Sarajevo in spring and summer 1992

Recently I was watching a video called “A Black Cauldron” via YouTube. As usual, my ambition with this blog is to write about what happened in the former Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union by analysing different sources, thereby not glorifying them or similar. Concerning this video, I am writing about the following aspects:

“Welcome to Sarajevo” and “Help Bosnia now”. Similar and other graffitis were written on buildings during the war.

The shelling of Bosnia’s parliamentary assembly building by Yugoslav army artillery units.

“The twins”, skyscrapers “Momo and Uzeir” under bombardment by the Bosnian Serb Army (BSA) in June 1992.

Soldiers from Bosnian Territorial Defense (TO), Sarajevo based government) shooting from inside the Bosnia’s parliamentary assembly building.

Soldiers from Bosnia’s TO during street fightings in Sarajevo at the beginning of May 1992. The popular name was “teritorijalac” (territorial) for such personnel. The solider on the picture is named Dzevad Topic “Topa”.

A BSA-soldier on an armoured vehicle holding a flag and “three fingers sign” used by Serb nationalists. “Fun-fact” is that this sign was also used by Nazi-German Waffen SS units and Ustashe fascist movement in Croatia during the 1940s.

Serb-dominated Yugoslav People’s Army (YPA) T-55 tank during the fightings in Sarajevo in May 1992. YPA and Bosnian Serb nationalist paramilitary formations wanted to take over Sarajevo and failed after fightings with Bosnian TO- and other paramilitary units.

BSA soldiers firing a Zis-3 anti-tank gun. “Zisovi” were used during the war in Bosnia primarily in the filed-artillery role.

Bombardment of Sarajevo in the outskirts area

Bombardment of the central part of Sarajevo

Bosnian police officers from some of the Sarajevo police stations, armed with automatic rifles taking cover behind a tree and shooting in a park during fightings.

A civilian man is running in central Sarajevo during fightings and bombardment.

YPA M-80 armoured fighting vehicle during the fighting. Close to the this AFV is a destroyed Yugo 45 car. Such cars were produced in Yugoslavia and were seen as a symbol of progress and “national pride”.

Special-police officers (SWAT similar) from Sarajevo-based “Bosna” (Bosnia) unit. One of the policemen is holding an anti-tank rocket launcher while another one is wearing a PSH-77 helmet.