Ratko Mladić (born March 12, 1942) was the leader of the Army of the Republika Srpska (VRS) (the Bosnian Serb Army) during the 1992-95 civil war in Bosnia.

Mladić was born in Kalinovik , Bosnia, then a part of the Nazi Independent State of Croatia, a state created after the German and Italian invasion and dismemberment of Yugoslavia in 1941.

In June 1991, Mladić was posted to Knin as Commander of the 9th Corps of the Yugoslav National Army (JNA), during fighting between the JNA and Croatian forces. On October 4, 1991, he was promoted to General Major. On April 24, 1992, Mladić was promoted to the rank of General Lieutenant, and on May 9, 1992, he assumed the post of Chief of Staff/Deputy Commander of the Second Military District Headquarters of the JNA in Sarajevo. On 10 May 1992, Mladić assumed the command of the Second Military District Headquarters of the JNA.

On May 12, 1992, the Bosnian Serb Assembly voted to create the VRS. At the same time, Mladić was appointed Commander of the Main Staff of the VRS, a position he held until December 1996. (In May 1992, after the withdrawal of JNA forces from Bosnia, the JNA Second Military District became the nucleus of the Main Staff of the VRS.) On June 24, 1994, he was promoted to the rank of General Colonel.

On July 24, 1995, Mladić was indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia and accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and numerous war crimes (including crimes relating to the alleged sniping campaign against civilians in Sarajevo). On November 16, 1995, the charges were expanded to include charges of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes for the attack on the United Nations-declared safe area of Srebrenica in July 1995. Mladić is also responsible for the taking of hostages amongst UN peace-keeping personnel.

A fugitive from the ICTY, he is suspected to be hiding either in Serbia or the Republika Srpska. Mladić was reportedly seen attending a football [soccer] match between China and Yugoslavia in Belgrade in March 2000. He entered through a VIP entrance and sat in a private box surrounded by eight armed bodyguards. Some claim that he has been seen in a suburb of Moscow, and that he is "regularly" in Thessalonica and Athens, which has raised suspicions that numerous fake reports are sent to cover his trail. His security is undoubtedly well assured [1]. In November 2004 British defence officials conceded that military action was unlikely to be successful in bringing Mladić and other suspects to trial. Putting political pressure on Balkans governments would be more likely to succeed.

In 1994 Mladić's daughter committed suicide while studying medicine at the University of Belgrade . It is possible that the reason for her suicide lay in intense criticism of Mladić in Serbian media at the time. She rests in Topcider; it is believed that for some time Mladić came regularly to see the grave.

External link

• Interpol Warrant
• BBC News Profile: Ratko Mladić