ISW: Russia use Republika Srpska to destabilize the Balkans

The Kremlin and Kremlin affiliates continue efforts to use Russia’s relationship with Republika Srpska (the Serbian political entity within Bosnia and Herzegovina) to destabilize the Balkans, the Institute for Study of Wars (ISW) says in its latest report.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov claimed at the opening of the Russian embassy in Banja Luka on June 11 that ties between Russia and Republika Srpska are at an all-time high.

The report states that Lavrov claimed that the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) will prioritize the construction of religious and cultural institutions in Banja Luka that are critical for the strengthening of the “ties of brotherhood” between the people of Russia and Republika Srpska.

According to ISW, a prominent Kremlin-affiliated Russian milblogger claimed on June 16 in an interview with a Republika Srpska TV channel that Russia will support Republika Srpska’s independence and that the opening of the Russian embassy in Banja Luka demonstrates the friendship and cooperation between Russia and Republika Srpska.

“The milblogger claimed that Russia may open a Russian cultural center (Russia house – Russkii dom) in Republika Srpska. Moldovan and Ukrainian officials have previously warned that Russian officials use Russkii dom to promote Russian propaganda and conduct “subversive work” abroad”, the report says.

The same milblogger’s channel claimed in April 2024 that it opened a “media school” in the Balkans and that the channel’s team spent a week in Serbia and Republika Srpska giving lectures on how to operate Telegram channels and fight “misinformation.”

ISW underlines that Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik stated on June 7 that Republika Srpska intended to hold a referendum on its independence from Bosnia and Herzegovina on an unspecified date.

The Kremlin has previously leveraged its relationship with Republika Srpska to further influence the Balkans, sow divisions in the West, and undermine the Dayton Accords to throw the Balkans into turmoil, the ISW report concludes. /The Geopost