Particle.news
Download on the App Store
27 ARTICLES
·
last wk.

Serbia Gives Ratko Mladić Military-Style Funeral as EU Leaders Condemn the Honors

The ceremony has prompted EU officials to warn it undermines Serbia’s EU prospects, prompting Bosnia and Herzegovina to downgrade diplomatic ties.

Image
Image
Image
Serbian national military servicemen fire a three-volley salute during the funeral of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for genocide and other atrocities during the war in Bosnia, at the Topcider Cemetery, in Belgrade, Serbia, Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (AP Photo)

Overview

  • Ratko Mladić, convicted of genocide and other war crimes, was buried in Belgrade on Monday after his body was flown home on a government plane and his flag-draped coffin was carried by soldiers.
  • Top EU figures described the public honors as shocking and incompatible with European values, and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled a planned visit to Belgrade in protest.
  • Bosnia and Herzegovina announced a downgrading of diplomatic relations with Serbia and recalled most embassy staff in response to the reception and funeral arrangements.
  • Thousands of mourners, including veterans, nationalist supporters and some Serbian ministers, attended the service at St. Luke church while President Aleksandar Vučić did not attend in person.
  • UN and Dutch inquiries into Mladić’s death in The Hague remain open, and the funeral has raised short-term risks to Serbia’s stalled EU accession process by highlighting disputes over wartime memory and accountability.