The 30-year-old from Bosnia who went to fight for Russia in Ukraine: I did it for adventure, not money

A 30-year-old from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Negjo Panić, went to Ukraine to fight on the Russian side, even though doing so is illegal in his country and can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He has obtained Russian citizenship and says his main motivation was adventure, not money, and that his parents supported the decision. In addition to him, several other citizens from the Western Balkans have taken part in the war in Ukraine, but the real numbers of foreigners on the battlefield are unclear.

I hope I get home alive.

– Where is your house?

Now… That depends… I hope everything ends well. I trust in God.

These are the words of Negjo Panić, a 30-year-old from Kotor-Varosh, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the spring of this year, he went to fight in Ukraine on the Russian side, even though – under the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina – this is a criminal offense and is punishable by imprisonment from three months to ten years.

When he spoke to Radio Free Europe in August, he was not at the front. He said he had returned from the front and would go again.

In November, he was in Russia.

Security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina also have information about his departure.

This, after a video published on Paniq's Facebook in July, in which he showed that he was at the front, on the side of the Russian army.

In the video, which was later removed, Panić also said that he had obtained Russian citizenship.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe by phone, he says he went to Russia for adventure.

"I worked for nine years in the West, in European countries. And I decided to go east, I didn't like life in the West anymore. The reason is, simply, adventure," says Panić, who also holds citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

He denies that he asked for help from any of the people from the Western Balkan countries who were in Russia and Ukraine to get there, saying he did not need them.

"You have everything on the internet. You can come too. You come by plane, you register and you go," says Panić.

Russia legalizes entry of foreigners into the army

In the summer of 2025, Russia, by decrees of President Vladimir Putin, allowed foreigners to serve in the Russian army, not only during a state of emergency or war, but also during mobilization.

Harry Stevens, an American foreign policy and defense scholar specializing in Russia, tells Radio Free Europe that there are several reasons for Russia's decision and the motives of foreign citizens to join the Russian military.

The first, says Stevens, is Russia's insistence on encouraging as many foreigners as possible to join its military.

Stevens believes that the Russian government is facing a very serious shortage of fighters and people in general – especially men of working or military age.

“… and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to convince people to join the military, because it’s becoming increasingly clear that serving in the Russian military and fighting in Ukraine carries a very high death rate,” Stevens said.

"One of the ways Russia managed to recruit people was by offering increasingly large sums of money, as well as very large payments in the event of death or injury. Recruiting foreign soldiers, especially from poorer countries, is also a way to avoid paying these benefits," Stevens adds.

For Panic, money was not a motive

Panić says that neither money nor other benefits were his main motives.

"I was in a hotel room in Germany, sitting, thinking about what to do next. So, I decided to go to Russia. I went to Bosnia to say goodbye to my parents and then I went to Russia. I bought a ticket, came to St. Petersburg... and then everything was easy," Panić says.

His parents knew he was going to Russia, the 30-year-old says.

According to him, this "didn't matter to them... they are honored" by their son's decision.

Asked if he is aware that he could die or kill someone else at the front, at any moment, he says he is.

"I am aware of everything. Every ten minutes there are attacks on the front. I am aware of everything," says Panic.

Although the video he posted on Facebook was also shared by Aleksandar Vellimirović – a person whom REL has written about several times before, and who publicly recruits and calls on social media to join the Russian army – Panić denies helping him go to the battlefield.

Previously, Velimirović was convicted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, changed his name, went to Russia and joined the army.

He constantly appealed and offered assistance to anyone from Bosnia and Serbia who wanted to fight on the side of Russia.

Panić says he has no connection with Velimirović, that he met him in Russia and that he knows him, but that's it.

"I'm more with the Russian soldiers. Admittedly there are some from different countries, some from Bosnia, but I'm not in much contact with them," he says.

When asked about his salary, he says he doesn't want to give details.

The case of Dario Ristic who lost his leg on the battlefield

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2022, there was a known case of the arrest of a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in connection with the war in Ukraine.

He is Dario Ristić from Modriča, for whom Bosnia and Herzegovina had issued an arrest warrant through INTERPOL.

Ristic returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina and was arrested at Sarajevo Airport on September 17th.

The State Court ordered him to be held in pre-trial detention for a month. He was then sent to house arrest.

The investigation into his departure and participation in the war is ongoing, while Ristic wants to plead guilty and agree on a sentence with the Prosecutor's Office.

While in Russia and Ukraine, Ristic recorded content and posted it on the Russian social network Vkontakte and TikTok.

He lost a leg on the battlefield and is suspected of fighting on the side of Russia in Ukraine since November 2023.

Like Panic, he was granted Russian citizenship.

Panić says he is aware that his action is a crime in Bosnia, but he is not sure whether he will be held accountable for it if he returns to the country.

