_body.cfm?newsid=1766 |title=The Kontraktniki : Russian mercenaries at war in the Balkans |date=14 July 2003 |publisher=[[Bosnian Institute]] |access-date=17 February 2010 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083455/http://www.bosnia.org.uk/news/news_body.cfm?newsid=1766 |url-status=dead }}
* {{cite web |last=Koknar |first=Ali M. |url=http://www.bosnia.org.uk/news/news_body.cfm?newsid=1766 |title=The Kontraktniki : Russian mercenaries at war in the Balkans |date=14 July 2003 |publisher=[[Bosnian Institute]] |access-date=17 February 2010 |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304083455/http://www.bosnia.org.uk/news/news_body.cfm?newsid=1766 |url-status=dead }}

Latest revision as of 15:38, 18 December 2025

Template:Short description Template:Use American English Script error: No such module "Unsubst". Script error: No such module "Infobox".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The Army of Republika Srpska (Template:Langx, VRS), commonly referred to in English as the Bosnian Serb Army,[1] was the military of Republika Srpska, the self-proclaimed secessionist republic, a territory within the newly independent Bosnia and Herzegovina (formerly part of Yugoslavia), which it defied and fought against. Active during the Bosnian War from 1992 to 1995, the Bosnian Serb Army under General Ratko Mladić became the most proficient military force in the Balkans, as well as one of the most reviled armies in the world.[2] After the war it continued to exist as the armed forces of Republika Srpska, one of two entities making up Bosnia and Herzegovina, until 2006 when it was integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. During the conflict, the Bosnian Serb Army conducted several major operations, including Operation Corridor 92, Operation Vrbas '92, Operation Lukavac, Operation Shield '94, and Operation Spider; The army also took part in the Siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege in the history of modern warfare, as well as in the Srebrenica massacre.[3]

Personnel

File:Опрема ВРС.JPG
A typical uniform of a VRS member during the 1990s

The Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) was founded on 12 May 1992 from the remnants of the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia from which Bosnia and Herzegovina had seceded earlier in 1992. When the Bosnian War erupted, the JNA formally discharged 80,000 Bosnian Serb troops. These troops, who were allowed to keep their heavy weapons, formed the core of what would become the Army of the Republika Srpska, benefiting from access to significant JNA stockpiles and infrastructure.[4]

The VRS was made up largely of ethnic Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina, but also attracted around 4,000 foreign Orthodox Christian fighters, many of whom were drawn by nationalist or religious motivations. 700 such fighters came from Russia, and 300–800 from Bulgaria.[5][6] 100 Greeks also volunteered to fight on the side of the Bosnian Serbs, forming the Greek Volunteer Guard which allegedly participated in the Srebrenica massacre.[7] A number of Romanians and Ukrainians fought as well on the Bosnian Serb side.Template:Sfn

Post-war status and abolishment

After the war, the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina had two armies, that of the VRS and the Army of the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (VFBiH). VFBiH was itself composed of two elements, the ARBiH and HVO. The two armies functioned without a common command, on the principle of "non-intervention in the affairs of the other". Bisera Turković noted that it was 'therefore questionable whether in say a foreign attack on Sarajevo [...the VRS] would defend this capital city'. The existence of the two separate armies was one of the factors impeding civil-military relations development.[8] The VRS conducted demining.[9]

In 2003 the army began to integrate into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2005 a fully integrated unit of Serbs, Bosniaks, and Croats was deployed to augment the US-led coalition forces in Iraq.[10] On 6 June 2006, it was fully integrated into the Armed Forces of Bosnia and Herzegovina controlled by the Ministry of Defence of Bosnia and Herzegovina.[11]Template:Sfn

Leadership

Script error: No such module "Labelled list hatnote". The supreme commander of the VRS was General Ratko Mladić.[12]The Command of the Army of Republika Srpska was organized into several key sectors and departments:

  • Staff for operational and educative affairs – Major general Manojlo Milovanović (also deputy commander)
  • Sector for intelligence and security affairs – Colonel Zdravko Tolimir
  • Sector for morale, religious and legal affairs – Major general Milan Gvero
  • Sector for rear services – Major general Đorđe Đukić

