MINIĆ: FIRST LIGHT PRNJAVOR BRIGADE MADE SACRIFICE TO DEFENSE OF REPUBLIKA SRPSKA

PRNJAVOR, SEPTEMBER 19 /SRNA/ – The Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Savo Minić has stated today on Saturday that the First Light Prnjavor Infantry Brigade of the Republika Srpska Army made an immeasurable contribution to the defense of Republika Srpska and the Serb people.

"This was one of the authentic brigades of the Republika Srpska Army, formed just before the outbreak of the war and everything that happened to the Serb people. Its formation was a response by the Serb people to the suffering they had endured throughout history," Minić told reporters in Prnjavor after a ceremony marking the 35th anniversary of the brigade, through which 4,600 soldiers served.

Minić said the brigade fought on numerous battlefields and noted that its wartime commander, Colonel Vlado Živković, was known for never being more than 500 meters away from his soldiers and the front line.

"Everything we hear today should be passed on to younger generations as part of a culture of remembrance, so they know how Republika Srpska was defended and how its brave sons gave their lives for our freedom. It is up to those of us who hold political office to honor their sacrifice through our actions, through the status of veterans and through everything that needs to be done in Republika Srpska," Minić stressed.

The commemoration of the 35th anniversary of the First Light Prnjavor Brigade began on Saturday at the Memorial Church in Vučijak, where a memorial service was held for 626 soldiers from Prnjavor who were killed during the 1992-1995 war.

Around 4,600 soldiers served in the First Light Prnjavor Infantry Brigade during the war. Of them, 240 were killed and 11 are still listed as missing.