Bosnian Serbs celebrate banned holiday, praise Putin
January 9, 2023 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Thousands of flag-waving Bosnian Serbs gathered on the outskirts of the capital Sarajevo Monday to celebrate an outlawed holiday associated with Bosnia’s brutal inter-ethnic war in the 1990s.
Bosnian Serbs award Putin with medal of honor
January 8, 2023 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The Bosnian Serb separatist leader on Sunday awarded Russian President Vladimir Putin with the highest medal of honor for his “patriotic concern and love” for the Serb-controlled half of Bosnia.
Separatist leader sworn in as Bosnian Serb president
November 15, 2022 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Separatist politician Milorad Dodik was sworn in Tuesday as president of Bosnia’s Serb-run part, pledging to pursue good ties with Russia, China and other like-minded countries.
Bosnia: Recount confirms pro-Russia Serb leader won election
October 27, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — An election recount confirmed a staunchly pro-Russia Bosnian Serb leader’s victory over an opposition challenger who accused him of vote-rigging in the contest for the presidency of Bosnia's Serb-run part.
Bosnia: Thousands protest recount of vote in Serb-run region
October 25, 2022 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Tens of thousands of people rallied in Bosnia Tuesday to demand that electoral authorities end a recount of ballots from a contested general election this month and confirm a staunchly pro-Russian politician as president of the country’s Serb-run part.
Bosnian Serbs protest alleging vote-rigging by Dodik
October 9, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP) — Thousands of people rallied Sunday in Bosnia for the second time in a week, alleging that a pro-Russian Bosnian Serb leader rigged a ballot during a general election in the Balkan country earlier this month.
Bosnia election officials investigate possible vote-rigging
October 7, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnia’s election authorities expressed concerns Friday over widespread problems at polling stations and reports of irregularities and vote-rigging in the general election last weekend.
Protesters allege pro-Russia Bosnian Serb leader rigged vote
October 6, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia (AP) — Several thousand people in Bosnia joined an opposition protest Thursday against a result in the country's general election last weekend, alleging a pro-Russia Bosnian Serb leader rigged the vote to win the position he sought.
Bosnia election expected to re-legitimize a failing system
September 30, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnia’s general election should be about the fight against rampant corruption and helping the country’s ailing economy. But at a time when Russia has a strong incentive to reignite conflict in the small Balkan nation, Sunday’s vote appears set to be an easy test for the long-entrenched nationalists who have ignored the needs of the people.
Bosnian Serb separatist leader blasts West, praises Russia
September 28, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Facing an election this weekend, Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik blasted the West and praised Vladimir Putin over his policies in the Balkans, boasting that he is a rare European politician who can meet with the Russian president anytime he wishes.
Putin meets Bosnian Serb separatist leader, praises Serbia
September 20, 2022 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — Bosnian Serb separatist leader Milorad Dodik met with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Tuesday days after he endorsed Moscow's aggression against Ukraine, Russian and Serbian media reported.
US scoffs as Bosnian Serb leader claims he can spy on US
September 15, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The U.S. Embassy in Sarajevo on Thursday described claims by the Bosnian Serb leader that his security services are eavesdropping on the American ambassador to Sarajevo as “blustering" and added that his separatist policies are “gambling” with the future of the Serb entity in the Balkan state.
Bosnian Serb leader prays for Trump’s return, praises Putin
June 26, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The leader of Bosnia's Serbs said Sunday he hoped former U.S. President Donald Trump would return to power and that the Serbs would “wait for appropriate global circumstances” to reach for their goal of seceding from Bosnia, which he called an “unsustainable state.”
Thousands of Serbs protest international moves in Bosnia
April 20, 2022 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Thousands of Bosnian Serbs rallied Wednesday to protest recent decisions of the top international official in the ethnically divided Balkan country.
The Serbs are angry that Christian Schmidt, the U.N.'s high representative for Bosnia and Herzegovina, suspended a law that declared the ownership of public property by the country's Bosnian Serb entity, Republika Srpska.
Bosnia’s international official suspends Serb property law
April 12, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The top international official in Bosnia on Tuesday suspended a Bosnian Serb property law that is seen as part of a separatist drive by Bosnian Serbs.
UK sanctions 2 Bosnian-Serb leader for undermining peace
April 11, 2022 GMTLONDON (AP) — Britain sanctioned two leading Bosnian-Serb politicians Monday, accusing them of encouraging ethnic hatred and jeopardizing the peace accord that ended the civil war in Bosnia-Herzegovina more than 25 years ago.
EU vows to help prevent the possible breakup of Bosnia
February 21, 2022 GMTBRUSSELS (AP) — The European Union is ready to limit financial assistance and possibly impose sanctions in Bosnia to help prevent the possible breakup up of the ethnically divided Balkan country as the peace agreement brokered over 25 years ago unravels, the EU's top diplomat vowed Monday.
EU foreign policy chief: Bloc won’t accept Bosnia breakup
February 20, 2022 GMTMUNICH (AP) — The European Union's foreign policy chief said Sunday that he's deeply concerned about tensions in Bosnia and has appealed to leaders there to avoid the breakup of the Balkan country.
