Ratko Mladić Is Gone. The Western Balkans Have Still Not Reckoned with the War

The death of Ratko Mladić closes a chapter in the history of the Yugoslav wars. Three decades after the conflicts, his figure still divides the region over how the war should be remembered: for some, he remains a symbol of the defence of the Serb people; for others, he represents the crimes committed in Bosnia.

Photo: “Serbian flag” by Sharon Hahn Darlin, CC BY 2.0

The dispute over Mladić’s legacy is not merely a matter of history. It is also part of contemporary politics, shaping electoral mobilisation and defining the limits of political compromise across the region.

Serbia: Between Memory and Political Calculation

The events surrounding Mladić’s funeral revealed the political balancing act in Belgrade. Initially, Justice Minister Nenad Vujić announced that military and state honours would be provided. The authorities later stressed that the family would ultimately decide the form of the funeral. Ultimately, however, the state’s presence was unmistakable. A government aircraft was sent to The Hague to bring Mladić’s body back to Serbia. At the funeral in Belgrade on 7 September, soldiers carried the coffin, a gun salute was fired, and the service was conducted by Patriarch Porfirije, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church. Serbian ministers and the Russian ambassador were also present. President Aleksandar Vučić did not attend the funeral, citing a previously scheduled visit by Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev. His son Danilo, however, was present at the ceremony. The president’s rhetoric was equally significant. Vučić referred to the case of Bosnian commander Rasim Delić and spoke of “double standards” towards Serbs. Rather than openly rehabilitating Mladić, the narrative shifted towards a broader story of Serbian grievance. Individual responsibility for specific crimes was thus subsumed into a broader narrative of perceived Serbian victimisation and unequal treatment.

Republika Srpska and Bosnia: Two Different Worlds

In Banja Luka, Milorad Dodik portrayed Mladić as a commander who had fought for the freedom of the Serbs, incorporating his legacy into the political memory of Republika Srpska. Representatives of its authorities were also present in significant numbers in Belgrade.
In Sarajevo, Denis Bećirović, Chairman of the Presidency of Bosnia and Herzegovina, stressed that Mladić’s death does not erase the final judgments against him or his responsibility for Srebrenica and the siege of Sarajevo. It is therefore not simply a question of how one individual is judged. Mladić remains a reference point for competing narratives about the war, responsibility, and the region’s identity.

Montenegro and Brussels: The Limits of Politics

The dispute quickly moved beyond Serbia and Bosnia. In Montenegro, Parliament Speaker Andrija Mandić expressed condolences to Mladić’s family, while President Jakov Milatović warned against relativising war crimes. The reaction from Brussels was unequivocal. Ursula von der Leyen and António Costa described the images from the funeral as “shocking”, criticising the presence of senior Serbian officials and elements of official support. In their view, such actions are incompatible with the values underpinning Serbia’s European path.

The War Is Over — The Dispute Is Not

Mladić’s death does not mark the end of his political significance. His name remains a point of reference in the dispute over the war, Serb identity, and responsibility for the crimes committed in Bosnia. For political actors, Mladić is no longer simply a figure from the past. References to him can still serve to mobilise voters, reinforce particular historical narratives, and define the boundaries of political compromise. The general is gone. The dispute over his legacy remains.

The opinion expressed in the article represents the author’s private views, which are an integral part of their individual position.

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