Major Milan Tepić, an officer of the Yugoslav People’s Army (JNA), is remembered as the last person to be declared a People’s Hero of Yugoslavia for his actions on September 29, 1991. During the Croatian War of Independence, Tepić was defending the “Barutana” weapons depot near Bjelovar when it was attacked by the Croatian National Guard (ZNG).

Facing imminent capture, Tepić chose to detonate the already mined depot, destroying it and killing himself along with 11 Croatian soldiers. Two JNA soldiers under his command, Stojadin Mirković and Dragan Draganović, had earlier refused his order to retreat and were killed fighting. Nine other JNA personnel were captured, and one was later executed by Croatian forces.

Tepić, who was posthumously awarded the title in November 1991, is often compared to Serbian revolutionary hero Stevan Sinđelić, who similarly blew up a powder magazine in 1809. Streets in Serbia and Republika Srpska bear his name, and a memorial day is observed in his hometown region.

In present-day Croatia, however, Tepić is viewed as a perpetrator who killed Croatian defenders. His remains, along with those of other soldiers, were reportedly buried in Zagreb’s Miroševec cemetery as unidentified persons.