07.10.2026.
Documentary film “Priština Corps – Our Fatherland Commands Us” premieres in Niš
Minister of Defence Bratislav Gašić and the Chief of the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff, General Milan Mojsilović, attended the premiere of part one of the documentary film “Priština Corps – Our Fatherland Commands Us” today at the Military Club in Niš. The documentary is produced by the "Zastava Film" Military Film Centre, an organisational unit of the Public Relations Department at the Ministry of Defence.
The documentary is dedicated to all members of the Priština Corps, ensuring that their superhuman heroism and sacrifices made in defence of their homeland during 1998 and 1999 are never forgotten.Addressing the audience, Minister Gašić said it was difficult to find words powerful and clear enough to accurately describe the film. He expressed pride in the military film institution for saving from oblivion and preserving for future generations the testimony of the heroism of exceptional personnel who had fought for the freedom of Serbia and its people during challenging times.
- The system and the state have demonstrated that the memory of the exploits performed by the Priština Corps of the Third Army in defending Kosovo and Metohija and our homeland has become an integral part of our collective memory and identity. We have managed to resist the destructive process of self-denial, stopping and reversing the shameful alienation from the character and deeds of our warriors and heroes – the Minister of Defence said.
He highlighted our shared belief that “the highest honour belongs to those who stood on the front lines and the most sacred memory is reserved for those who laid down their lives defending the homeland”.- As long as that flame of honour burns within us and as longs as that memory lives on, we will know who we are and what we are. Seeking to alienate us from ourselves, those who wish us ill struck at that very sense of deep connection to our heroic and freedom-loving struggle, to a past filled with heroism and suffering. We have gathered here today to send a message – they have failed – stressed the Minister of Defence.
Minister Gašić noted that the period depicted in the film was one of the most difficult periods in our history.
- While the majority of our country lived in peace during 1998, people were being killed in Kosovo and Metohija. Police officers and soldiers died, civilians were brutally killed by terrorists who hypocritically called themselves a “liberation army”. That army of bandits and criminals kidnapped and murdered innocent civilians, raped girls and women, engaged in human organ trafficking. The people to whom this film is dedicated were not just fighting to preserve our country's sovereignty, they were fighting against evil – the Minister of Defence emphasised.Addressing the veterans of the Priština Corps, Minister Gašić expressed his gratitude for their courage and sacrifice.
- Thank you for your sleepless nights, for the blood you lost and the wounds you suffered. Thank you for refusing to yield and for wearing the insignia of our army and state with dignity. Stand proud, for your actions match those of Miloš and Lazar – Minister Gašić said, adding that the film should serve as a lasting testament to an era, to the men who honourably wore their country’s uniform and saved face of the Serbian soldier, but also to our responsibility not to let their sacrifice be forgotten.
Minister Gašić expressed his gratitude to General Lazarević for initiating the project, as well as to all contributors whose testimonies “make up the mosaic of this great and important story”.- Congratulations to the production crew of the "Zastava Film" Military Film Centre for this outstanding documentary. Keep on working on the “Priština Corps” project with the same enthusiasm and dedication. Your work leaves a mark on history and makes us all proud – the Minister of Defence said.
General Vladimir Lazarević (retd), who served as Chief of Staff of the Priština Corps in 1998 and its Commander, said it was his privilege to attend the premiere of part one of the film “Our Fatherland Commands Us”, commemorating the heroic personnel of the legendary, unyielding Priština Corps, who had sacrificed their lives defending their homeland. He thanked the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces for making the documentary.
- On behalf of all personnel of the Priština Corps, I express my gratitude to the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces General Staff for enabling the production of the “Warrior” series over the past ten years, as well as the making and production of a series of documentaries about brigades and the Priština Corps heroes, including this film. This reflects the attitude of the state of Serbia towards its defenders and sets the stage for new chapters of history – said General Lazarević. He highlighted that the title “Our Fatherland Commands Us” was linked to an iconic message sent by the heroic personnel of the Priština Coprs from the trenches across Košare, Paštrik, and the whole of Kosovo and Metohija.Following the screening, the production crew from the "Zastava Film" Military Film Centre introduced themselves to the audience.
The premiere was attended by members of the Defence Minister’s and the Chief of the General Staff’s collegiums, representatives of local governments, members of the Ministry of Defence and the Serbian Armed Forces, directors of public and private enterprises, veterans and members of associations, families of fallen service personnel, and numerous guests.The Priština Corps was an operational formation of the Third Army, operating within its AOR in Kosovo and Metohija. The formation had the most developed organisational structure within the Yugoslav Armed Forces. Throughout 1998 and onwards, the Priština Corps served as the core formation in national defence. Four brigades of the Yugoslav Armed Forces that operated under the command of the Priština Corps and the Third Army - the 549th, the 125th, and the 37th Motorised Brigades, and the 63rd Parachute Brigade, were awarded the state's highest military decoration - the Order of the People’s Hero, in recognition of their soldiers’ and officers’ extraordinary heroic deeds in defence of the homeland.
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