Thousands Gather in Belgrade for Funeral of War Criminal Ratko Mladic
- Mladić’s remains were brought back to the Serbian capital via a government-sent plane, and his coffin, draped in the national flag, rested at the small Serbian Orthodox Church...
- Luke Church to honor Mladić, who is still viewed as a hero by many Serbs, as reported by France 24.
- The public commemorations have drawn sharp condemnation across the Balkans and from the European Union.
Mladić’s remains were brought back to the Serbian capital via a government-sent plane, and his coffin, draped in the national flag, rested at the small Serbian Orthodox Church of St. Luke ahead of a service led by Patriarch Porfirije.
A Hero’s Farewell and Full Military Honors
Mourners arrived early at the St. Luke Church to honor Mladić, who is still viewed as a hero by many Serbs, as reported by France 24. His military officer’s cap and sabre rested on the coffin, flanked by men in fatigues. Pro-government media reported that Mladić would receive full military honors, following a military commemoration held Saturday at an official Serbian army venue where soldiers carried his coffin. Milan Dobric, a mourner who traveled from Kosovo for the funeral, told France 24 that Mladić was a man who gave everything in his life for the Serbian people. Mladić died at the age of 84 on August 27, 2026, in The Hague, Netherlands, while serving his life sentence for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
International Condemnation and Regional Fallout
The public commemorations have drawn sharp condemnation across the Balkans and from the European Union. Serbia is a candidate nation for EU membership, and Marta Kos, the bloc’s enlargement commissioner, canceled an upcoming visit to Serbia in protest, arguing according to France 24 that the glorification surrounding Mladić’s death is incompatible with EU values. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic dismissed the EU criticism, accusing Kos of lying, while regional leaders and relatives of Mladić’s victims voiced outrage over the honors.
Wartime Legacy and Srebrenica Conviction
Mladić was sentenced in 2017 for orchestrating the massacre of more than 8,000 Muslims in Srebrenica in 1995, the yearslong siege of Sarajevo, and setting up concentration camps during the 1992–1995 Bosnian war. The conflict left more than 100,000 people dead and over one million homeless before it ended in a U.S.-brokered peace agreement. While international courts classified the Srebrenica massacre as genocide, Serbia refuses to recognize it as such, referring to the event instead as a horrific crime.
