Ilija Dunovski, 102, dies in Ohrid; veteran of 1941 liberation struggle
Veteran and Partisan Memorial 1941 recipient, Dunovski was a founder and member of the First Macedonian Assault Brigade.
Ilija Dunovski, a veteran of the 1941 National Liberation and anti-fascist struggle, has died in Ohrid at the age of 102, the family announced. He was a recipient of the Partisan Memorial 1941 and one of the founders and members of the First Macedonian Assault Brigade formed to liberate Macedonia.
Life as a partisan and public memory
Dunovski took part in the resistance movement from 1941 and later received official recognition for his wartime service with the Partisan Memorial 1941. His role as a founder and member of the First Macedonian Assault Brigade ties him to one of the key formations established during the liberation effort.
In a family statement, his relatives said he would be remembered for a phrase he often repeated: "War, like all struggles in life, is not won by weapons, but by the heart."
The announcement did not provide further details about funeral arrangements. His death marks the passing of one of the last surviving participants from the earliest phase of the National Liberation struggle in the region.
Dunovski reached the age of 102. The family conveyed the news to the public and highlighted his long connection to the partisan generation that shaped the country's mid-century history.
Photo: Приватна архива)