Envoy: US will sanction those who undermine peace in Bosnia
January 21, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The United States remains committed to Bosnia and will continue to impose sanctions on individuals who engage in corruption and “sow divisions” in the Balkan nation, which has never fully recovered from its brutal 1992-95 war, a top U.S.
Amid tensions, Bosnian Serbs celebrate outlawed holiday
January 9, 2022 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Amid Bosnia’s greatest political crisis since the end of its 1992-95 interethnic war, the country’s Serbs celebrated an outlawed holiday Sunday with a provocative parade showcasing armored vehicles, police helicopters and law enforcement officers with rifles, marching in lockstep and singing a nationalist song.
Bosnia’s Dodik: From moderate to genocide-denying autocrat
January 8, 2022 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — He was once described in Washington as an anti-nationalist “breath of fresh air” in the murderous, genocide-scarred Balkan morass of ethnically divided Bosnia.
US imposes sanctions against Bosnian Serb leader Dodik
January 5, 2022 GMTWASHINGTON (AP) — The Biden administration announced sanctions Wednesday against Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik, accusing him of “corrupt activities” that threaten to destabilize the region and undermine a U.S.-brokered peace accord from more than 25 years ago.
Germany pulls honor for Israeli historian over Bosnia report
December 31, 2021 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The German government has dropped plans to give the country's highest honor to an Israeli historian amid criticism of his work on the genocide in Bosnia.
German news agency dpa reported Friday that the Foreign Ministry has withdrawn its nomination for Gideon Greif to receive Germany's Order of Merit.
Germany wants EU sanctions slapped on Bosnian Serb leader
December 13, 2021 GMTBERLIN (AP) — The European Union should slap sanctions on Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik for his efforts to get Serb-dominated areas in Bosnia to secede from the Balkan country, Germany's new foreign minister said Monday.
Serbs vote to weaken Bosnia, step up their secession drive
December 10, 2021 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The Bosnian Serb parliament voted Friday to launch a series of steps that could weaken war-ravaged Bosnia’s central authority. The ballot came as the Bosnian Serb leader stepped up his campaign to secede from the Balkan country, despite a threat of new U.S.
International envoy: Bosnian Serbs trying to break up Bosnia
November 2, 2021 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The chief international representative in Bosnia is warning that the war-scarred Balkan nation could face the biggest “existential threat of the post-war period” if the international community does not curb threatened separatist actions by Bosnian Serbs.
Protesters denounce Bosnian Serb leaders, claim corruption
October 2, 2021 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Several thousand people rallied Saturday in Bosnia against the government in Serb-dominated part of the Balkan nation.
The protesters accused the ruling party of nationalist leader Milorad Dodik of crime and corruption, including in the procurement of ventilators and other equipment during the coronavirus pandemic.
Bosnian Serb politicians decry outlawing of genocide denial
July 26, 2021 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnian Serb political representatives have pledged to block decision-making in the country’s institutions in protest over a recent move by the top international envoy in Bosnia to outlaw genocide denial.
German chosen to lead powerful international body in Bosnia
May 27, 2021 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — A German diplomat was chosen Thursday to head a powerful international body in Bosnia that oversees implementation of a 1995 peace agreement that ended a devastating war in the Balkan country.
Bosnian Serbs say icon given to Russian minister not stolen
December 22, 2020 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — An Orthodox icon presented to Russia's foreign minister had not been stolen from the Ukraine, the office of Bosnia's Serb leader said Tuesday, amid an international diplomatic spat over its origins.
Russia to give icon that sparked controversy back to Bosnia
December 19, 2020 GMTMOSCOW (AP) — Russia said Saturday it will return an Orthodox icon presented to the Russian foreign minister in Bosnia, a gift that has triggered a protest from Ukraine.
The presiding Serb member of Bosnia’s three-member presidency, Milorad Dodik, gave the icon to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he visited Sarajevo earlier this week.
Bosnia’s Muslim, Croat leaders boycott Russian top diplomat
December 15, 2020 GMTSARAJEVO, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Bosnia’s Muslim and Croat representatives in the country’s three-member presidency boycotted a meeting with Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov Tuesday, citing his “disrespect" of the war-ravaged state in the way he met with the third member, a Serb...
The Latest: Views of Bosnia war crimes case vary within govt
March 20, 2019 GMTTHE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The Latest on a U.N. court's decision on the conviction and sentencing of ex-Bosnian Serb leader Radovan Karadzic (all times local):...
Russian influence rising in Balkans, Baltics, Central Europe
October 9, 2018 GMTBELGRADE, Serbia (AP) — A week before a crucial election, Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik traveled to Russia for a Formula One race — not because he's a big fan but for yet another meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin...
Pro-Russian Serb leader wins seat in Bosnia’s presidency
October 8, 2018 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — Pro-Russia Serb leader Milorad Dodik won a race to fill the Serb seat in Bosnia's three-member presidency Sunday, deepening ethnic divisions in the country that faced a brutal war some 25 years ago...
The Latest: Partial tally has nationalist Bosnian Serb ahead
October 7, 2018 GMTBANJA LUKA, Bosnia-Herzegovina (AP) — The Latest on Bosnia's general election (all times local):
12:40 a.m.
A partial vote count from Bosnia's general election shows a Bosnian Serb nationalist leader is ahead in the race for the Serb seat in the country's three-person presidency.