October the 26th, 2026 – Rudolf Perešin refused to shoot at his own people, instead escaping the JNA and flying to Austria.
On the 25th of October 1991, pilot Rudolf Perešin, then a member of the Yugoslav Air Force, defected in a Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 fighter from the JNA base in Bihać to Klagenfurt, Austria. Index writes that with that act, he became one of the symbols of resistance and the struggle for Croatia’s independence. After landing in Austria, the public forever remembered his statement: “I am a Croat and I won’t shoot at my own people.”
His MiG-21 was never returned to the Yugoslav People’s Army. It remained in Austria, and Perešin soon joined the Croatian Army and the Croatian Air Force. He became commander of the 1st Fighter Squadron and took part in numerous combat missions during the Homeland War.
During the military-police operation Flash, which took place on the 2nd of May 1995, Perešin’s aircraft was hit in the sky above western Slavonia. He managed to eject, but landed in territory controlled by enemy forces and was killed. His remains were found only two years later – on the 4th of August 1997. He was buried with full military honours on 15 September 1997 at Mirogoj Cemetery in Zagreb. Rudolf Perešin has remained a lasting symbol of courage, patriotism and professional honour of Croatian pilots. His legendary MiG-21 is today exhibited in Zagreb as a reminder of one of the most important moments in the history of the Croatian Air Force.
The aircraft in which Perišin defected was displayed in a museum in Klagenfurt until 2019, when it was returned to Croatia.
The post “I Won’t Shoot My Own People” – How Perišin Escaped the JNA in a MiG appeared first on Total Croatia.