Jutarnji list: Dodik 'got lost' on his return from Israel, but it is increasingly likely that he is hiding in Belgrade

(Patria) - Secessionist President of Republika Srpska Milorad Dodik is probably hiding in Belgrade, awaiting whether Interpol will issue a warrant against him as requested by the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina, writes Jutarnji list.

Currently, a domestic warrant is in effect against Dodik for violating the constitutional order, but the Court has requested an international warrant from Interpol for him and Nenad Stevandić.

In recent days, Dodik has wandered like the Flying Dutchman from Banja Luka through Serbia to Israel and back to Belgrade, where he arrived on the night from Thursday to Friday.

The government plane of Republika Srpska quickly returned to Banja Luka afterwards, and it is assumed that Dodik was not on it, but remained in Belgrade.

He does not have to worry about accommodation, as he is the owner of a 400-square-meter villa in the elite Belgrade neighborhood of Dedinje, which he officially paid 750,000 euros for, but it is questionable where he got such a large sum of money, and this is the subject of an investigation.

However, that is currently a secondary problem troubling the Serbian leader in Bosnia and Herzegovina and friend of (Croatian President) Zoran Milanović.

Namely, at the end of February, Dodik was sentenced non-final to one year in prison and a ban on holding political office for six years for passing illegal laws.

Dodik declared by decrees the decisions of the Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the High Representative of the international community invalid, which led the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina to issue an order for an international warrant.

Arrest warrants have also been issued for Prime Minister of Republika Srpska Radovan Višković and President of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska Nenad Stevandić, and they face multi-year prison sentences for attacking the constitutional order of Bosnia and Herzegovina.

They participated in passing unconstitutional laws that attempted to ban the operation of institutions of Bosnia and Herzegovina in Republika Srpska.

According to these laws, state bodies of Bosnia and Herzegovina - the police, prosecution, and state court - would be banned from accessing the territory of Republika Srpska.

Dodik even called on all Serbs employed in those institutions to transfer to entity institutions, promising they would keep their positions and receive higher salaries, but almost no one listened to him, which shows how much trust they have in him.

Then he flew to Israel for a conference on antisemitism, from where he posted photos and videos on social network X with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, presenting it as an important diplomatic meeting.

However, videos from the conference in Jerusalem reveal a somewhat different situation. In the video posted by Dodik himself, he can be seen approaching the Israeli Prime Minister as Netanyahu arrives, shaking his hand, and, seemingly without an invitation, sitting down right next to him.

But just a few moments later, a member of the organizer's team comes for him and leads him away from that spot, which was captured in a video live-streamed on Netanyahu's YouTube channel. In the end, the Israelis "asked" him to leave their country.

It was a distinct honour to take part today in the Conference on Antisemitism in Jerusalem, alongside numerous statesmen and leaders from around the world. On behalf of the Republic of Srpska, I conveyed our unwavering support for the State of Israel and its Prime Minister,… pic.twitter.com/p8dbP742cS

— Милорад Додик (@MiloradDodik) March 27, 2025

The list of guests invited to the event held on March 26 and 27 in Jerusalem had already drawn sharp criticism, as most attendees were members of the radical right in Europe, with Argentine President Javier Milei announced as the main star.

Many of these guests are linked by closeness to the Israeli government and an anti-Muslim agenda, which led representatives of the European Jewish Congress, the Anti-Defamation League, and other Jewish diaspora organizations to cancel their attendance in protest, writes Jutarnji list.