The shelling of Knin 4-5 August - Cluster bombs on civilians

The shelling of Knin in the first two days of Storm was a key element of the operation - not for the sake of military targets, but for the sake of intimidating the civilian population and forcing it to flee.

Knin - the capital of the RSK

Significance:

• The capital of the Republic of Serbian Krajina
• The seat of the government, the president (Milan Martić)
• The command of the Army of Serbian Krajina (SVK)
• Population: ~15,000 (before Storm)

4 August 1995 - The first morning of Storm

05:00 - Start of the shelling

The Croatian artillery opened fire on Knin:

• Cannons of 155mm calibre
• The Orkan multiple rocket launcher system - an indiscriminate weapon
• Cluster bombs (cluster munitions)

• Systems with 12 tubes
• Launch 12 rockets at once
• Indiscriminate - cover a large area
• Designed for military formations in the open, NOT for cities

• Prohibited by international law (Oslo Convention 2008)
• They scatter hundreds of small bombs over a large area
• 30-40% do not explode - they remain like mines
• Especially dangerous for civilians

Intensity of the shelling

4 August (all day):

• Estimate: 2,000-3,000 projectiles fired at Knin
• ALL AREAS of the city shelled - not only military ones
• The hospital, residential neighbourhoods, the city centre

• Show a denser fall of shells in the RESIDENTIAL parts
• Military installations LESS targeted
• Conclusion: The aim was the intimidation of civilians, not military infrastructure

The people of Knin - panic

The Serb population:

• Gathered in shelters, cellars
• Panic, fear
• The decision: WE MUST FLEE

5 August - The second day

The shelling continues

In the morning:

• Artillery fire continued
• The Croatian ground forces advance towards Knin
• The SVK withdraws - defence impossible

• Tens of thousands of citizens leave Knin
• Tractors, buses, cars, on foot
• Direction: Bosnia (Banja Luka)
• Chaotic, panicked flight

Afternoon - The Croatian Army enters Knin

Around 16:00:

• The Croatian flag was raised on the Knin fortress
• A symbolic moment
• Franjo Tuđman later visited Knin (7 August) - he celebrated the victory

Victims of the shelling of Knin

Number of dead

Estimate:

• 50-70 civilians killed during the shelling (4-5 August)
• Mostly old people who could not flee
• Some killed in shelters (a direct hit)

• 42 names of civilians killed in the shelling of Knin
• Oldest victim: 87 years old
• Youngest victim: 6 years old (a boy, hit in a courtyard)

Wounded

• Estimate: 200+ civilians wounded
• Many could not receive medical help (chaos, flight)

ICTY analysis of the shelling of Knin

Expert finding

ICTY experts (military expertise):

• Analysed satellite images
• Analysed the type of ammunition
• Analysed the targets

• "The shelling was indiscriminate"
• "The use of Orkan rockets and cluster bombs on a city is disproportionate"
• "More residential than military installations were targeted"
• "The aim was the intimidation of the civilian population"

Indictment - Ante Gotovina

The ICTY indicted Gotovina:

• The use of disproportionate and indiscriminate shelling
• The aim: To force civilians to flee
• Violation of the Geneva Conventions

• "Knin was a legitimate military target" (because of the SVK command)
• "We used precise artillery"
• "Civilians were not the target"

• "Orkan rockets and cluster bombs are NOT precise weapons"
• "Satellite images show that residential areas were targeted"
• "The number of civilian victims confirms the indiscriminate nature"

The verdict - controversy

2011 - First instance:

• The court ACCEPTED the prosecution's argument
• The shelling of Knin WAS disproportionate and indiscriminate
• Gotovina CONVICTED

• The court REJECTED the prosecution's argument
• The shelling of Knin was NOT indiscriminate
• "Knin was a legitimate military target"
• Gotovina ACQUITTED

Judge Fausto Pocar (dissenting opinion): "The majority erred. The evidence clearly shows that the shelling was indiscriminate. The use of Orkan rockets and cluster bombs on a city is a violation of international law."

International law - violations

The Geneva Conventions

Article 51 - Protection of the civilian population: "Indiscriminate attacks that may strike civilian objects and civilians are prohibited." Article 57 - Precautionary measures: "Care must be taken to minimise civilian casualties." Cluster bombs:

• The Oslo Convention (2008) prohibited cluster weapons
• 1995 - they were not officially prohibited, but were considered inappropriate for urban areas

Knin today (2025)

Population:

• Before Storm (1995): ~15,000 (mostly Serbs)
• After Storm (2025): ~10,000 (mostly Croats)
• Serbs: ~1,500 (mostly old people who returned)

• Much has been rebuilt
• But part of the city is still in ruins
• Serbian houses are often neglected

• In Croatia - 5 August, Day of Victory, celebration
• In Serbia - 5 August, Day of Remembrance for the victims
• There is no memorial in Knin to the civilian victims of the shelling

"Knin was shelled in order to force the civilians to flee. This was not a military necessity - it was ethnic cleansing by artillery." - Human Rights Watch, 1996.