Miro Kovač: Serbia Was Not Defeated in the Wars of the Former Yugoslavia

Miro Kovač says Ratko Mladić’s conviction has changed nothing in Serbia, where part of society still honors the former Bosnian Serb commander as a hero. The comments came after Mladić’s body was brought to Belgrade from The Hague following his death while serving a final life sentence.

“Nothing has changed. Serbia has its own ethics, it has its own worldview, and there is no one to force it to change,” Kovač told RTL Danas. He said reactions from officials and ordinary people showed that Mladić remains associated with the creation of Republika Srpska.

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Nothing has changed. Serbia has its own ethics, it has its own worldview, and there is no one to force it to change.

Kovač described a view in which Mladić “sacrificed himself for something great,” namely the creation of a Serbian state west of the Drina. He said the continued portrayal of Mladić as a hero suggested that the educational mission of the Hague tribunal had failed to produce the expected transformation in Serbian society.

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sacrificed himself for something great

He also argued that Serbia had not been defeated in the wars of the former Yugoslavia. In his assessment, Serbia was defeated only in Croatia, while in Bosnia and Herzegovina it was rewarded through the creation of Republika Srpska. Kovač expressed doubt that Mladić’s funeral would trigger a strong reaction from European institutions, saying, “We must rely on ourselves and our own resources.”

Mladić’s body arrived in Serbia on Thursday. A commemoration was scheduled for Saturday, with his funeral announced for Monday at Topčider Cemetery.

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We must rely on ourselves and our own resources.