Planting a Flag in an Uninhabited Forest: "We Established a Neutral Country"... The New Eastern European Nation Created by a 20-Year-Old

Founding of the "Verdis Free Republic" in the Danube Forests
A Flag Raised in Uninhabited Woods, Declaring "We Want to Be Neutral"
Claims of "Croatian Invasion"... No Cases of Recognition

A new country has emerged in the forests along the border between Croatia and Serbia. On September 1, Yonhap News reported that "a self-proclaimed 'Verdis Free Republic' has been established in an uninhabited forest area along the Danube River between Croatia and Serbia." According to the official website of the Verdis Free Republic and the website of the President's Office, the country was founded by President Daniel Jackson and his administration on May 30, 2019, and is currently operating as a provisional government.

A self-proclaimed "Verdiss Free Republic" has been established in an uninhabited forest area along the Danube River between Croatia and Serbia. Official website of Verdiss Free Republic

According to the claims of the Verdis Republic, its territory consists of land that, due to a border dispute between Croatia and Serbia following the Croatian War of Independence (1991-1995), was not recognized as belonging to either Serbia, Croatia, or any other country and remained terra nullius. On maps of neighboring countries, this area is often labeled as "Pocket 3," and its size is comparable to that of Vatican City, the world's smallest country.

The nation identifies itself as a republic, and its government structure is based on a direct democracy system. The official languages are English, Croatian, and Serbian, and the euro is used as the currency. The only way to access this area is by boat from Osijek, Croatia. However, as of the article's publication date, there has been no case of the Verdis Republic being recognized by any internationally recognized state.

Jackson, the self-proclaimed president, was born in Australia in December 2004 and spent his childhood in both Australia and the United Kingdom. He was 14 years old when the Verdis Free Republic was declared, and he is now 20. After participating in exploration and surveying trips in the territory of Verdis with others, he attempted to settle there permanently in October 2023.

In response, Croatian police destroyed the settlement established by Jackson and other settlers. The government imposed a permanent entry ban on Jackson and a three-month entry ban on the other settlers. The Verdis Republic claims that "the Croatian police illegally entered the territory of the Verdis Republic, violating international law."

President Daniel Jackson of the Verdis Free Republic Provisional Government. Official website of the President of the Verdis Free Republic

Jackson makes a living by building virtual worlds on the online gaming platform Roblox. In a video interview with NBC in the United States, he said, "When I was about 14, it was just an idea, but after I turned 18, we actually established the country officially. We want to be a neutral nation and a hub for non-governmental organizations (NGOs). We have an extensive track record of humanitarian activities."

Currently, Jackson and others do not have effective control over the territory of the Verdis Republic, and there are no actual residents within its borders, so it is operated solely through its website. According to Jackson, 15,000 people have applied for citizenship online so far, and among them, 400 have already acquired citizenship and received physical passports and ID cards. Jackson and other provisional government officials plan to hold a protest in front of the Croatian Embassy in London on the 6th, condemning what they call the Croatian government's "illegal invasion."

A small social community that claims to be a country and asserts sovereignty, but has no actual control or diplomatic recognition, is known as a "micronation." This is different from a "microstate," which refers to a very small territory that is internationally recognized as a sovereign state, or an "unrecognized state," which exercises control over some or all of its claimed territory but has not received diplomatic recognition from other countries.