Story perspectives

Serbia holds full honors funeral for Ratko Mladic

9/8/2026

Left

Mladic Funeral

A funeral for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic was held in Belgrade on 7 September 2026.
Serbian authorities provided city services and full military honors despite EU warnings and protests from civil-society groups condemning the glorification of a genocide convict.
Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and other ministers attended the funeral.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled her visit, saying the glorification contradicts EU values.

Right

Mladic Funeral

A funeral for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic was held in Belgrade on 7 September 2026.
President Aleksandar Vucic slammed EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos’s criticism as ‘stupid’ and warned authorities could ban funeral attendees.
Serbian soldiers carried Mladic’s coffin from the government plane and escorted it through Belgrade streets.
Vucic’s son Danilo, Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and Justice Minister Nenad Vujic attended the ceremony.

Center

Mladic Funeral

A funeral for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic took place in Belgrade on 7 September 2026.
Serbian officials called the ceremony a private family event, despite soldiers escorting the coffin and the justice minister’s initial state-honor announcement.
Mladic died 27 August 2026 while serving a life sentence at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
His body arrived on a plane, draped in Serbian flag, and escorted to a church.

Blindspot

Patriarch Porfirije led the funeral ceremony in Belgrade on 7 September 2026 and said Mladic’s name will remain woven into Serbian Orthodox memory.
Within this story's sources, this angle appears mainly in Left-leaning coverage and receives less attention in Center- and Right-leaning coverage.

History

Historical Context

The 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement ended the Bosnian War and required war-time leaders to face justice. The UN-created ICTY, founded in 1993, convicted dozens, including 45 Serbs, and sentenced Ratko Mladic to life imprisonment in 2017. Today, President Aleksandar Vucic’s state funeral for a convicted commander revives the 1995 controversy and threatens Serbia’s EU accession and regional reconciliation.

1 of 5

Mladic Funeral

A funeral for former Bosnian Serb commander Ratko Mladic was held in Belgrade on 7 September 2026.
Serbian authorities provided city services and full military honors despite EU warnings and protests from civil-society groups condemning the glorification of a genocide convict.
Defence Minister Bratislav Gasic and other ministers attended the funeral.
EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled her visit, saying the glorification contradicts EU values.

1 / 5