The Croatian war did not bring the short, sharp victory that many Serbs had been led to expect.
After Croatia declared independence, the Serb minority in Croatia - who had proclaimed regional autonomy in Krajina - looked to Milosevic for support. He responded with typical bravado: "We believe that Serbs have the legitimate right to live in one country. If we must fight then by God, we will fight," he said.
By December 1991, the Yugoslav People's Army and Serbian separatists had taken nearly a third of Croatia's territory, including Krajina and most of eastern and western Slavonia.
But the cost of the war was high. Soldiers were deserting in their thousands, and suicide was common. Up to 20,000 people were killed, and 400,000 people made homeless. Any Serb triumph was further dampened by the UN's imposition of economic sanctions.
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