Novak Stjepanovic, a Bosnian Serb convicted of war crimes in 1992, has avoided serving his 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 fled Serbia and posted multiple photos online showing him in Russian military uniform in occupied Donetsk between April and June 2025, declaring himself “destined by God to fight for justice.”
The Higher Court in Belgrade confirmed that Stjepanovic was not prohibited from leaving the country during his trial. Legal experts note that Serbia rarely imposes immediate detention for its citizens convicted of war crimes, a loophole exploited by Stjepanovic, who holds dual Serbian and Bosnian citizenship.
Victims of Stjepanovic’s crimes, like Edina Karic, have expressed despair over his ability to evade justice. Karic testified during the trial that she witnessed Stjepanovic rape a 19-year-old woman in 1992.
Stjepanovic was first indicted for war crimes by Bosnia in 2009, nearly two decades after his offenses. Subsequent indictments, including for sexual violence, were merged and transferred to Serbia. Despite the first-instance conviction in December 2024 and the appellate sentence of 13 years in June 2025, Stjepanovic had already disappeared from Serbia.
He publicly documented his presence in Ukraine, sharing images with Russian military “dog tags” and posting about his participation in fighting around Pokrovske, Donetsk region. Reports indicate that mercenaries from the Balkans have long joined Russian forces, despite legal prohibitions enacted in Serbia and Bosnia in 2014, which criminalize participation in foreign conflicts with sentences up to 10 years in Serbia and 8 in Bosnia.
This case highlights Serbia’s systemic failure to hold war criminals accountable and the broader problem of Balkan nationals joining Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Prosecutors in Bosnia have attempted to pursue further investigations into Stjepanovic, including murders of six civilians in Bratunac, but administrative delays and incomplete cooperation from Serbian authorities have stalled justice.
The Stjepanovic case underscores a glaring gap in regional accountability, showing how convicted war criminals can escape punishment, participate in foreign conflicts, and remain largely untouchable, eroding trust in judicial systems across the Balkans.
