Talkin' the homecoming blues
The challenging return of foreign fighters in Kosovo, arrest warrants, sonic weapons, and a tragic club fire. Plus: dancing armies and imaginary Balkan lands.
Good morning, everyone,
This is Balkan Brew, the newsletter that brings you all the freshest news from the Balkans. I’m Rodolfo, flying solo again since Tommi is getting some much-needed time off. Hope you don’t mind hangin’ with the old guard.
After skipping last week’s issue, a bunch of you reached out to check if everything was okay. Don’t worry—everything’s under control. As we’ve said many times, Balkan Brew is a passion project we squeeze into our spare time. And sometimes, well, there just isn’t any. Until we find that Time-Turner of ours, we’ll just have to roll with it.
This week, we’ve got updates on the arrest warrant for Milorad Dodik in Bosnia and Herzegovina. We’ll also talk about the aftermath of the fire at the Pulse disco in North Macedonia. But first, we’re heading to Kosovo, where former foreign fighters are feeling the blues.
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Talkin’ the homecoming blues
About a decade ago, Kosovo had the highest number of foreign fighters per capita in the region—around 300 of its citizens left the country to fight in Syria and Iraq.
BLAST FROM THE PAST. Since 2012, an estimated 1,075 people from the Western Balkans have traveled to Syria and Iraq, mostly to join the Islamic State, which eventually fell in 2019.
GOING BACK. Since then, Kosovo has repatriated more than 120 people. But as this Balkan Insight feature shows, rebuilding a normal life hasn’t been easy for many of them.
Catch me if you can
HAS HE BEEN ARRESTED? Nope. Milorad Dodik—the president of Bosnia and Herzegovina’s Republika Srpska (RS)—is still roaming free in the region (and beyond), despite an arrest warrant against him.
QUICK RECAP. On March 14, the Bosnian State Court issued an arrest warrant for Dodik, RS Prime Minister Radovan Višković, and RS National Assembly President Nenad Stevandić after they refused to show up at the BiH Prosecution in an investigation into their alleged attacks on the country’s constitutional order.
FREE LIKE A BIRD. Despite the arrest warrant, Dodik traveled to Serbia and then to Israel, where he was supposed to attend a conference on antisemitism. However, he had to make a quick exit after Israeli officials informed him that his presence was “diplomatically problematic”.
WANTED MAN. Yesterday, the Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina asked Interpol to issue an international arrest warrant for Dodik and Stevandić, who was also out of the country recently.
THE PROBLEM. According to media reports, Dodik was able to cross into Serbia without any issues, raising serious doubts about Bosnia and Herzegovina’s ability to actually arrest him.
SPEAKING OF SERBIA. Serbian authorities have denied using a sonic weapon against protesters gathered in Belgrade on March 15.
BREAKING THE SILENCE? European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen has told Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić that Serbia needs to step up its efforts in fighting corruption, improving media freedom, and implementing electoral reforms. Some have seen this as a belated, small sign of support for the students’ protests.
Looking for answers
In North Macedonia, authorities are investigating the cause of the deadly fire that killed 59 people and injured 180 others at the Pulse nightclub in the town of Kočani on March 16.
ARRESTS. Authorities say the club obtained its license illegally and didn’t comply with safety regulations. More than 20 people have been detained in connection with the tragedy.
PROTESTS. Thousands of people have taken to the streets, demanding justice for the victims of the fire, although protests so far remain limited.
IN OTHER NEWS.
Albania, Kosovo, and Croatia have signed a military cooperation agreement.
The Tate brothers—who are under investigation in Romania for several crimes, including human trafficking, trafficking of minors, and money laundering—checked in with the Romanian police as part of their legal obligations after being allowed to travel to the U.S.
The European Union is set to continue pumping billions of euros into Turkey, despite President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan’s ongoing crackdown on political opponents.
Croatia is expected to finally be mine-free next year—30 years after the end of the war.
YVAN EHT NIOJ. As The Simpsons predicted, few things work better for military recruitment than pop music and dance. The Slovenian Army seems to agree: as part of its latest recruitment campaign, it hired a dance group to perform in military uniforms in front of a banner reading Stopi v naše vrste (Join our ranks).
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GREETINGS FROM RURITANIA. Ever visited famous Balkan countries like Ruritania, Kosnovia, or Poldavia? No? That’s because they don’t exist (obviously). These fictional Balkan-inspired regions popped up in literature between the late 19th century and 1945, when Western Europe was curious about the Balkans but didn’t really know much about them.
And that’s a wrap for this week! As always, if you spot a mistake, have a story tip, or just want to tell us you missed us last week, hit reply—we’d love to hear from you.
Until next week, take care!
BB