13 years since the helicopter crash in which 11 members of the Army of the Republic of North Macedonia tragically lost their lives, when returning from the ALTHEA peacekeeping mission in Bosnia and Herzegovina, were marked by laying fresh flowers at their memorial.
With a minute of silence and wreaths of fresh flowers, besides family members, delegations from the Ministry of Defence and the General Staff of the Republic of North Macedonia paid tribute at the memorial near Katlanovo Blace. Among the present were Deputy Chief of General Staff, Major General Azim Nuredin, MOD State Secretary, Dragan Nikolicj, representatives from the Cabinet of the President of the Republic of North Macedonia, Operations Command, Air Force WING, 1st Mechanized Infantry Brigade and Municipality of Petrovec.
In accordance with the COVID-19 prevention protocols of the Commission for Protection against Infectious Disease, the helicopter crash anniversary was also marked at the memorial in the barracks “Strasho Pindzur” in Petrovec, by the Air Force WING and the families of the dead soldiers.
A commemorative ceremony, in honour of the eleven dead soldiers, was held at Camp Butmir, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where our peacekeepers were part of the ALTHEA mission.
The helicopter MI-17 crashed on 12th January, 2008, near Katlanovo Blace, returning from ALTHEA mission, when Lieutenant Toni Spasovski, Major Goran Ristovski, Captains Brane Spasovski and Igor Gjoreski, Master Sergeants Slavcho Vasilev and Toni Davitkovski, Staff Sergeants Janko Shirikj and Aleksandar Taskovski, Sergeants Miki Ivanovski and Aleksandar Vasikj, Corporal Zlatko Veljanovski, tragically lost their lives.
