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| Serbian Army of Krajina | |
|---|---|
| Српска Војска Крајине Srpska Vojska Krajine | |
 Officer emblem of SVK, 1993–1995 | |
| Military leader | Mile Novaković Milan Čeleketić Mile Mrkšić |
| Foundation | October 17, 1992 |
| Dates of operation | 1992–1995 |
| Dissolved | August 7, 1995 |
| Allegiance |  Serbian Krajina |
| Headquarters | Knin |
| Size | 30,000[1] |
| Battles and wars | |
| Colors | (Serbian tricolour) |
| War flag |  |
TheSerbian Army of Krajina (SAK,Serbo-Croatian:Srpska vojska Krajine,Српска војска Крајине, abbr.SVK), also known as theArmy of the Republic of Serbian Krajina orKrajina Serbian Army, was the armed forces of theRepublic of Serbian Krajina (RSK). The SVK consisted of ground and air elements.
Created through the merger of theTerritorial Defense of the Republic of Serbian Krajina (TORSK), units of theYugoslav People's Army (JNA) and the Krajina Militia, the SVK was officially established on 19 March 1992. Responsible for the security of the RSK, its area of responsibility covered an area of some 17,028 km² at its peak, as it was located entirely inland it thus had no naval forces. The SVK, along with the state of RSK, ceased to exist in 1995 following the Croatian military offensiveOperation Storm.
| No. | Portrait | Commander-in-Chief | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Party | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Babić, MilanMilan Babić (1956–2006) | 19 December 1991 | 16 February 1992 | 1 month | SDS | |
| 2 |  | Hadžić, GoranGoran Hadžić (1958–2016) | 26 February 1992 | 12 December 1993 | 1 year, 9 months | SDS | |
| (1) | | Babić, MilanMilan Babić (1956–2006) | 12 December 1993 | 23 January 1994 | 1 month | SDS | |
| 3 |  | Martić, MilanMilan Martić (born 1954) | 23 January 1994 | 7 August 1995 | 1 year, 6 months | SPS | |
| No. | Portrait | Commander | Took office | Left office | Time in office | Defence branch |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Novaković, MileMajor general Mile Novaković (1950–2015) | 1992 | 1994 | 1–2 years |  Army |
| 2 |  | Čeleketić, MilanMajor general Milan Čeleketić (born 1946) | 1994 | 1995 | 0–1 years | Army |
| 3 |  | Mrkšić, MileGeneral Mile Mrkšić (1947–2015) | 1995 | 1995 | 0 years | Army |
At the creation of the army, it was planned that its number would be 80,000 people, however it turned out to be less.
In 1995, theInternational Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS) estimated that the SVK had a total of 250 tanks and 100 armoured personnel carriers.[4]
| Name | Type | Origin | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tanks | |||
| T-34 | Medium tank | Soviet Union | [4] |
| T-55 | Main battle tank | Soviet Union | [4] |
| M-84 | Main battle tank | Yugoslavia | [4] |
| Armoured fighting vehicles | |||
| BVP M-80 | Infantry fighting vehicle | Yugoslavia | [4] |
| OT M-60 | Armoured personnel carrier | Yugoslavia | M-60P variant used.[4] |
| Armoured trains | |||
| Krajina Express | Armoured train | Republic of Serbian Krajina | [5] |
In 1995, the IISS estimated that the SVK had a total of 200 pieces of artillery of varied calibers, 14 multiple rocket launchers, and an unknown number of 81 mm, 82 mm, and120 mm mortars.[4]
| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Towed artillery | ||||
| 76 mm divisional gun M1942 (ZiS-3) | Field gun | Soviet Union | 76 mm | [4] |
| M-56 Howitzer | Howitzer | Yugoslavia | 105 mm | [4] |
| 122 mm howitzer 2A18 (D-30) | Howitzer | Soviet Union | 122 mm | [4] |
| 122 mm gun M1931/37 (A-19) | Field gun | Soviet Union | 122 mm | [4] |
| 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46) | Field gun | Soviet Union | 130 mm | [4] |
| M-65 Howitzer[4] | Howitzer | Yugoslavia | 155 mm | Yugoslav copy of theM114 155 mm howitzer.[6] |
| Multiple rocket launchers | ||||
| M-63 Plamen | Multiple rocket launcher | Yugoslavia | 128 mm | [4] |
| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-tank missiles | ||||
| 9M14 Malyutka | Anti-tank guided missile | Soviet Union | 125 mm | Also mounted onBOV-1s.[4] |
| Recoilless guns | ||||
| M60 | Recoilless gun | Yugoslavia | 82 mm | [4] |
| M65 | Recoilless gun | Yugoslavia | 105 mm | [4] |
| Anti-tank guns | ||||
| MT-12 | Anti-tank gun | Soviet Union | 100 mm | 30 in service in 1995.[4] |
In 1995, the IISS estimated that the SVK had 16 fixed-wing combat aircraft and 9 helicopters in service.[4]
| Name | Type | Origin | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fixed-wing aircraft | ||||
| SOKO G-2 Galeb | Trainer /Light attack | Yugoslavia | [4] | |
| SOKO J-22 Orao | Attack | Yugoslavia | [4] | |
| Helicopters | ||||
| SOKO Gazelle[4] | Utility | Yugoslavia | License-built version of the Aérospatiale Gazelle.[7] | |
| Mil Mi-8 | Transport | Soviet Union | [4] | |
| Name | Type | Origin | Caliber | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anti-aircraft guns | ||||
| Zastava M55 | Anti-aircraft gun | Yugoslavia | 20 mm | The M75 variant was also used.[4] |
| M-53/59 Praga | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | Czechoslovakia | 30 mm | [4] |
| ZSU-57-2 | Self-propelled anti-aircraft gun | Soviet Union | 57 mm | [4] |
During the Croatian War of Independence, numerous massacres were conducted by the Army of Serbian Krajina. On 2–3 May 1995, seven civilians were killed and many more injured in theZagreb rocket attacks.[8][9][10]
The main leaders of the Serbian Army of Krajina,Milan Martić,Milan Babić andGoran Hadžić, were indicted and trialled by theICTY for various war crimes and crimes against humanity. Milan Martić was sentenced to 35 years in prison,[11][12] Milan Babić was sentenced to 13 years,[13] while Goran Hadžić died shortly after their trial started.[14][15][16]
