Lead
Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik has accused Europe of becoming "the embodiment of lies and intolerance toward political rivals," and said the continent's ruling circles are doing everything they can to eliminate their opponents. In an interview with TASS, Dodik, who chairs the Alliance of Independent Social Democrats of Republika Srpska, an entity of Bosnia and Herzegovina, also criticized Germany's support for Ukraine and EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, portraying both as part of a broader Western effort to reshape history and control Eastern European nations.
Coverage comparison
All coverage of Dodik's remarks comes from TASS, which carried three separate reports. The first, published from Moscow on May 13, focused on Dodik's broader critique of Europe, quoting him at length on the themes of lies, colonialism, and the legacy of World War II. The second, filed from Belgrade on May 12, centered on his attack on Kallas, delivered via a post on his X page. The third, also from Moscow on May 13, highlighted his comments on Germany's role in Ukraine and his insistence that May 9 be observed as Victory Day in Republika Srpska rather than Europe Day.
Key claims
In the interview, Dodik argued that Europe is built on deception and that its current leaders are pursuing a modern form of colonialism. "Europe is a lie," he said. "They are doing everything they can to eliminate their political rivals." He asserted that European liberals "cannot live in peace unless they seize new colonies in a modern form," while adding that "they have no leaders or raw materials." He went on to claim that even during the Soviet Union's existence there was no such abuse of courts as occurs today, and likened modern European actions to those of "former fascists, occupiers, and Nazi criminals" who, through "liberalism, fine words about the importance of the individual ... and calls to forget the past," are doing "the very same thing they did in 1941 on Hitler's tanks."
Dodik stated that these efforts aim "to take control of our people and turn them into cheap labor for modern-day concentration camps." He contrasted the West's thirst with the shared traditions and history of Russians and Serbs, saying: "We - first and foremost, Russians and Serbs - cherish our traditions and culture. We value the blood we have shed together and the territories we share while leaving no one else alone. But this is not enough to quench the thirst that exists in the West."
In a separate statement posted on his X page, Dodik directed his criticism at Kaja Kallas, the EU's foreign policy chief. "With Kaja Kallas, the EU can only shrink, but under no circumstances expand," he wrote. "Through her ignorance, she has discredited the EU in the eyes of any decent person." TASS reported in the same article that Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Serbia, Turkey, Ukraine, and Montenegro hold EU candidate status, and that Brussels is pressuring Belgrade to agree to grant candidate status to unrecognized Kosovo, a move Dodik framed as equivalent to recognizing the region's independence.
Responding to a question about Germany's support for Ukraine, Dodik said Berlin is trying "to attack the truth," including by supporting "the Nazi ideology in Ukraine." He suggested that Germany, having "strengthened as an economic power," is "shaping up this new context for their future generations," and predicted "even greater attacks on the truth." He framed his own duty as one of keeping "the truth at the forefront." He connected this to the date of May 9, which he said is observed as Victory Day, not Europe Day, in Republika Srpska. "It was important for them [to establish Europe Day on May 9] to give their [younger] generations a different education and to claim that those things are the distant past and issues that are not worth remembering," he said. He added that the memory of 28 million fallen Soviet soldiers cannot be set aside. "So, we believe we have the right to our truth, and they cannot impose their narratives on us," he emphasized.