Kremlin Welcomes Bosnias Controversial Serb Leader Dodik Amid International Warrant

On Tuesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed Milorad Dodik, the wanted leader of Bosnia’s ethnic Serbs, to the Kremlin, just a day after Dodik announced his trip to Moscow.

The Kremlin released a video showing Putin shaking hands with Dodik in one of its halls, expressing his pleasure at seeing him in the Russian capital.

Dodik is currently facing an arrest warrant due to allegations of attempting to secede and violating the constitution. Bosnian prosecutors had issued an international warrant for his arrest the previous week.

The footage also showed Putin, who himself is under an international warrant for his actions in Ukraine, warmly greeting Dodik with a smile. «Dear Mr. President, I am very happy to see you in Moscow,» Putin stated in the brief clip shared by the Kremlin.

As an ally of Russia and the leader of Bosnia’s Serb-majority Republika Srpska, Dodik later shared on social media that he had completed his «26th meeting» with Putin, asserting that he received support from him and labeling Russia as a «guarantor» of peace in Bosnia.

«Russia will advocate for the termination of the work of international institutions, particularly referring to what he calls the illegitimate high representative,» Dodik continued.

On Monday, he released a video from Moscow in which he praised Putin. Dodik made the journey to Russia despite the international arrest warrant issued against him by the country’s divisive central prosecutors.

Since the end of the conflict in the 1990s, Bosnia has been divided into two semi-autonomous entities: Republika Srpska and a federation comprising Muslims and Croats.

At 66, Dodik has repeatedly threatened to withdraw the Serb region from Bosnia. Despite the outstanding arrest warrant, he had already made visits to Serbia and Israel.

Russia maintains strong historical connections with Serbia.