Mladic's death, Bosnia and Serbia's unfinished reckoning
The death of Ratko Mladic did not close a dark chapter of European history; it reopened old wounds. The ideology that created him lives on. The Dayton Peace Agreement ended the war, not the divisions that produced it.
Ratko Mladic, the former commander of the Bosnian Serb army, passed away on August 27, 2026, while serving a life sentence for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in a prison hospital in The Hague. His conviction had been finalized for nearly a decade. The death of Mladic has reopened old wounds and exposed the unfinished business of Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia's reconciliation.
In Serbia and Republika Srpska, Mladic was mourned as a national hero, contradicting the established facts. Serbian officials called for citizens to gather and light candles for his soul, while Milorad Dodik, the powerful political figure in Republika Srpska, called Mladic's death a murder. The European Commission condemned any public glorification of convicted war criminals, stating that such practices have no place in European values.
Written by urgent.news from DW English (Top Stories)'s reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
