Operation "Spider"

After the defeat of autonomists in the course of Operation Tigre 94, the commander of the Fifth Corps, Atif Dudakovich, launched a major offensive outside the enclave ^[1] . At the end of October 1994, he managed to repel the army of the Republika Srpska significant territories in the west of the Bosnian Krajina.

Lieutenant-General Manoylo Milovanovic, Chief of the General Staff of the Republic of Serbian Army, demanded that the UN intervene and return everything to positions as of October 23 . However, in response, the UNPROFOR command threatened the Serbs with NATO air strikes ^[2] . On 29 October, the President of the Republika Srpska, Radovan Karadzic, declared a “state of war” in the area of ​​responsibility of the Second Krainsky Corps and the mobilization of all men capable of carrying weapons in the area. At the same time, the Fifth Corps of the enemy surrounded Bosanska Krupa and occupied a territory with a total area of ​​250 km ² . On October 30, Milovanovic arrived in Bosanska Krupa.

Initially, the task of the troops under the command of Milovanovic included the return of the territories occupied by the enemy on October 24 - 31 . Later, the government of the Republika Srpska decided simultaneously with the counter-offensive in the south of the Bihac pocket to strike in the north in order to restore the Autonomous Region of Western Bosnia .

On November 4, the counter-offensive of the troops of the Republika Srpska began, the city of Kulen Vakuf was liberated, and on November 6, the village of Chukovi, 14 km north of it. It served as an important strategic point from which the Bosnian Serbs were given strong fire support from the artillery of the Republic of Serb Krajina . On 9 November , the Bosnian bridgehead was liquidated on the southern bank of the Una, northeast of Bosanskaya Krupa , and an important road junction was released in Drenovo Close on the Krupa - Bihac highway. At the same time, the Krajina Serbs involved in the operation, escorted by the Republika Srpska Air Force, blocked Muslim reserves around Bihac .

Soon General Milovanovic, the head of Operation Shield 94, halted the offensive and offered to capitulate to the Fifth Corps, but Commander Dudakovich refused to do so. On November 20, the Serbs returned all the territories lost in October, and Milovanovic reported on the victory. On this the first phase of the operation “Shield 94” is completed ^[3] .

While in the south of the Bihac’s pocket the Bosnian Serb counteroffensive took place, preparations for the reconstruction of the AOZB began in the north. On November 10, three brigades of the People’s Defense were formed with a total of 5,000 men deployed in the Great Kladusha area . The Republic of Serbian Krajina allocated 6,500 soldiers for the operation, 500 “red berets” from Serbia were identified as the strike force.

For the purpose of the operation itself, the Spider Operational Group was formed, headed by Major General SVK Mile Novakovich. However, the real operation was managed by Colonel RDB (Serbian State Security) and the commander of the “Red Berets” “Rai” Bozovic. In addition, the operation was monitored by high-ranking officials from Belgrade : the head of the RDB, Jovica Stanišić, and the chief of all the special units of the RDB (including the “red berets”) “Frenki” Simatovich.

According to the plan, the combined forces of the Serbs and the autonomists must divert the reserves of the Fifth Corps to themselves so that the Spider can take the Great Kladus and the Republic of Srpska forces develop an offensive east of Bihac . In case of success, both units must meet in the Tsazin area, which would mean a complete rout of the Fifth Corps. After that, these parts were planned to be brought under the control of Fikret Abdic .

On November 16, an operation began to capture the Great Kladusha . For the next seven days, heavy fighting was fought between the Serbs and the 506th Mountain Brigade of the Army of Bosnia and Herzegovina . The numerically superior powers of the Serbs and the autonomists were able to move forward, but not so quickly due to fears of large human victims. However, the 503rd, 505th and 517th brigades soon arrived to help the Bosnians. The main battles flared up south of the city, where Serbs and autonomists attempted to cut the road of Velika Kladusa - Tsazin to complicate the situation for the city’s defenders. After the OG practically took control of this road, the units of the People’s Defense and the JMC began to prepare for the assault on the city. However, the operation was unexpectedly interrupted. In parallel, the Serbs carried out offensive operations on the western and southwestern approaches to Bihac ^[3] .

The UN came out with harsh criticism of the Serb offensive. Accusing the Serbs of violating the “no-fly zone” in Bosnia and taking advantage of the permission of the Croats to use the airspace ^[4] , NATO aircraft struck on November 21 against the RSK air base in Udbina and the air defense of the Republika Srpska east of Bihac .

On January 1, 1995, a comprehensive cease-fire plan, which was proposed by former US president Jimmy Carter , entered into force. Radovan Karadzic and the political leadership of the Republika Srpska signed an armistice agreement with the apparent displeasure of the military, who believed that Operation Shield should be continued at all costs. Colonel Milovan Milutinovic, head of the Serbian Republika Information Service, in his well-known letter addressed to the Commander-in-Chief, stated that “the suspension of operations at Bihac was a great mistake, the result of which was the loss of a strategic initiative” . The consequences, indeed, were catastrophic for both the Serbian Krajina and the Republika Srpska . In 1995, the surviving Fifth Corps, together with the Croatian army , carried out Operation Storm , which led to the death of Serbian Krajina and Western Bosnia .

• Abdiceva SRBO-nomija - Operacija Pauk 1.dio (6.42 minutes; history of the insurrection of Fikret Abdic , interview of Atif Dudakovic ; negotiations of Slobodan Milosevic , Radovan Karadzic and Fikret Abdic , shots of fights)
• Abdiceva SRBO-nomija - Operacija Pauk 3.dio (7.28 minutes; interview with Manoylo Milovanovic , Atif Dudakovic ; negotiations of Slobodan Milosevic , Zoran Djindjic and Richard Holbrooke ; shots of battles and mass exodus of Serbs after Operation Storm )