"I don't know if anyone would arrest me if I came. I don't even know how I would react. If I'm a Russian citizen, maybe they can't judge me," Panic says.

He has not renounced any of his three citizenships, nor has he been asked to do so.

Who else from Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the battlefield in Ukraine?

In addition to Panić, Ristić who returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Velimirović, about whom REL wrote several times and is still on the battlefield in Ukraine or Russia, according to information REL received from intelligence sources, Danijel Grubač from Kneževo and Andrej Vukašinović from Trebinje have also gone to Ukraine.

Stevens says it is difficult to talk about the exact number of foreigners in the ranks of the Russian military.

He explains that the figures officially released by the Ukrainians, through intelligence sources, are probably much lower than the actual picture on the ground.

"The countries with the largest number of foreign volunteers are: Belarus, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Tajikistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan. According to official figures, it is about 1.000 to 1.300 people. But, as I said, these figures are most likely underestimated," says Stevens.

When it comes to the Western Balkans, Stevens says the situation is unclear.

"Official Ukrainian data shows that only about 101 people have Serbian passports. This could also include ethnic Serbs from Bosnia, Montenegro or other countries," he said.

"However, there was other evidence from the beginning of the war that indicated that a significantly larger number of Serbs may have participated in the war. As early as August 2022, the French intelligence group 'Intelligence Online' estimated that 500 people from Balkan countries, mostly Serbs, were registered with the main military bureau in Moscow," says Stevens.

In late October, Ukrainian and Moldovan police, in cooperation with EUROPOL, discovered more than 650 people linked to the Russian paramilitary formations Wagner and Redut, and to possible war crimes in Ukraine.

Among the 280 foreign nationals, it was reported that there were also some from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not talk about citizens in Ukraine

The State Investigation and Protection Agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina has repeatedly told Radio Free Europe that it acts within its jurisdiction, in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office, in cases related to citizens' departures to foreign battlefields.

"Due to the sensitivity and level of secrecy, we cannot share any more information," is the general response from this agency.

The State Prosecutor's Office, where the Terrorism Department works on cases involving the participation of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on foreign battlefields, responded similarly to REL. /REL/

from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Negjo Panić, went to Ukraine to fight on the Russian side, even though doing so is illegal in his country and can carry a sentence of up to 10 years in prison. He has obtained Russian citizenship and says his main motivation was adventure, not money, and that his parents supported the decision. In addition to him, several other citizens from the Western Balkans have taken part in the war in Ukraine, but the real numbers of foreigners on the battlefield are unclear.

I hope I get home alive.

– Where is your house?

Now… That depends… I hope everything ends well. I trust in God.

These are the words of Negjo Panić, a 30-year-old from Kotor-Varosh, Bosnia and Herzegovina.

In the spring of this year, he went to fight in Ukraine on the Russian side, even though – under the laws of Bosnia and Herzegovina – this is a criminal offense and is punishable by imprisonment from three months to ten years.

When he spoke to Radio Free Europe in August, he was not at the front. He said he had returned from the front and would go again.

In November, he was in Russia.

Security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina also have information about his departure.

This, after a video published on Paniq's Facebook in July, in which he showed that he was at the front, on the side of the Russian army.

In the video, which was later removed, Panić also said that he had obtained Russian citizenship.

Speaking to Radio Free Europe by phone, he says he went to Russia for adventure.

"I worked for nine years in the West, in European countries. And I decided to go east, I didn't like life in the West anymore. The reason is, simply, adventure," says Panić, who also holds citizenship of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia.

He denies that he asked for help from any of the people from the Western Balkan countries who were in Russia and Ukraine to get there, saying he did not need them.

"You have everything on the internet. You can come too. You come by plane, you register and you go," says Panić.

Russia legalizes entry of foreigners into the army

In the summer of 2025, Russia, by decrees of President Vladimir Putin, allowed foreigners to serve in the Russian army, not only during a state of emergency or war, but also during mobilization.

Harry Stevens, an American foreign policy and defense scholar specializing in Russia, tells Radio Free Europe that there are several reasons for Russia's decision and the motives of foreign citizens to join the Russian military.

The first, says Stevens, is Russia's insistence on encouraging as many foreigners as possible to join its military.

Stevens believes that the Russian government is facing a very serious shortage of fighters and people in general – especially men of working or military age.

“… and it’s becoming increasingly difficult to convince people to join the military, because it’s becoming increasingly clear that serving in the Russian military and fighting in Ukraine carries a very high death rate,” Stevens said.

"One of the ways Russia managed to recruit people was by offering increasingly large sums of money, as well as very large payments in the event of death or injury. Recruiting foreign soldiers, especially from poorer countries, is also a way to avoid paying these benefits," Stevens adds.

