Moscow media: Is it time for the return of Russian air forces to Bosnia and Herzegovina?

(Patria) - Republika Srpska and Milorad Dodik need Putin's help, the influential Russian newspaper Pravda.ru published late Tuesday evening on its English-language website.

The text was published on the occasion of Dodik's visit to Russian President Vladimir Putin, which comes, as Pravda writes, “at the height of the conflict with the West”.

 “Is it time for the return of air forces to Bosnia?” asks the author of the text, Lyuba Lulko. 

Further in this article, the context of Dodik's visit to Russia is provided, relations with the West are recalled, the visit of US official Gabriel Escobar to Bosnia and Herzegovina is mentioned, and the recent op-ed by former British Foreign Secretary William Hague published in the British The Times is particularly highlighted, reports istraga.ba.

“Former British Foreign Secretary and former leader of the Conservative Party William Hague said in a text for The Times on November 16 that Dodik has been undermining the state of Bosnia and Herzegovina for years while enjoying the support of Russia and Serbia, and Moscow uses this to block Euro-Atlantic integration. According to Hague, Dodik is moving towards secession. Therefore, the British diplomat emphasized, NATO should send its soldiers to Bosnia and Herzegovina,” recalls Pravda.ru.

Let's see how Putin can help Republika Srpska, writes Lyuba Lulko, then further recalls that Russia, as part of the international peacekeeping contingent, had an airborne battalion in Bosnia and Herzegovina stationed in Ugljevik, which was transferred to Pristina on June 11-12, 1999, ultimately enabling the deployment of the Russian peacekeeping contingent in Kosovo. 

In addition to the text published on Pravda.ru, Bosnia and Herzegovina is increasingly mentioned in other Russian media. Thus, on November 22 of this year, the portal “Svobodnaya Pressa” published an interview with Vsevolod Shimov, advisor to the President of the Russian Association for Baltic Studies. 

“Donbas, Bosnia or Belarus – where will World War III break out,” reads the headline of this text.

Advisor Shimov states that the danger of war in Bosnia and Herzegovina is “quite real”.

“Bosnia and Herzegovina in its current form seems to suit no one. Republika Srpska dreams of secession and unification with Serbia, and Muslims of establishing their dominance throughout the country. The West is also interested in violating the sovereignty of Republika Srpska. Relations between the main ethnic groups are even hostile. So, in Bosnia, a tangle of contradictions is indeed maturing, which could result in a new conflict,” states Shimov in an interview for the portal “Svobodnaya Pressa”. 

The deputy editor of this portal is Zakhar Prilepin. He is a “poet” who is a former member of the special forces of the Russian police OMON and participated in operations in Chechnya. In February 2017, he was a member of pro-Russian paramilitary formations that fought in Ukraine. He is banned from entering Bosnia and Herzegovina. In August 2018, the then President of Republika Srpska, Milorad Dodik, awarded Prilepin the Order of Njegoš First Class, for “merits in cultural and spiritual development, as well as for special merits in the field of public activity, which contribute to strengthening friendly relations between the Russian Federation and Republika Srpska”.