Crvice – Refugees Crossing the Drina River, January 1993

Product Description

In January 1993, during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, large numbers of refugees crossed the Drina River from Bosnia into Serbia. Reports of this mass movement brought me to the riverbank near the village of Crvice, where I encountered scenes that exceeded any prior expectations.
People were leaving their homes carrying only basic belongings, crossing the river in improvised boats, often in harsh winter conditions. Among the refugees were men, women, and elderly people. One striking detail was the presence of firearms — not hunting rifles, but military weapons — carried by some of those fleeing.
This photograph captures a moment on the riverbank: improvised luggage, a rifle placed on household appliances, and a man looking toward the river as a boat with refugees reaches the opposite shore. The image stands as a documentary record of one of many, rarely documented episodes of wartime displacement during the winter of 1993.