- by croatiaweek
- April 25, 2026
- in
(Photo: Ministry of Croatian Veterans)
ZAGREB, 24 April 2026 – Two new mass graves containing the remains of at least 23 victims from the Second World War and its immediate aftermath have been discovered in a forested area of Zagreb, Croatian authorities have confirmed.
The graves were located in Lešće forest in the Gornja Dubrava district during ongoing field investigations led by the Ministry of Croatian Veterans.
The discovery follows a recent find in nearby Čučerje, where the remains of three victims from the same period were uncovered.
According to initial findings, one grave measuring approximately 4 by 4.5 metres contains the remains of at least 13 individuals, while a second grave measuring 5.8 by 2 metres holds at least 10 victims.
(Photo: Ministry of Croatian Veterans)
Authorities believe the victims were killed in 1945 and 1946, during the post-war period.
Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Croatian Veterans Tomo Medved visited the site, accompanied by officials and investigators involved in the search. He stated that evidence suggests the victims were bound with wire, stripped of clothing, and thrown into the pits.
“This discovery reflects the brutality of the crimes committed and the inhumane treatment of the victims,” Medved said, adding that similar findings have been encountered at other sites across the country.
(Photo: Ministry of Croatian Veterans)
The location is one of 44 examined in the wider Zagreb area to date, where the remains of 437 victims from the Second World War and post-war period have already been exhumed.
Medved emphasised that the work forms part of a broader national effort to locate, exhume and provide dignified burials for all victims of wartime and post-war crimes.
“We have the expertise, the equipment, and above all the determination to find all mass graves and account for the missing,” he said, stressing that “no crime and no victim will be forgotten.”
The minister also highlighted recent related efforts, including the discovery of a mass grave with at least 15 victims near Zagvozd on Biokovo mountain, as well as ongoing investigations in neighbouring Slovenia. Croatia is also preparing to take over the remains of 500 victims killed during the so-called “Way of the Cross” death marches, with plans for burial in Croatia.
(Photo: Ministry of Croatian Veterans)
Witness testimony played a key role in the Zagreb discoveries. Local resident Josip Križ, who passed on information inherited from earlier generations, expressed both sadness at the victims’ fate and relief that their remains have finally been found and will be laid to rest with dignity.
Authorities reiterated that, alongside investigations into historical crimes, priority remains the search for those missing from the 1991–1995 Homeland War.
(Photo: Ministry of Croatian Veterans)
Over the past decade, the Ministry of Croatian Veterans has investigated more than 630 locations across Croatia linked to the Second World War and post-war period.
Exhumations have been carried out at over 90 sites in 16 counties, with the remains of more than 2,200 victims recovered. Of those, 2,046 have been given a dignified burial.
Further investigations are ongoing at several sites in the eastern part of Zagreb, with preliminary ground-penetrating radar surveys indicating possible additional burial locations.