In the village of Ristovac near Vranja in southeastern Serbia, a ceremony was recently held in remembrance of what is referred to locally as the “Bulgarian atrocities” of 1917. The event, organized by the Vlach community and attended by military representatives, marked the 108th anniversary of the so-called "Ristovac massacre", BGNES reported.

During the commemoration, wreaths and flowers were laid at the monument dedicated to those who died in the wars between 1912 and 1918. The chairwoman of the Union of Descendants of Those Who Participated in the Wars Until 1918, Olivera Djordjevic, delivered a statement declaring that Serbia will not forget the events that took place there over a century ago. The deputy mayor of Vranja, Milan Ilic, also spoke during the ceremony.

According to the Serbian account, in 1917, Bulgarian troops, acting in retaliation for sabotage of telecommunications and railway infrastructure at the time, executed 53 male residents of the village - many of whom were over the age of 12. Women were reportedly subjected to torture, mistreatment, and rape. Their lives were spared only due to the intervention of a German officer, who refused to allow their execution. The surviving villagers were later displaced, and the settlement of Ristovac was set on fire.

Ilic emphasized that such commemorations serve as a moment of remembrance and respect, stating, “As we stand in front of the monument to our victims, we express our deepest respect and tell them that we will never forget them.”

This event comes shortly after Bulgarian Ambassador to Belgrade Petko Doykov publicly characterized relations between the two countries as “excellent.”

Source: BGNES