Siege of Dubrovnik

Part of the Croatian War of Independence

Bombardment of the Old Town of Dubrovnik

Date

1 October 1991 – 31 May 1992 (7 months, 4 weeks and 2 days)

Location

Dubrovnik area, Croatia

Result

Croatian victory

Siege lifted
Yugoslav troops withdraw

Belligerents

Yugoslav People's Army and Navy

Republic of Montenegro Territorial Defence Force

Croatian National Guard (in October 1991)

Croatian Defence Forces (in October 1991)

Croatian Army (from November 1991)

Commanders and leaders

Nojko Marinović

Janko Bobetko
(from May 1992)

Strength

7,000 troops

480–1,000 troops (1991)

Casualties and losses

165 killed

194 killed

82–88 Croatian civilians killed
16,000 Croatian refugees

Croatian victory

The Siege of Dubrovnik (Croatian: Opsada Dubrovnika, Serbian: Blokada Dubrovnika) was a military engagement fought between the Yugoslav People's Army (JNA) and Croatian forces defending the city of Dubrovnik and its surroundings during the Croatian War of Independence. The JNA started its advance on 1 October 1991 and by late October had captured virtually all of the territory between the Pelješac and Prevlaka peninsulas on the coast of the Adriatic Sea—except for Dubrovnik itself. The JNA attacks and bombardment of Dubrovnik, including the Old Town—a UNESCO World Heritage Site—culminated on 6 December 1991. The bombardment provoked strong international condemnation of the JNA and became a public relations disaster for Serbia and Montenegro, contributing to their diplomatic and economic isolation and the international recognition of the independence of Croatia. In May 1992, the JNA pulled back from Dubrovnik to Bosnia and Herzegovina, less than 1 kilometre (0.62 miles) from the coast in some places, and east of the city to hand over its equipment to the newly formed Army of Republika Srpska (VRS). During this time, the Croatian Army (HV) attacked from the west and pushed back the JNA/VRS from the areas east of Dubrovnik, both in Croatia and in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and by the end of May linked up with the HV unit defending the city. Fighting between the HV and the Yugoslav troops east of Dubrovnik gradually died down.

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