Thousands attend funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic in Serbia

Sep 5, 2026

Thousands of mourners gathered in Belgrade on September 7, 2026, for the funeral of convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic, who died in prison at age 84. The event sparked severe international backlash, leading EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos to cancel an official visit to Serbia over the public glorification of a genocidist. While President Aleksandar Vucic avoided the ceremony, Serbian soldiers carried Mladic's flag-draped coffin, drawing fierce condemnation from the Mothers of Srebrenica and European officials.

Mladic funeral in Belgrade

▪The funeral service for Ratko Mladic at the St. Luke church in Belgrade was led by Patriarch Porfirije, the head of the Serbian Orthodox Church.
▪Former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic was buried in Belgrade, Serbia, on September 7, 2026, with thousands of mourners attending the funeral procession.
▪The funeral of Ratko Mladic was attended by Russian Ambassador to Serbia Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko and Bosnian Serb nationalist leader Milorad Dodik.
▪Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend Ratko Mladic's funeral, citing a pre-scheduled official visit by the President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev.

Military honours controversy

▪Ratko Mladic's coffin was wrapped in the Serbian national flag and carried by Serbian military servicemen, despite conflicting reports over whether the event constituted an official state funeral.
▪Civil society organizations in Serbia protested the decision to grant Ratko Mladic military honours, calling the actions a slap in the face to war victims.
▪Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic initially announced Ratko Mladic would receive full state and military honours, though Euronews reported no serving top officials would attend.

EU diplomatic condemnation

▪European Union Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled her planned visit to Serbia in protest of the public glorification surrounding Ratko Mladic's death.
▪UEFA fined the Serbian football club Red Star Belgrade 90,000 euros after its fans chanted in honor of Ratko Mladic during a Europa League match.
▪The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights Michael O’Flaherty urged authorities in Serbia to counter the illegal public glorification of convicted war criminals.
▪Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic criticized EU Commissioner Marta Kos's explanation for cancelling her visit, describing her statement as short but stupid.

Mladic genocide convictions

▪Ratko Mladic died at age 84 on August 27, 2026, in a United Nations prison in The Hague while serving a life sentence.
▪The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia sentenced Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment in 2017 for genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.
▪Ratko Mladic spent nearly 16 years hiding in Serbia as a fugitive before his arrest in May 2011 in the village of Lazarevo.

Srebrenica massacre

▪The United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution in May 2024 designating July 11 as the International Day of Reflection and Commemoration of the 1995 Srebrenica Genocide.
▪Ratko Mladic was convicted of orchestrating the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995, which resulted in the execution of over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys.
▪The Mothers of Srebrenica group urged the European Union to intervene, warning that Ratko Mladic's funeral threatened to become a massive fascist gathering.