Novak Stjepanovic, a Bosnian Serb convicted of war crimes in 1992, has avoided serving a prison sentence in Serbia by joining Russian forces in Ukraine, a BIRN investigation reveals.
Stjepanovic, 59, was sentenced to 13 years in prison in June 2025 for crimes against civilians near Bratunac, Bosnia, including murder, torture, rape, inhumane treatment and theft.
However, he had already left Serbia and posted several photos online showing himself in Russian military uniform in occupied Donetsk between April and June 2025, declaring himself “destined by God to fight for justice.”
The Supreme Court in Belgrade confirmed that Stjepanović was not prohibited from leaving the country during his trial.
Legal experts note that Serbia rarely imposes immediate detention on its citizens convicted of war crimes, a loophole exploited by Stjepanovic, who holds dual Serbian and Bosnian citizenship.
And victims of Stjepanovic’s crimes, like Edina Karic, have expressed despair at his ability to evade justice.
Karic testified during the trial that she witnessed Stjepanovic raping a 19-year-old woman in 1992.
Stjepanovic was first indicted for war crimes by Bosnia in 2009, nearly two decades after his criminal acts.
Subsequent lawsuits, including those for sexual violence, were merged and transferred to Serbia.
Despite the first-instance conviction in December 2024 and the appeal sentence of 13 years in June 2025, Stjepanović had already disappeared from Serbia.
He publicly documented his presence in Ukraine, sharing images and posting about his participation in the fighting around Pokrovske, Donetsk region.
Reports indicate that mercenaries from the Balkans have long joined Russian forces, despite legal bans passed in Serbia and Bosnia in 2014, which criminalize participation in foreign conflicts with sentences of up to 10 years in Serbia and 8 in Bosnia.
This case highlights Serbia’s systematic failure to hold war criminals accountable.
Prosecutors in Bosnia have attempted to pursue further investigations into Stjepanović, including the killings of six civilians in Bratunac, but administrative delays and incomplete cooperation from Serbian authorities have hindered justice. /Telegraph/