Milorad Dodik: Bosnia and Herzegovina is a meaningless state that does not deserve to exist

The leader of Republika Srpska, one of the two autonomous regions in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Milorad Dodik told the BBC Russian Service that he intends to seek support from President Vladimir Putin for his plans to hold a referendum on independence. This is increasing tensions in Bosnia and Herzegovina and risks leading to a new escalation of the constitutional crisis in the country, writes Focus.

Dodik has been challenging the authority of the central government in Sarajevo for years. In August 2025, the Constitutional Court deprived him of the right to hold public office for six years, and the Central Election Commission removed him from the post of president of Republika Srpska. However, he refused to step down and organized his own referendum for October 25, in which he will question the powers of the central authorities and the legitimacy of the High Representative - the international peace supervisor in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

The expectation is that the majority of Bosnian Serbs will support Dodik, while Sarajevo will declare the results unconstitutional. He himself has already hinted that the next step could be a new referendum - whether the citizens of Republika Srpska even want to live within this country.

"Bosnia and Herzegovina is meaningless. After all the international operations, pressure, tricks and deceptions, it is a defective state. It does not deserve the right to exist and it is logical for the Serbian people to demand their right to the status of an independent state“, Dodik said.

The international community and the authorities in Sarajevo recall that Republika Srpska already has broad autonomy - his own flag, government and police force - as well as significant financial support and European privileges.

Dodik, who has been in politics since the late 1990s, remains the most popular Serb leader in Bosnia today. However, his relations with the West are very strained - he is under US sanctions and often criticizes the role of the EU, while maintaining close contacts with Moscow. Often called “Putin's man in the Balkans”, he rejects this definition, claiming that he represents only the Serbian people in Bosnia.

In addition to Russia, Dodik also has hopes for the new term of Donald Trump, whom he describes as a “historic figure”. Washington, however, remains critical - Secretary of State Marco Rubio recently accused him of undermining state institutions and threatening the security of Bosnia and Herzegovina.