The statement said that HRT was not running from its own mistakes, adding however that such messages from the prime minister to the media were entirely inappropriate.

Milanovic held a press conference in Zagreb earlier today to comment on an incident that broke out in Kistanje, inland from the coastal city of Sibenik, at 1pm on Sunday between a group of local juveniles and Serb Orthodox seminary students.

"Children were attacked by another group of children, yet on national television HTV they were referred to as 'Janjevci' (ethnic Croat settlers from Kosovo). 'Janjevci attack seminarians', that is the language that HTV is using! Not Croatian juveniles, but 'Janjevci'! And then we are shocked when incidents of this nature occur," Milanovic said.

The prime minister also criticised reporters for cutting his sentences in the media.

You invite a person who has committed something three times worse than that football profiteer, and you allow them to speak and no one bothers to cut them off despite the fact that they are virtually committing a criminal offence for which they will not be held responsible, yet a day later you mull over interpretations of statements by the prime minister whether there was a civil war or not, Milanovic continued.

Instead of dealing with the scandalous outbursts which you have allowed, experts are called into the studio to explain the Finnish war and these experts from who knows where spend time to explain how many people were killed, communication experts are bothered with comparisons with Churchill, Milanovic told the press.