Ratko Mladić, the former Bosnian Serb army general, was laid to rest in Belgrade following a funeral attended by thousands of mourners. Mladić was previously convicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for his role in the 1995 Srebrenica genocide and other war crimes committed during the Bosnian War.

While international courts and human rights organizations maintain that Mladić is responsible for some of the worst atrocities in Europe since World War II, the turnout at his funeral suggests that he remains a polarizing figure. Supporters view him as a national hero who defended the Serbian people, while victims' groups and international observers characterize the event as a celebration of a convicted war criminal. The ceremony underscores the deep-seated tensions that persist in the Balkans regarding the interpretation of the 1990s conflicts and the accountability of military leaders.