“Hrvatski vojnik” celebrates 25th anniversary

A ceremony marking the anniversary was attended by the Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Damir Krstičević, the Minister of Justice Ante Šprlje, the Envoy and National Security Advisor to the President of the Republic, Maja Čavlović, the Director of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Rear admiral Robert Hranj, the forner editors and staff of the magazine, of the Ministry of Defence and of the Croatian Armed Forces.

The Minister congratulated the “Hrvatski vojnik“ staff on the important anniversary and recalled himself reading the very first issues, when combat situations allowed him. “Browsing through “Hrvatski vojnik“ we were in touch with the fate of our fellow combatants in battlefields hroughout Croatia moments and we could read about the examples of heroic defence, patriotism and sacrifice for our homeland. “Hrvatski vojnik“ also covered the success stories of our soldiers growing into a guarantee of the  Croatian present and future, thanks to their experience and the readiness to acquire new knowlede and capabilities..
It is most gratifying to see the scope of activity broadened over the past 25 years, keeping up with the times and opening new communication channels. I express my appreciation to all of you who have taken part in the creation and production of “Hrvatski vojnik“.

The Editor-in-Chief of “Hrvatski vojnik“ Željko Stipanović recalled the first issue of the magazine, in late November 1991, amidst the heaviest battles in defence of Croatia.
Over the past 25 years “Hrvatski vojnik“ has witnessed to the victories of the Croatian units and placed large emphasis on portraying the Croatian soldiers in all our feature stories.
We have been working hard for 25 years to present and the Croatian Armed Forces to the public in words, photos and videos, and we continue to do follow and to highlight the achievements of our Armed Force.
The Envoy and Advisor to the President of the Republic, Maja Čavlović forwarded the congratulations from  the President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarović: “I am extending congatulations to the editorial board of the “ Hrvatski vojnik“ magazine on this respectable anniversary. You covered all our important battles and victories during the Homeland War and in the peace time growth of the Croatian Armed Forces; we owe you gratitude for 25 years of faithful service to the homeland for 25 years and  25 years of producing “Hrvatski vojnik“.

The Director of the General Staff of the Croatian Armed Forces, Rear admiral Robert Hranj emphasised the imporant role of the “Hrvatski vojnik“magazine  in the Homeland War. Your professional coverage spread the truth about the Homeland War. Today “Hrvatski vojnik“ has become the brand of the Croatian Armed Forces“, said Rear admiral Hranj.

The first issue  of “Hrvatski vojnik“, the official magazine of the Ministry of Defence, came out in late November 1991, during the heaviest defensive campaigns, soon to become a brand in the Croatian military and to gain recognition outside the borders of the Republic of Croatia. Initially a bi-weekly, “Hrvatski vojnik“ covered faithfully the operations and feats by the Croatian defenders but also offered the basic military technical content. It gradually expanded and featured a greater number of relevant articles. The magazine kept the format until May 1995, when it was redesigned into a military expert monthly magazine, while the magazine “Velebit“ published feature stories and important information for the Croatian defenders.
“Velebit“ was published as a weekly until June 2000, when it was superseded by “Obrana“ (“Defence“) , graphically superior and partly colour- printed. 
The military magazine and the weekly titled “Obrana“ (“Defence“) in 2004 merged into one magazine which kept the title “Hrvatski vojnik“, first a weekly and since 2014 a bi-weekly, published by the Public Affairs and Publishing Service of the Ministry of Defence.

The editiorial staff has over the time expanded the platform and promoted the members of the Croatian Armed Forces through books, photo monographs and videos, which have repeatedly won awards at the international level. 

Snce 2008 it has published a magazine in the English language (“CROMIL“), internationalising the engagements, capabilities and the contributions of the Croatian Armed Forces members and units.

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