Croatia Still Searching for 1,725 Missing from Homeland War After 35 Years

Thirty-five years after the start of the Homeland War, Croatia is still searching for 1,725 people who went missing or were killed and whose burial places remain unknown, according to the Ministry of Croatian Veterans. The figures were released ahead of the Day of Remembrance for Homeland War Victims and the Day of Remembrance for the Victims of Vukovar and Škabrnja, marked annually on 18 November.

Over the past year, search procedures were concluded for 21 people. Since October 2016, the remains of 343 individuals have been positively identified, 108 of whom had long been unidentifiable. Of the 1,725 still missing, 320 are linked to the eastern town of Vukovar, the largest unresolved group connected to a single city.

Ministry officials say the greatest obstacles are a lack of reliable data on hidden grave locations, the passage of time reducing the chance of new information, and the fact that many witnesses have died. Terrain has also changed significantly due to landfill, construction, waste disposal, and other interventions. Misinformation further complicates the search when unverified claims are repeated as facts.

Despite these challenges, seven mass graves and over 45 individual graves have been discovered since October 2016, with remains of at least 235 people exhumed. The largest number of missing persons and discovered graves are in Vukovar-Srijem and Osijek-Baranja counties, where 72 mass graves have been found and 539 people are still sought. In Sisak-Moslavina County, 44 mass graves have been uncovered and 463 people remain missing.

Between October 2016 and October 2026, comprehensive field investigations were conducted at 453 locations, covering more than one million square metres. The most demanding site is Petrovačka dola in Vukovar, where systematic research since April 2022 has led to the identification of 38 Croatian defenders and civilians, mostly taken from Vukovar in autumn 1991. Excavations there required digging through 17 metres of waste; the area was used as a landfill for decades after the war.

Complex field research is also underway at Priljev in Vukovar, where the old Vuka riverbed area was significantly altered by wartime and post-war dumping of construction debris and waste. So far, about 8,500 square metres have been investigated, with 15,850 square metres of waste and debris examined and removed.

Prime Minister Andrej Plenković and Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved recently visited Petrovačka dola, highlighting the ongoing commitment to finding all missing persons.