The Republic of Srpska

The 33rd anniversary of the establishment of the Sixth Detachment of the Special Police Brigade was marked today at the Training Centre in Zalužani near Banja Luka. The commemoration included a memorial service at the Church of St. Archangel Michael, laying of wreaths at the monument to fallen members of the detachment, and a visit to the Memorial Room within the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit, which preserves the memory of all members of the Special Police Brigade.

Wreaths were laid by the families of the fallen, envoys of the Serb member of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republic of Srpska National Assembly, Minister of the Interior of the Republic of Srpska, Mr Željko Budimir, delegations of veterans’ associations from the Republic of Srpska and Serbia, representatives of all detachments of the Special Police Brigade, the City of Banja Luka, and others.

Minister of the Interior, Mr Željko Budimir emphasized that Republic of Srpska was born through an exhausting struggle and continues to exist thanks to its heroes, those who sacrificed their lives, those who survived, and those who were left disabled.      

“Today, members of the Ministry of the Interior stand among the heroes of the Republic of Srpska, and that is the most important message of this and every other anniversary,” said Minister Budimir.

He added that these are not mere formal commemorations, but living encounters between generations bound by the same mission. “They created the Republic of Srpska; it is our duty to preserve and strengthen it,” Minister Budimir pointed out.

Goran Sladojević, President of the Veterans’ Association of the Sixth Detachment of the Special Police Brigade, recalled that members of this unit served on battlefields across the Republic of Srpska.

“We operated in the areas of the Herzegovina front, the Sarajevo-Romanija region, and within the First and Second Krajina Corps zones. Thirteen of our members gave their lives for the Republic of Srpska, and 212 were wounded,” Sladojević said, emphasizing the importance of preserving both the Republic of Srpska and the memory of fallen colleagues.

The Sixth Detachment, one of the elite special units, was established in Banja Luka in 1992. Between its founding and 1995, a total of 511 members served within its ranks.