Bosnian Serb General Ratko Mladic, one of the most prominent figures of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, has died.

During the breakup of Yugoslavia, he fought in Serbian Krajina and the Republika Srpska against Bosnian Muslim forces. He took part in the fighting during the siege of Sarajevo and was also involved in the Srebrenica massacre.

His legacy remains deeply divisive in Bosnia and Herzegovina. While Bosnian Muslims view him as a war criminal, he is regarded as a hero among Bosnian Serbs, who claim that during the war he protected the Serbian civilian population from a repeat of the genocide of World War II and ensured the peaceful evacuation of civilians in many areas.

Mladic remains a controversial historical figure whose actions during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina are still the subject of conflicting views.

(telegram, bak)