Pro-Russian Bosnian Serb Leader Dodik Arrives in Moscow Amid Charges in Bosnia
Milorad Dodik, a former president of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the current leader of Republika Srpska, has arrived in Moscow. He made this announcement on March 31 in a video message.
Dodik faces charges in Bosnia for undermining the constitutional order. In February, he was sentenced to one year in prison and banned from politics for six years for defying rulings by the U.N. High Representative in Bosnia.
The Bosnian Serb leader has been a vocal supporter of Russia’s war against Ukraine and has advocated for Republika Srpska’s independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina.
Dodik’s arrival in Moscow follows a pattern of Balkan leaders fleeing to Russia to avoid prosecution. In 2001, former Yugoslav Defense Minister Veljko Kadijevic fled to Moscow to evade a potential war crimes indictment by The Hague.
On April 1, the Kremlin showed footage of Russian President Vladimir Putin shaking hands with Dodik, saying he was “very happy” to see him in the Russian capital.