Ratko Mladic, former Bosnian Serb military leader, dies at 84

Ratko Mladic, the former commander-in-chief of the Bosnian Serb army, died in detention at The Hague at the age of 84. Mladic was convicted of genocide for his role in the Srebrenica massacre and other war crimes during the Bosnian War, which lasted from 1992 to 1995. The Srebrenica massacre, which occurred in July 1995, resulted in the deaths of more than 8,300 unarmed Muslim boys and men, and was classified as genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY). The town had been declared a "safe area" by the United Nations prior to the attack by Bosnian Serb forces. Mladic was also held responsible for the siege of Sarajevo, which lasted over 40 months and resulted in approximately 11,000 deaths, including more than 1,600 children. He consistently denied responsibility for the attacks, claiming to target only military objectives, despite evidence indicating that civilian areas were also attacked. Mladic was sentenced to life in prison by the ICTY in 2017, and his conviction was upheld in 2021. His actions during the war have made him a controversial figure, viewed as a war criminal internationally while still regarded as a hero by some in Serbia and among Bosnian Serbs. Mladic was born in 1943 in eastern Bosnia and began his military career in the Yugoslav army, rising through the ranks before becoming a key figure in the Bosnian War. He evaded arrest for years before being captured in 2011. Mladic died on August 27, 2026, in a prison hospital in The Hague.