09.03.2026.
A meeting was held today at the Homeland War Memorial Centre in Vukovar on the subject of continuing field research at the location Petrovačka dola, a former landfill where the remains of victims of the Homeland War were found.Apart from Tomo Medved, the Deputy Prime Minister and minister of veterans and other representatives of the Ministry of Croatian Veterans, the meeting was attended by the director of the Fund Luka Balen and his associates, as well as MEP Nikola Mažar, Vukovar-Srijem County prefect Ivan Bosančić, deputy mayor of Vukovar Filip Sušac, director of the Public Institution Memorial Centre of the Homeland War Vukovar Krunoslav Šeremet, and representatives of security and intelligence agencies, the State Inspectorate of the Republic of Croatia, and the utility company Komunalac d.o.o. from Vukovar.
From 1974 until 2022, Petrovačka dola used to be a landfill. Following indications that there were remains of persons missing in the Homeland War at the location, searching activities began in 2022. After two years of searching, the first victim remains were found in May 2024, thus making it a mass grave site. It is one of the most demanding and longest-lasting investigations of a mass grave site from the Homeland War.
Over a period of 800 working days, more than 167 thousand m3 of waste were excavated, inspected and transported from the former landfill, and the so-called “asbestos pyramid” was removed, under which more than 43 thousand m3 of waste were inspected and removed to date.
To remove the recently deposited waste with an estimated volume of about 130,000 m3, in July 2025 the Government adopted a Decision on continuation of the implementation of field research activities at the site, and at today's meeting, further steps for the implementation of these activities were discussed. This includes the launch of a new public procurement procedure to continue the removal of waste, as well as preparatory work on the ground to continue the investigation. In order to enable the continuation of trial excavations in the area that was used as a landfill during the temporary occupation of Vukovar, a conclusion was made to remove the existing parking lot and access road on part of the site.
After the meeting, the participants visited Petrovačka dola to see first had the current situation on site and which further activities were planned.
