Russia linked to protest training in Bosnia
The Bosnian Foreign Minister, Elmedin Konaković, confirmed allegations that Moldovan citizens received training in Bosnia to organise protests and demonstrations, potentially linked to Russian influence.
While he did not confirm the existence of specific training camps, Konaković stated he personally saw evidence of these groups operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Speaking to the press in Sarajevo on Thursday, Konaković stated that there is evidence of such training, and asserted that it was "certainly" aimed at inciting unrest.
"It is true that we had people who came on behalf of and were financed by the Russian Federation to train members of Moldovan groups," Konaković said. "I do not have concrete evidence that this involved military training, but there was certainly some kind of training aimed at organising protests and demonstrations. There is evidence, which I have personally seen, that such groups were operating in Bosnia and Herzegovina."
This statement follows shortly after the United States Embassy in Sarajevo urged Radio Free Europe in Bosnia and Herzegovina to encourage Bosnian authorities to thoroughly investigate the existence of a training camp, as reported by authorities in Chișinău. Konaković further assessed that this situation demonstrates Russia's negative influence in the heart of Europe, which Bosnia and Herzegovina cannot fight alone. He called upon European partners to ensure the European Union supports Bosnia and Herzegovina with at least half the amount Russia provides to its proxies in Western Europe.
On October 17, police in Chișinău revealed that over 300 young people from the Republic of Moldova were instructed and trained in the Russian Federation, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Serbia on how to incite mass disorder in the lead-up to the elections. They were trained by foreign instructors connected to entities associated with the private military companies Wagner and Ferma (The Farm), previously established by Yevgeny Prigozhin. Four Moldovan citizens trained in guerrilla camps in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia were detained and placed in pre-trial detention. The Romanian Intelligence Service (SIS) determined that the travel of groups of young people to Moscow for training was funded by the fugitive oligarch Ilan Shor.
Translation by Iurie Tataru
