Ratko Mladic, the former Bosnian Serb commander convicted of genocide in Srebrenica, was buried in Belgrade on September 7, 2026. The funeral service, which was broadcast live, attracted several thousand attendees. Serbian Patriarch Porfirije officiated the service for Mladic, who died while serving a life sentence in The Hague for genocide and other war crimes committed during the breakup of Yugoslavia in the 1990s. Mladic was laid to rest at Topcider Cemetery beside his daughter, who died by suicide in 1994.
The funeral was covered live by Informer TV, a pro-government broadcaster, which referred to it as a "magnificent farewell" but did not mention the estimated 8,000 Bosniak civilians and prisoners killed by Mladic's forces in Srebrenica in July 1995. President Aleksandar Vucic did not attend the funeral, citing a prior engagement with the president of Uzbekistan.
Mladic was buried with military honors, not state honors, as Vucic stated that the government was respecting the family's wishes. In response to criticism from the EU regarding the funeral, Vucic remarked, "Were we supposed to forbid people from attending, forbid the funeral itself and create dog cemeteries?" The term "dog cemeteries" refers to unmarked graves of executed individuals during and after World War II.
Vucic dismissed the cancellation of a planned visit to Belgrade by EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos, labeling her reaction as "stupid." An EU spokesman stated that glorifying war criminals contradicts fundamental European values.
As Vucic prepares for a snap parliamentary election expected on October 25, he faces pressure from a student movement that has led anti-government protests for nearly two years. Political scientist Dejan Bursac noted that Vucic appears anxious about the upcoming vote and is using Mladic's funeral to appeal to nationalist sentiments.
Bursac indicated that many Serbs harbor resentment over the Yugoslav wars and feel that crimes against Serbs went unpunished, a sentiment that is being politically exploited. Tanja Topic, a political analyst from Republika Srpska, echoed this, stating that politics in the region is heavily influenced by emotion.
The student movement has largely refrained from commenting on Mladic or wartime crimes on social media. Analysts suggest that both Vucic's party and the student-backed electoral list are attempting to appeal to a broad range of voters, particularly nationalistically minded ones, as the election is expected to be closely contested.
The protest movement began following a tragic incident in November 2024, where a canopy collapse at a railway station in Novi Sad resulted in 16 fatalities. Although investigations are ongoing, no trials have commenced. Opinion polls indicate that both the ruling party and the student movement have roughly equal support of around 40% each. The government controls most media outlets, which often propagate similar narratives. In recent days, pro-Vucic tabloids have targeted critics of Mladic, labeling them as "professional haters of Serbs" and "traitors." With the election approaching, Vucic may need to find new issues to rally support beyond Mladic's funeral.