About 100 people marked Victory Day on May 9 by taking part in a march led by Republika Srpska President Milorad Dodik in Banja Luka in support of Russia and the invasion of Ukraine.
The government of Republika Srpska has organized the march in Banja Luka since 2017. This year, the number of participants was noticeably smaller than in previous years. Aside from Dodik, Russian Ambassador to Bosnia-Herzegovina Igor Kalabuhov was among the participants.
Dodik, leader of the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats, the strongest Serbian party in Bosnia, marched at the front of the procession, which included several people holding Russian flags. He opposes sanctions against Russia over its invasion on Ukraine and is one of the few European leaders who has met with Russian President Vladimir Putin since the war began.
Dodik, who has spoken in favor of the secession of Republika Srpska from Bosnia and the illegal abolition of state institutions, has been designated for sanctions by the United States and Britain over his anti-state activities.
In Banja Luka on May 9, descendants of people who fought against the Nazis in World War II took part in the so-called Immortal Regiment procession. Some wore the ribbon of St. George, a Russian military symbol consisting of black and orange stripes from the period of the Russian Empire.
Members of the Night Wolves motorcycle club, which is close to Putin, marched carrying a banner proclaiming "We won -- Serbs and Russians." The motorcycle club, as well as its founder and leader, Aleksandr Zaldostanov, better known as The Surgeon, are on the EU sanctions list because of their support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Members of the Night Wolves in recent years have often visited Republika Srpska, where they also have domestic representatives, on religious and secular holidays.
They have also participated in Republika Srpska Day events in January. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia-Herzegovina has twice declared the Republika Srpska Day unconstitutional.
More than 140 countries, including Bosnia, support the sanctions against Russia, but Bosnia has not imposed the sanctions because the State Council of Ministers has never made a decision on their implementation. Republika Srpska officials on the council are opposed to making such a decision.