Timeline: Life of Ratko Mladic, general turned ‘Butcher of Bosnia’

Ratko Mladic, a war criminal convicted for his role in orchestrating the Srebrenica Genocide in ۱۹۹۵ – the first genocide on European soil since the second world war – died in prison in The Hague at the age of ۸۴.

⁠He had been serving a life sentence for ‌genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity – crimes whose “seriousness” United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres restated after his death on Thursday.

“The Secretary-General stands in solidarity with the victims, survivors and ⁠their families who suffered the crimes for which Mr Mladic was found guilty … [and] reiterates his call on all ‌those in position of power to refrain from denying the seriousness of the crimes that have been adjudicated,” Guterres’s spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

On Friday, Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic accused the UN war crimes court of “uncivilised behaviour” for not allowing Mladic early release, which would have seen him die in Serbia. Earlier this year, Belgrade requested he be allowed to receive medical treatment outside prison, saying his health condition was “serious”.

Known as the “Butcher of Bosnia”, Mladic was one of the most notorious military commanders of the wars that followed the breakup of Yugoslavia. Under his command, Bosnian Serb forces seized Srebrenica, near the Serbian border, in July ۱۹۹۵, despite the UN declaring the municipality a “safe area”. In the following days, the forces killed more than ۸,۰۰۰ Bosniak men and boys.

Here is a timeline of the major events of Mladic’s life, leading up to his death in detention this week:

۱۹۴۲-۱۹۶۶: Birth and personal life

Ratko Mladic, a Bosnian Serb, was born in March ۱۹۴۲ in the village of Bozanovici in the Kingdom of Yugoslavia (in today’s Bosnia and Herzegovina). His father was a member of a communist-led resistance to the Axis powers in World War II.

In ۱۹۶۶, Mladic married Bosiljka Jedic and later had two children, Darko and Ana.

۱۹۶۵-۱۹۹۱: Military career

At the age of ۲۲, Mladic joined the Yugoslav National Army (JNA) and moved up the ranks. By ۱۹۹۱, he was the head of the Operational Teaching Department of the ۹th Corps in Knin (today’s Croatia) and later commanded the Headquarters of the ۹th Corps Maritime Division.

۱۹۹۱-۱۹۹۲: Arrival in Sarajevo

The Presidency of the Social Federative Republic of Yugoslavia promoted Mladic to the rank of major-general in ۱۹۹۱ and lieutenant–colonel general in April ۱۹۹۲. He commanded the headquarters of the JNA’s Second Military Area Command in Sarajevo.

۱۹۹۲-۱۹۹۵: Siege of Sarajevo

The Bosnian Serb army, led by Mladic, laid siege to the capital city of Sarajevo.

The longest military siege of a capital city in modern history, it lasted ۱,۴۶۰ days, killing more than ۱۱,۵۰۰ people. An estimated ۴۸۰,۰۰۰ to ۵۰۰,۰۰۰ missiles were fired on the city.

July ۱۹۹۵: Srebrenica Genocide

In July ۱۹۹۵, Mladic’s troops captured Srebrenica and Zepa, enclaves under the protection of the United Nations. In what was later termed a genocide, ۸,۰۰۰ Bosniak men and boys were killed, and between ۲۵,۰۰۰ and ۳۰,۰۰۰ were expelled from the area.

July and November ۱۹۹۵: Genocide indictment

Mladic and Radovan Karadzic, political leader of the Bosnian Serbs, were indicted before the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) for war crimes committed during the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina. This included the killings at Srebrenica, along with the mass expulsion of Bosniak civilians.

Mladic was charged with ۲۰ offences, including genocide. In ۱۹۹۶, the ICTY issued an international arrest warrant for Mladic and Karadzic.

۱۹۹۷-۲۰۱۱: Life on the run

Mladic remained in hiding after the ICTY indictment, moving to different locations in Serbia.

War crimes prosecutors and media investigations continued to track Mladic’s movement based on rumours, witness interviews, intelligence, and court documents.

In ۲۰۰۱, he reportedly moved to Bosnia and Herzegovina before going back to Serbia.

۲۰۱۱-۲۰۱۶: Arrest and trial

On May ۲۶, ۲۰۱۱, Mladic was arrested in Lazarevo, northern Serbia, at his cousin’s house. He was taken into custody in Belgrade and then transferred to The Hague to be prosecuted by the ICTY.

The trial commenced in June ۲۰۱۱, and closing arguments were delivered in December ۲۰۱۶. Mladic refused a plea deal.

November ۲۰۱۷: Final verdict

Mladic was sentenced to life imprisonment in ۲۰۱۷ over the Srebrenica genocide, war crimes, and crimes against humanity.

June ۲۰۲۵: Release appeal denied

In late ۲۰۲۲, Mladic was hospitalised in “poor health”, his family said at the time.

In June ۲۰۲۵, Mladic had filed a request to be freed, saying he only had a few months to live. His request was denied.

August ۲۷, ۲۰۲۶: Mladic dies

Mladic died while hospitalised in The Hague, after spending approximately ۱۵ years in custody and detention over war crimes in Bosnia.