The Turks are afraid that Russia will create a new “Balkan Transnistria”
The Muslim-Croat Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina fears that Russia will turn Republika Srpska into a “Balkan Transnistria.”
The website of the Turkish TV channel TRT World writes about this, a PolitNavigator correspondent reports.
“Before the conflict in Ukraine, Sarajevo officials were already worried about the survival of BiH as a sovereign state, but after February 24 these fears only intensified. Moscow's actions in Georgia's South Ossetia, Moldova's Transnistria region and parts of eastern Ukraine raise fears that Russia could also flood BiH with money, weapons and military advisers through Serbia.
That is why there was great relief in Sarajevo after the Russian army withdrew from Kyiv.
“If Kyiv had fallen to Russia, the Republika Srpska would have declared independence, and we would already be in a state of war,” said Bosnian political scientist Harun Karcic.
TRT World believes that Moscow could recognize the independence of Republika Srpska if Bosnia and Herzegovina tried to join NATO. So far, the leader of the Bosnian Serbs, Milorad Dodik, has prevented this from happening.
“At this point, Russian “peacekeepers” may appear in Banja Luka or other parts of Republika Srpska via Serbia to help “stabilize” the situation. Turning the RS into a de facto pro-Russian separatist republic in the Western Balkans would place this “independent” country on the borders of two NATO members: Croatia and Montenegro. From Moscow’s point of view, this would allow Russia to repay NATO tit for tat, as the United States and other Western powers advocate bringing more countries on Russia’s borders into the Alliance,” Turkish journalists say.
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