Overview
- On Monday, September 7, 2026, state-organized funerary ceremonies in Belgrade saw thousands queueing at the Church of St. Luke, a military honor guard present, several government ministers attending and the body due to be buried at Topčider.
- Many attendees publicly celebrated Mladić as a national hero with banners, chants and relics, while his family and prominent Republika Srpska politicians paid their respects.
- The European Union formally condemned any glorification of a convicted war criminal and EU Enlargement Commissioner Marta Kos cancelled a planned visit to Serbia in protest.
- Serbian authorities repatriated Mladić on September 3 for an autopsy at the Belgrade Military Medical Academy and tightened security around the funeral with road closures and police deployments.
- The funerals expose deep division over 1990s crimes, threaten regional reconciliation and could raise diplomatic and political costs for Serbia as it pursues EU membership and heads into imminent elections.