Closest advisors to General Mladić were Milovanović (operations and planning), Tolimir (intelligence), Gvero (political affairs), and Đukić (logistics).[13] According to opinion of some experts who studied the course of the Bosnian War, the Command of the Main Staff of the Army of Republika Srpska proved to be the most capable military leadership among the participants in the war:

Template:Quote

Military operations

File:Roundel of Bosnia-Herzegovina (1992) – Serbian Militia.svg
Roundel used by Republika Srpska's Militia

Special units

Organization

File:Заклетва војника 2001. године на Војном полигону Мањача..jpg
Oath-taking Ceremony in 2001 at the Manjača Military Range

The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia stated that:

"In July 1995, the Armed Forces of the Republika Srpska were under the command and control of the Commander-in-Chief, Radovan Karadžić. His headquarters was in Pale.[14]

Within the framework of the VRS, immediately subordinate to the Commander-in-Chief, was the Main Staff of the VRS, headquartered in Han Pijesak and commanded by General Ratko Mladić. It was the responsibility of the Commander of the Main Staff to issue regulations, orders and instructions regarding the implementation of orders by the Commander-in-Chief, and to discharge the command duties delegated to him by the Commander-in-Chief. The Main Staff of the VRS consisted of staff officers and staff support personnel, as well as some specialised military units such as the 65th Protection Regiment, designed to provide protection and combat services for the Main Staff; and the 10th Sabotage Detachment, a unit trained for operations behind enemy lines and other special combat assignments.

The vast majority of the fighting force of the VRS itself was divided into six geographically-based Corps, all subordinate to, and under the command of, General Mladić and, in turn, the Commander-in-Chief, Radovan Karadzic. In July 1995, the six Corps were the Drina Corps, the 1st Krajina Corps, the 2nd Krajina Corps, the Sarajevo-Romanija Corps, the Hercegovina Corps and the East Bosnia Corps."

1993

1995

2001

  • 1st Corps – Banja Luka
  • 3rd Corps – Bijeljina
  • 5th Corps – Sokolac
  • 7th Corps – Bileća

Equipment

Tanks and armoured vehicles

File:M84 of the VRS.JPG
M-84 main battle tank of VRS
File:Serbisk T-34 85 trekkes tilbake.jpg
T-34

Towed artillery

File:D-30 VRS.JPEG
D-30
File:M46 130mm Guns of the Army of Republika Srpska.JPEG
M-46
File:960228-A-5792S-005 - Serbian officer shows U.S. soldiers a towed ZiS-3 anti-tank gun.jpg
ZiS-3

Self-propelled artillery

MLRS

File:Rocket launcher M-77 Oganj.JPEG
M-77 Oganj MLRs of VRS

ATGM

Antitank guns

Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns (SPAAG)

File:ZSU-57-2 (Serb).JPG
ZSU-57-2

MANPADs and SAMs

Infantry weapons

Pistols

Assault rifles

Battle rifles

Submachine guns

Machine guns

Sniper rifles

Anti-tank weapons

Republika Srpska Air Force

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Formerly known as Ratno Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske or RV i PVO RS. Beginning on 1 June 2004, the Republika Srpska Air Force was officially called, Prvi Puk Vazduhoplovstva i Protiv Vazdušna Odbrana Vojske Republike Srpske, also known as 1st Aviation Regiment and Air Defence Force of the Republic of Srpska's Army.

See also

References

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  1. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore
  2. ↑ Balkan Battlegrounds Vol.1, page. 141
  3. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  4. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  5. ↑ Innes 2006, p. 157
  6. ↑ Thomas 2006, p. 13
  7. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  8. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  9. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  10. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  11. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  12. ↑ Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".
  13. ↑ Balkan Battlegrounds Vol.2, p. 269
  14. ↑ International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia, Military Structure of the Army of the Republika Srpska
  15. ↑ Archived at GhostarchiveTemplate:Cbignore and the Wayback MachineTemplate:Cbignore: Script error: No such module "citation/CS1".Template:Cbignore

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Bibliography

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Template:Republika Srpska topics Template:Authority control

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