On this day, exactly twenty-six years ago, three-year-old Milica Rakić was killed. She was struck by shrapnel while sitting on a potty in her family home in Batajnica. Today, she would have been 29 years old. May she be remembered with honor.
The NATO bombing of the Federal Republic of Yugoslavia resulted in a large number of victims, among whom Milica Rakić holds a special place. She lost her life innocently during the criminal aggression of 1999. No one has been held accountable for her death to this day. We must not allow ourselves to forget what happened.
A little before 10 p.m. on April 17, 1999, a piece of shrapnel from a guided Tomahawk missile struck the small child. After a powerful explosion, the windows of the house shattered, tiles and pieces of the facade flew off. Her father, Žarko, ran toward the bathroom, whose door was open, and saw a horrifying sight.
Milica was lying dead on the floor, surrounded by a pool of blood. Her father thought the child was still alive and quickly drove her to the hospital, where doctors could only confirm her death.
A great tragedy for the family, but also for the entire Serbian nation. Milica became a symbol of an era and deserves to always be remembered.
There is a monument to Milica Rakić located in Tašmajdan Park in Belgrade.
The Serbian Orthodox Church has initiated the process of canonizing Milica Rakić, which would declare her a saint. In the far south of Republika Srpska, in the Tvrdoš Monastery near Trebinje, a fresco has been created with the image of Milica Rakić, and icons are also being made. The inscription on the fresco reads: “St. New Martyr of NATO. Milica the Child.”
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Source: Svi Srbi u Parizu, Foto: Privatna arhiva