Serbia honors convicted war criminal Mladic, defying EU warnings

Serbia is holding a public lying-in-state for convicted war criminal Ratko Mladic in Belgrade, directly defying EU warnings against honoring the 'Butcher of Bosnia.' The event signals a hardening of nationalist sentiment in Serbia and risks straining EU accession talks and regional reconciliation efforts. The move is a deliberate provocation that could escalate diplomatic tensions with Bosnia, Croatia, and the EU.