For Panic, money was not a motive

Panić says that neither money nor other benefits were his main motives.

"I was in a hotel room in Germany, sitting, thinking about what to do next. So, I decided to go to Russia. I went to Bosnia to say goodbye to my parents and then I went to Russia. I bought a ticket, came to St. Petersburg... and then everything was easy," Panić says.

His parents knew he was going to Russia, the 30-year-old says.

According to him, this "didn't matter to them... they are honored" by their son's decision.

Asked if he is aware that he could die or kill someone else at the front, at any moment, he says he is.

"I am aware of everything. Every ten minutes there are attacks on the front. I am aware of everything," says Panic.

Although the video he posted on Facebook was also shared by Aleksandar Vellimirović – a person whom REL has written about several times before, and who publicly recruits and calls on social media to join the Russian army – Panić denies helping him go to the battlefield.

Previously, Velimirović was convicted in Bosnia and Herzegovina, changed his name, went to Russia and joined the army.

He constantly appealed and offered assistance to anyone from Bosnia and Serbia who wanted to fight on the side of Russia.

Panić says he has no connection with Velimirović, that he met him in Russia and that he knows him, but that's it.

"I'm more with the Russian soldiers. Admittedly there are some from different countries, some from Bosnia, but I'm not in much contact with them," he says.

When asked about his salary, he says he doesn't want to give details.

The case of Dario Ristic who lost his leg on the battlefield

Since the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, in 2022, there was a known case of the arrest of a citizen of Bosnia and Herzegovina, in connection with the war in Ukraine.

He is Dario Ristić from Modriča, for whom Bosnia and Herzegovina had issued an arrest warrant through INTERPOL.

Ristic returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina and was arrested at Sarajevo Airport on September 17th.

The State Court ordered him to be held in pre-trial detention for a month. He was then sent to house arrest.

The investigation into his departure and participation in the war is ongoing, while Ristic wants to plead guilty and agree on a sentence with the Prosecutor's Office.

While in Russia and Ukraine, Ristic recorded content and posted it on the Russian social network Vkontakte and TikTok.

He lost a leg on the battlefield and is suspected of fighting on the side of Russia in Ukraine since November 2023.

Like Panic, he was granted Russian citizenship.

Panić says he is aware that his action is a crime in Bosnia, but he is not sure whether he will be held accountable for it if he returns to the country.

"I don't know if anyone would arrest me if I came. I don't even know how I would react. If I'm a Russian citizen, maybe they can't judge me," Panic says.

He has not renounced any of his three citizenships, nor has he been asked to do so.

Who else from Bosnia and Herzegovina is on the battlefield in Ukraine?

In addition to Panić, Ristić who returned to Bosnia and Herzegovina, Velimirović, about whom REL wrote several times and is still on the battlefield in Ukraine or Russia, according to information REL received from intelligence sources, Danijel Grubač from Kneževo and Andrej Vukašinović from Trebinje have also gone to Ukraine.

Stevens says it is difficult to talk about the exact number of foreigners in the ranks of the Russian military.

He explains that the figures officially released by the Ukrainians, through intelligence sources, are probably much lower than the actual picture on the ground.

"The countries with the largest number of foreign volunteers are: Belarus, Uzbekistan, Cuba, Tajikistan, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Kyrgyzstan. According to official figures, it is about 1.000 to 1.300 people. But, as I said, these figures are most likely underestimated," says Stevens.

When it comes to the Western Balkans, Stevens says the situation is unclear.

"Official Ukrainian data shows that only about 101 people have Serbian passports. This could also include ethnic Serbs from Bosnia, Montenegro or other countries," he said.

"However, there was other evidence from the beginning of the war that indicated that a significantly larger number of Serbs may have participated in the war. As early as August 2022, the French intelligence group 'Intelligence Online' estimated that 500 people from Balkan countries, mostly Serbs, were registered with the main military bureau in Moscow," says Stevens.

In late October, Ukrainian and Moldovan police, in cooperation with EUROPOL, discovered more than 650 people linked to the Russian paramilitary formations Wagner and Redut, and to possible war crimes in Ukraine.

Among the 280 foreign nationals, it was reported that there were also some from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Security agencies in Bosnia and Herzegovina do not talk about citizens in Ukraine

The State Investigation and Protection Agency in Bosnia and Herzegovina has repeatedly told Radio Free Europe that it acts within its jurisdiction, in cooperation with the Prosecutor's Office, in cases related to citizens' departures to foreign battlefields.

"Due to the sensitivity and level of secrecy, we cannot share any more information," is the general response from this agency.

The State Prosecutor's Office, where the Terrorism Department works on cases involving the participation of citizens of Bosnia and Herzegovina on foreign battlefields, responded similarly to REL. /REL/