Serbia Buries Mladić with Military Honors, Defying EU and Igniting Balkan Tensions
Ratko Mladić, the Bosnian Serb general convicted of genocide for the 1995 Srebrenica massacre, was buried in Belgrade on September 7, 2026, with military honors and thousands of mourners. Despite EU warnings that such 'glorification' violates European values, Serbian officials attended the service, and President Aleksandar Vučić framed the event as a reaction to Western pressure. The funeral deepened tensions between Serbia and the EU, with Brussels canceling visits and condemning the state’s role in transporting his remains. While many Serbs view Mladić as a national hero, victims’ families and neighboring countries condemned the ceremony as a denial of historical atrocities.