Vladimir Barović (7 November 1939 – 29 September 1991) was a Montenegrin rear admiral in the

Yugoslav People's Army The Yugoslav People's Army (JNA/; Macedonian language, Macedonian, Montenegrin language, Montenegrin and sr-Cyrl-Latn, Југословенска народна армија, Jugoslovenska narodna armija; Croatian language, Croatian and ; , J ...

(JNA) who committed suicide after refusing an order to shell Croatian cities.

Early life and education

Barović was born in

Banja Luka Banja Luka ( sr-Cyrl, Бања Лука, ) or Banjaluka ( sr-Cyrl, Бањалука, ) is the List of cities in Bosnia and Herzegovina, second largest city in Bosnia and Herzegovina and the largest city in Republika Srpska. Banja Luka is the tr ...

on 7 November 1939 to a Montenegrin father, a JNA general and first war commander of

Priština Pristina or Prishtina ( , ), . is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. It is the administrative center of the eponymous municipality and district. In antiquity, the area of Pristina was part of the Dardanian Kingdom. The heritage of th ...

, and a Slovene mother. Shortly after his father was appointed to the position of war commander of Priština, he was dismissed because he opposed terror against

Kosovo Albanians The Albanians of Kosovo (, ), also commonly called Kosovo Albanians, Kosovan Albanians or Kosovars (), constitute the largest ethnic group in Kosovo. Kosovo Albanians belong to the Albanians, ethnic Albanian sub-group of Ghegs, who inhabit the ...

. Therefore, Barović's comrades wrote: "The old rule: From the good roots – each leaf is good."

Military career

Barović become commander of the Military-Maritime sector of

Pula Pula, also known as Pola, is the largest city in Istria County, west Croatia, and the List of cities and towns in Croatia, seventh-largest city in the country, situated at the southern tip of the Istria, Istrian peninsula in western Croatia, wi ...

after he was dismissed from the position of the commander of the Military-Maritime sector

Bay of Kotor The Bay of Kotor ( sh-Latn-Cyrl, Boka kotorska, Бока которска, separator=" / ", ), also known as the Boka ( sh-Cyrl, Бока), is a winding bay of the Adriatic Sea in southwestern Montenegro and the region of Montenegro concentrated a ...

. As commander of the Pula garrison, he took part in negotiations on the withdrawal of JNA from Pula in early 1990s. He is remembered for his statement: "Any destruction won't be conducted here while I'm in command, and if I am still forced to order the destruction of Pula and Istria, then I will no longer be here." The day after the dismissal from the position of the commander of the Military-Maritime sector of Pula, Barović was appointed deputy commander of the military district of

Split Split(s) or The Split may refer to: Places * Split, Croatia, the largest coastal city in Croatia * Split Island, Canada, an island in the Hudson Bay * Split Island, Falkland Islands * Split Island, Fiji, better known as Hạfliua Arts, enter ...

, with the headquarters on the island of Vis. Barović took the position from the Admiral Mile Kandić. On 29 September 1991 Barović got an order from the JNA headquarters in

Belgrade Belgrade is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city of Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers and at the crossroads of the Pannonian Basin, Pannonian Plain and the Balkan Peninsula. T ...

to start bombing towns in

Dalmatia Dalmatia (; ; ) is a historical region located in modern-day Croatia and Montenegro, on the eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea. Through time it formed part of several historical states, most notably the Roman Empire, the Kingdom of Croatia (925 ...

. He was against the aggression of both the JNA and Montenegrin reservists against Croatia. According to him, it was in complete contrast to the Montenegrin and military honor. He refused to enforce the order. That same evening, in the base ambulance building, Barović committed suicide. He left a suicide note in which he wrote, among other things, that he decided to

die with dignity Dignified death, death with dignity, dying with dignity or dignity in dying is an ethical concept aimed at avoiding suffering and maintaining control and autonomy in the end-of-life process. In general, it is usually treated as an extension of t ...

"because I do not want to wage war against the brotherly Croatian people", and that he did not want to "take part in the aggression of the JNA against Croats, which is for me an act contrary to the Montenegrin honor – because Montenegrins cannot fight and destroy the nation that did not do anything wrong to us." Barović was buried in

Herceg Novi Herceg Novi (Cyrillic script, Cyrillic: Херцег Нови, ) is a town in Coastal Montenegro, Coastal region of Montenegro located at the Western entrance to the Bay of Kotor and at the foot of Mount Orjen. It is the administrative center of ...

. On 13 July 2016 Montenegrin president

Filip Vujanović Filip Vujanović (, ; born 1 September 1954) is a Montenegrins, Montenegrin politician who served as the 3rd president of the Republic of Montenegro (1992–2006), Republic of Montenegro under Serbia and Montenegro from 2003 to 2006, and the 1st ...

posthumously decorated Barović with the Order for Bravery, which is awarded for "exceptional bravery and self-sacrifice expressed in extremely dangerous events in the saving of human lives and of material goods".

Ranks

* Potporučnik ( Second lieutenant) (1960) *

Ship-of-the-line captain Captain is the name most often given in English-speaking navies to the rank corresponding to command of the largest ships. The rank is equal to the army rank of colonel and air force rank of group captain. Equivalent ranks worldwide include ...

(1982) *

Rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

(1990)Nazor, Ante (2010), JNA command (January 1990 - May 1992), Zagreb: Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Croatia, the Croatian Memorial Documentation Center of the Croatian War of Independence. -p.245-286

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Barovic, Vladimir 1939 births 1991 deaths People from Banja Luka Suicides by firearm in Croatia League of Communists of Montenegro politicians 20th-century Montenegrin people Montenegrin communists Montenegrin people of Slovenian descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Montenegrin descent Bosnia and Herzegovina people of Slovenian descent

Early life and education

Military career

Ranks

See also

References