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siege, major, Cold War

Siege of Dubrovnik

Siege of Dubrovnik was a siege conducted on 1 October 1991 at Dubrovnik, in what is now Croatia; it lasted 8 months. It was part of the Croatian War of Independence, which ran from 1991 to 1995. The recorded result: Croatian victory; Siege lifted; Yugoslav troops withdraw. Recorded strength: 7,000 against 480-1,000 (1991).

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View of the Old Town of Dubrovnik from Fort Imperial
View of the Old Town of Dubrovnik from Fort Imperial. Bracodbk, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
Fought1 October 1991lasted 8 months
WhereDubrovnik, Croatia42.641N, 18.109E
OutcomeCroatian victory; Siege lifted; Yugoslav troops withdraw
BelligerentsSFR Yugoslavia; (before April 1992); FR Yugoslavia; (after April 1992); Dubrovnik Republic; (before May 1992)againstCroatia
Casualties and losses165 killedand194 killed
Part ofCroatian War of Independence1991 to 1995

Where it sits in the Croatian War of Independence

Pakrac clash, 19911991 Siege of Kijevo, 1991Battle of Borovo Selo, 1991Battle of Glina, 1991Battle of Osijek, 1991Battle of Vukovar, 1991Battle of Gospić, 1991Battle of Kusonje, 1991Battle of the Barracks, 1991Siege of Bjelovar Barracks, 1991Siege of Varaždin Barracks, 1991Battle of Šibenik, 1991Battle of Zadar, 1991Siege of Dubrovnik, 1991Operation Swath-10, 1991Battle of the Dalmatian channels, 199119911991Siege of Dubrovnik, 1991
16 placed engagements of the Croatian War of Independence in time order; taller ticks are more widely documented. Each tick is a link.

Record

Date1 October 1991
to 31 May 1992
PlaceDubrovnik, Croatia
42.641N, 18.109E
KindSiege, Cold War
Strength7,000480-1,000 (1991)
Casualties and losses165 killed194 killed; 82-88 Croatian civilians killed; 16,000 Croatian refugees; Significant damage of historical parts of Old Dubrovnik from JNA shelling
Commanders
  • Veljko Kadijević
  • Pavle Strugar
  • Miodrag Jokić
  • Vladimir Kovačević (military officer)
  • Slobodan Milošević
  • Aco Apolonio
  • Janko Bobetko
Siege of DubrovnikSiege of DubrovnikSiege of RagusaSiege of RagusaBattle of BilećaSiege of CastelnuovoBattle of GrahovacBattle of BilećaSiege of CastelnuovoSarajevoSplitMostarShkodërPecŠibenikKrujëLezhë100 km42.641N, 18.109E
The recorded site, with the nearest other engagements in the atlas. Present-day coastlines, rivers and borders; towns from Natural Earth.

The ground today

Relief of the ground around the site of Siege of Dubrovnik
Relief within about 10.0 km of the site, contours every 50 m. Copernicus DEM GLO-30, ESA.
Satellite view of the site of Siege of Dubrovnik today
The same ground from Sentinel-2 on 2024-08-01. Contains modified Copernicus Sentinel data 2024.

The recorded site stands at about 13 m; within 10.0 km the ground runs from -5 to 621 m, 626 m of relief, steep country and today it is 47% water, 26% tree cover, 14% shrubland.

water: 47%tree cover: 26%shrubland: 14%built-up: 11%water 47%tree cover 26%shrubland 14%built-up 11%
west to east, 10.0 km0 to 314 mnorth to south, 10.0 km0 to 578 m
Elevation from the Copernicus DEM GLO-30 (ESA, Airbus); land cover from ESA WorldCover 2021 (CC BY 4.0), within about 5 km of the recorded site. Computed, not recorded.

Nearest engagements

Contested ground: this site was fought over 3 times between AD 866 and 1991.

In the same war

Elsewhere in 1991

Siege of Dubrovnik is one of 2,997 engagements of the 20th century in the atlas and one of 99 in present-day Croatia.

Sources

Identity, coordinates, dates and the war from Wikidata Q815140, released under CC0. Result, belligerents, commanders, strength and casualties from the infobox of the English Wikipedia article Siege of Dubrovnik, revision 1377708496, read 2026-11-14, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0; the article's text is not reproduced here. Present-day country and state from Natural Earth. Dates before 1582 follow the Julian calendar as recorded.