The Kremlin Mourns The “Bosnian Butcher”
- 28.08.2026, 7:57
Russia still does not recognize the genocide in Srebrenica.
The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Russian Embassy in Serbia have responded to the death of the former commander of the Bosnian Serb Army, General Ratko Mladić, who was nicknamed the “Bosnian Butcher.” The Russian Foreign Ministry issued a statement expressing condolences to his family.
This was reported by the Russian Foreign Ministry.
As noted in the statement by the Russian Foreign Ministry, Mladić’s case, “regardless of the actual circumstances underlying it, has become a flagrant manifestation of the tribunal’s double standards and anti-Serb bias.”
“We express our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones,” the Russian Foreign Ministry’s statement reads.
Why Ratko Mladić Was Convicted
Ratko Mladić commanded the Bosnian Serb army during the 1992–1995 war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. In 2017, the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia found him guilty of genocide, crimes against humanity, and violations of the laws and customs of war, and sentenced him to life in prison. In 2021, the appeals court upheld the verdict and sentence.
One of the key events in the case was the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995. After Bosnian Serb forces seized Srebrenica—a UN-declared “safe area”—more than 8,000 Bosnian Muslims—primarily men and boys—were killed. The tribunal classified these events as genocide. In the international media, Mladić was often referred to as the “Bosnian Butcher.”
Mladić was also found responsible for other serious crimes committed during the war. In particular, the court found him guilty of persecution, extermination, murder, deportation, and forcible transfer of the population, as well as terrorizing civilians in Sarajevo and taking UN personnel hostage.
Mladić’s cynical reaction in court
During the trial in The Hague, Ratko Mladić behaved defiantly. For example, while the mother of one of the victims of the Srebrenica massacre was testifying, he ran his hand across his throat, mimicking the motion of a knife.
Furthermore, many far-right nationalists in Serbia still consider Mladić a hero. Neither they nor the Russian Federation recognize the verdict of the Hague tribunal.