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The Balkans are a region where geography becomes destiny — fortress cities carved into cliffs, river valleys split between rival ethnic groups, and ancient lakes where civilizations have collided for ...

This article is reserved for War on the Rocks members. Join our community to unlock exclusive insights and analysis. In 2022, Dimitar Bechev wrote “War Won’t be Coming Back to the Balkans” for War on ...

When Bruce Strong first arrived in Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, he was struck by how much life had moved forward since the haunting images of war that once defined the region. The ...

Fuel smuggling in the Balkans never went away, but now it risks growing on the back of Russia’s war in Ukraine. Photo: Motointermedia from Pixabay. Russia’s war in Ukraine and the Western sanctions ...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned Russia may be planning to ignite a war in the Balkans to distract from its ongoing fight with Ukraine. “Pay attention to the Balkans. Believe me, we are ...

Throughout Russia’s history, tsars looked for ways to dominate what they called the “near abroad” of their sprawling empire. In today’s world, President Vladimir Putin’s illegal invasion of ...

Some 30 years after the Balkan wars, Serbia and Bosnia-Herzegovina still grapple with the legacy of wartime leaders. Bosnian law forbids the "glorification" of war criminals, but is rarely enforced, ...

SARAJEVO, May 4 (Reuters) - The World Bank on Wednesday cut its forecast for economic growth of six countries of the Western Balkans to 3.1% from 4.1% previously, citing risks from the Ukraine war ...