Belgrade, Serbia — April 25, 2000
On an April night in 2000, Živorad “Žika” Petrović returned to the street where his parents lived.
He was the chief executive of Jat Airways, Serbia’s national flag carrier, and had held the position since 1992.
But on the night of April 25, 2000, he never made it safely through the front door.
As Petrović parked his company-issued Audi outside his parents’ home in Belgrade, two attackers approached.
Seconds later, he was dead.
The shooting was carried out with such apparent precision that the identity of the gunmen—and the reason they wanted Petrović dead—remained unknown.
More than two decades later, his assassination remains unsolved.
FROM ENGINEERING TO THE TOP OF JAT AIRWAYS
Živorad Petrović was born in 1939.
He studied transportation engineering at the University of Belgrade, graduating from its Faculty of Transport in 1968.
His professional career eventually brought him to the country’s national airline.
In 1992, Petrović became the CEO of Jat Airways.
By the end of the decade, he was a prominent figure in Serbian business circles.
But Petrović’s position was not his only connection to the country’s political establishment.
He was also a member of the Socialist Party of Serbia, the political party headed at the time by Slobodan Milošević.
That political connection would later become one of the details surrounding speculation about his killing.
THE NIGHT OF THE ASSASSINATION
It was approximately 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, April 25, 2000.
Petrović was outside his parents’ home at 20 Jaša Prodanović Street in Belgrade.
He was reportedly parking his metallic-gray Audi, a vehicle issued by Jat Airways.
Then the attackers struck.
According to reports, two gunmen approached from behind and fired at Petrović.
He was hit by four bullets to the head and back.
A B92 reporter who arrived at the scene counted five spent bullet casings, while Blic reported that more than ten shots had been fired.
There was also a striking detail about the attack.
Despite the gunfire, people in the neighborhood reportedly did not hear the shooting.
This led to reports that the attackers may have used a silencer.
The killers disappeared.
Petrović did not survive.
A RAPID POLICE RESPONSE
Neighbors later recalled that police arrived very quickly.
The street was sealed off as investigators began examining the scene.
Among those who arrived was Radomir Marković, then head of Yugoslavia’s State Security Service.
But despite the immediate response, the investigation did not produce a publicly established killer or motive.
The assassination became another unsolved killing during a particularly violent period in Serbia.
A COUNTRY IN THE MIDDLE OF A KILLING SPREE
Petrović’s murder occurred during a year in which a number of prominent Serbian and Yugoslav figures were assassinated.
The killings included criminal figures such as Željko “Arkan” Ražnatović, Radoslav “Bata Trlaja” Trlajić, Branislav “Dugi” Lainović, Zoran “Ćanda” Davidović, and Zoran “Skole” Uskoković.
Political figures were also targeted.
Pavle Bulatović was assassinated in February 2000, while former Serbian politician Ivan Stambolić was later abducted and murdered that August.
There were also two unsuccessful attempts on the life of opposition politician Vuk Drašković.
Against that backdrop, Petrović’s assassination immediately attracted attention.
Western publications speculated about possible motives and whether his death was connected to the broader wave of killings taking place across the country.
But speculation was not the same as a proven explanation.
No definitive motive for Petrović’s murder was established in the information provided here.
WHO WANTED ŽIKA PETROVIĆ DEAD?
That question has remained at the heart of the case.
Petrović was a powerful business executive.
He was also politically connected through his membership in the Socialist Party of Serbia.
And he was killed in a carefully executed attack outside the home of his own parents.
Yet the identity of the person—or people—who ordered or carried out the assassination has never been conclusively established in the source material.
There is no confirmed answer explaining whether the killing was connected to his business career, political associations, personal relationships, or something else entirely.
A MURDER STILL WITHOUT AN ANSWER
The circumstances of Živorad “Žika” Petrović’s death have remained one of Serbia’s unresolved mysteries from the turbulent year 2000.
He left behind a career that had taken him from transportation engineering to the leadership of the country’s national airline.
Then, on a quiet Belgrade street, his life ended in a carefully executed shooting.
Two attackers approached.
Shots were fired.
A prominent executive was dead.
And the men responsible disappeared into the night.
More than two decades later, the central questions remain:
Who ordered the assassination of Žika Petrović?
Who pulled the trigger?
And why was the head of Jat Airways targeted outside his parents’ home?
Until those questions are answered, the killing of Živorad “Žika” Petrović remains an unsolved assassination.
This story is based on publicly available information and reported facts. It has been independently written and presented for informational purposes. Images, if any, belong to their respective owners.