In November 2023, Bosnian Defense Minister Zukan Helez was severely criticized, when he gave training camps for Russian special forces and intelligence officers in the western Balkan country’s Serb-Prabhu, Kremlin-Front region, Ripubalika Sarpska. But a year later, Russian intelligence officer Alexander Bejrukovani was arrested in the north -western municipality of Bosska Krupa.
Bezrukovani is suspected of sabotage, terrorism and training of pro -Russia forces. According to Bosnian daily Dnevni avazHe trained a group of Moldovans near Banja Luka city to perform violent acts against the European Union Government in Moldova, which aims to prevent the former Soviet Republic from joining the European Union. The group is allegedly associated with the Russia Pro-Russia Aligarch and former Parliamentian Ilan Shor. The party has been banned in Moldova since June 2023.
On 14 February, Bejrukovani was extradited from Bosnia to Poland, where the European Union and NATO members were accused of coordinating attacks against Poland, its neighboring Germany, the United States and other Western colleagues.
Polish Prime Donald Task wrote on X, “What was extradited to Poland, suspected to coordinate the coordination of sabotage against Poland, America and other colleagues in Bosnia-Herzegovina and arrested by court order.” [Internal Security Agency, the Polish domestic intelligence service] And the prosecutor’s office. Russian hostile activities confirmed.
‘A dangerous terrorist’
Helez told DW that he confirmed his 2023 association as the arrest and extradition of Bisrukovani that Moldova had known about Russian training camps in Bosnia.
“At that time, I was viciously attacked orally and by Republic Sarptsa in the media […] Who claimed that the search camps were not present, “Helez said.
Helez said that Bosnia-Herzegovina is not a weak link in the fight against Western Balkan and Russian influence in Europe. Nevertheless, Bosnian officials are unhappy that Moldovan Intelligence Services came to know that before he was stopped in his country. Helez stated that Bejrukovani was supported by “individuals and groups” in Republical Sarpska.
Sarajevo-based defense and security expert Nedzad Ahtvik told DW that Bejrukovani was part of a Russian federal security service network and “was responsible for logical base for training and deployment to various places.”
“Bosnia, Moldova and other places trained in other places carried out various tasks, including drones and defense industry features and sabotage of their subcontinents on the Ramstein US airbase in Germany,” said Ahatovik. The arrest and extradition of Bejrukovani has “cut a logical corridor for the financing of Russian destructive activities,” hey said. “The question is how many more search centers are in Europe.”
Abdullah Keranovik, police spokesperson at Bosnian Canton in Una-Sana, where Bejrukovani was arrested in November, told DW what is the operation in collaboration with Domestic Service OSA under Operation Intapol Arrest Warrant.
“We came to know that there was a foreign national with the beginning of our region who was living illegally in Bosnia-Herzegovina and suspected of placing ford documents,” Heer said. The Bosnian media reports that Bejrukovani had been with bees for some time under OSA observation. The arrest occurred when he tried to leave the country.
Professor Dosco Vejnoovic, Professor of the Faculty of Security Policy at Banja University, told DW that the agents of the Secret Service often use legal documents, which use legal documents to travel indiscriminately – and to make identity cards for them For. “It is rational that the Russian authorities dismissed the allegations against Berjukovani. Now evidence should be found that he belonged to a network that worked against the interests of Poland and other country,” said.
In October, the US embassy in Bosnia’s capital Sarajevo reported accounts associated with Russian private military groups, which were operating a camp in Republic Sripska and trained individuals to disrupt democratic procedures in Moldova. Were. According to the US Foreign Broadcaster Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, there are evidence of places in Bosnia and neighboring Serbia, where young people are trained by operations associated with the search of private Russian fare forces as Wagner Group.
This article was original in German.
