The presence of Russian-trained Serbian paramilitaries, officials from South Ossetia, and the infamous “Night Wolves” biker gang at the recent and unconstitutional January 9 commemorations in Banja Luka, the capital of Bosnia’s mainly Serb entity, Republika Srpska, RS, have revealed the startling depth of Russian links to RS president Milorad Dodik and his government.
Additional reports since have exposed even more disturbing facts: the rapid militarization of the RS police, and an agreement of cooperation between the RS Ministry of the Interior and Russian security officials to train a “special forces” unit within the RS police.
These developments represent not only a profound deterioration in Bosnia and Herzegovina’s security climate but arguably the most direct challenge to the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement since its signing.
It is important to establish clearly why this is happening and why it is happening now.
Dodik, of course, is a long-time Russian proxy. The current entanglement between Banja Luka and the Kremlin dates back to at least 2014.
After Russia invaded Ukraine, and annexed Crimea, the nature of Moscow’s relations with the West changed significantly.
It was the start of a period of direct confrontation with NATO, in particular, and the end of the long, and long illusory, détente the two blocs had (mostly) maintained since the end of the Cold War.
That same year, Dodik and his party, the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, SNSD, suffered a shock result in Bosnia’s general elections, losing their seat on the state presidency to the united RS opposition bloc, and nearly losing control of the entity legislature too. Their once seemingly unassailable hold on the Bosnian Serb electorate was shattered.
Over the next two years, Dodik and his party initiated a series of increasingly desperate confrontations with both the RS opposition and the state government in Sarajevo, having concluded that an even more extremist nationalist program would sway the hearts and minds of voters.
For more read the full of article at The Balkaninsight
