United States accuse Russia of fanning separatism in Bosnia amid Ukraine crisis

As war between Russia and Ukraine rages, more than a thousand miles away in Bosnia observers are warning that Russia is fanning the embers of separatism that is likely to spell trouble for the deeply divided Balkan country.

Since the end of the war that claimed around 100,000 lives between 1992 and 1995, Bosnia has been split between a Muslim-Croat federation and a Serb entity — known as Republika Srpska (RS).

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But there are growing fears the arrangement that has kept the peace in Bosnia for decades may be at risk.

Bosnia’s Serb leader Milorad Dodik has been increasingly vocal about his secessionist aims, a move widely believed to have the backing of the Kremlin.

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News agency AFP reported that the latest sounding of the alarm over the situation came from US Democratic Senator Chris Murphy, who warned of a “very worrying time for Bosnia” during a recent tour of the Balkans.

“As Putin gets backed into a corner, he is going to look for other places to try to score victories. And one of them may be Bosnia,” he told CNN.

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For centuries, Russia fostered deep fraternal ties with the Serbs in the Balkans — undergirded by their Slavic and Orthodox heritage along with their steadfast alliances during the world wars of the 20th century.

NATO’s intervention in the Balkans in the 1990s has long been seen by the Kremlin as a humiliating provocation. Since then, Russia has sought to increase its influence on the ground with Bosnia’s Serbs.

In statements that echoed the Russian President’s rhetoric ahead of the attack on Ukraine, Moscow’s ambassador to Sarajevo warned that it will “react” if Bosnia joins NATO. The embassy also cautioned the West against manoeuvres that could destabilise Bosnia.

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Recently, Russia lashed out at “growing attempts to rewrite the principles” of the accords “to the benefit of the EU and NATO and to the detriment” of Bosnia’s Serbs.

The RS’s continued support for Moscow has also prevented Bosnia from following Western countries in sanctioning Russia after the invasion of Ukraine.

In March, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said Bosnia was among the potential targets of “even more intervention” from Russia.