A Ukrainian Who Stood Up to War Criminal Ratko Mladić
Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladić died while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes. His death recalls the little-known mission of Ukrainian Col. Mykola Verkhohliad, who negotiated an evacuation from Žepa under armed pressure, insisted that families not be separated, and placed peacekeepers aboard the buses carrying civilians to safety.
Ratko Mladić, a former commander of the Bosnian Serb army, passed away on August 27 while incarcerated for war crimes in UN custody, Reuters reported. However, the exact cause of his death remains undisclosed. Former Ukrainian officer Mykola Verkhohliad confronted Mladić in July 1995, days after the Srebrenica genocide, to help organize an evacuation that saved thousands of Bosniak civilians in Žepa from suffering a similar fate.
Mladić, serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes, had commanded the Bosnian Serb forces during the 1992-95 Bosnian War. In July 1995, his forces invaded the UN-declared safe area of Srebrenica, resulting in the murder of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys. The incident led to the conviction of Mladić in 2017, with his sentence upheld in 2021.
Verkhohliad's role in evacuating Žepa stands in stark contrast to Mladić's actions, providing a stark reminder of the atrocities committed during the Bosnian War.
Written by urgent.news from Kyiv Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
