A tiny country with aspiratons to join the Ukraine-supporting European Union is home to a territory that is openly a staunch ally of President Putin.
Republika Srpska occupies two border regions of the former Yugoslavian country of Bosnia and Herzegovina and is home to a majority population of Slavic Serbian people.
Ethnic cultural links to Russia mean many in the region support President Putin and the leader of the territory, President Milorad Dodik has been photographed warmly greeting the Russian dictator in the past.
The government of Bosnia and Herzegovina is hoping the nation can join European Union, but with the people of Srpska making up a third of the country’s three million population getting a conensus at home could be hard.
German broadcaster Deutsche Welle reports on January 9 this year President Dodik awarded Russian President Vladimir Putin the entity’s highest honour for his “patriotic concern and love for Republika Srpska.”
During a meeting with Putin in February Dodik doubled-down on his praise, saying it was an “honour” meet the Russian leader and show “our friendship and understanding between our peoples, between us as leaders”.
The Kyiv Post reports he added: “There is pressure coming from the West which is seeking to turn everybody against Russia. We are not doing that. What we’re doing in the current circumstances is rejecting any possibility of joining Western sanctions against Russia.”
Despite the bullish support for Putin from President Dodik, the EU announced in the past few days it had opened negotiations with Bosnia and Herzegovina on joining the bloc. However, the European politcial body stressed the country may have to undertake ‘reforms’ to satify membership criteria.
Republika Srpska is historically home to a Slavic population, the majority ethnicity also in Russia, but the republic itself has only existed since the break up of Yugoslavia during the civil war in the late 90s and early 2000s.
The region has a land area just slightly bigger than Wales and occupies the capital of Bosnia Sarajevo, a city which saw some of the most brutal fighting during the Yugoslav wars.
The enclave is one of the most forested areas in Europe and is also home to some stunning mountains and river valleys. Countries that border Republika Srpska include Serbia, Montenegro and Croatia.
