| Kninjas | |
|---|---|
| Knindže | |
 | |
| Active | 1991–1994 |
| Allegiance |  Republic of Serbian Krajina |
| Branch |  Army of Serbian Krajina |
| Size | 64 soldiers |
| Nickname | Red Berets |
| Engagements | |
| Commanders | |
| Notable commanders | Dragan Vasiljković |
| Insignia | |
| Emblem | Serbian cross |
TheKninjas (Serbian:Книнџе / Knindže), also known as theRed Berets, was a Serb paramilitary unit and a volunteer militia supporting theArmy of Serb Krajina during theCroatian War of Independence. It was based inKnin, the capital of breakawaySAO Krajina that became theRepublic of Serb Krajina (RSK).
It was led by Serbian-AustralianDragan Vasiljković, known as "Captain Dragan", and who was later convicted of war crimes.[1] The unit was one of several notable Serb paramilitary units, alongside theWhite Eagles,Serbian Volunteer Guard,Scorpions,Wolves of Vučjak, and others.
The name, a pun on "Knin" and "Ninjas",[2] was informal;[3] the unit did not have an official name, but the term was used for the mostly Vasiljković-trained volunteers.[3]
Vasiljković, who had served in theAustralian Army, had returned to Yugoslavia in 1990 during the Croatian independence movement, eventually being hired as an instructor for volunteers in the summer of 1991. At this time,Belgrade dailyPolitika published a comic book namedThe Demons Return that featured the Kninjas fighting the Croats withmartial arts.[2] The unit, deemed elite, was a special unit that answered in part to Knin police chiefMilan Martić.[4] According to Martić himself, he was supplied of equipment and weapons mostly from the Serbian government.[4] It became the special forces of the RSK Interior Ministry.[5]
Members of the unit were involved in the December 1991Bruška massacre.
Veterans of the unit later joined theSpecial Operations Unit of theFederal Republic of Yugoslavia.
Vasiljković served a fifteen-year prison sentence for war crimes by the Croatian court in Split.[6][7] He was released from prison on March 28, 2020.[8]
The emblem was a customizedSerbian cross, with blue background and invertedfiresteels. In the 257 operations conducted by the Kninjas,[9] only one out of the 64 soldiers died due to a direct explosion by a grenade on his head and another four were injured.[9]
The Bosnian Serb singerBaja Mali Knindža chose his stagename in honour of the Kninjas.[10][11] He has also recorded a well-known song calledKnindže Krajišnici ("Kninjas of the Krajina").
