The remains of former Bosnian Serb army commander Ratko Mladic, who died last week while serving a life sentence for war crimes, have been returned to Belgrade and received with military honours. The casket, draped in the Serbian national flag, arrived on a government plane from The Hague.

Mladic, convicted in 2017 for genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes during the 1992-1995 Bosnian War, died at age 84 in a UN detention facility. The International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia confirmed his remains were handed over to his family at Rotterdam The Hague Airport.

In Belgrade, six soldiers carried the coffin from the plane, accompanied by Mladic's son, Darko, and Serbian Justice Minister Nenad Vujic. Vujic stated that funeral plans would be announced by the family soon, with pro-government media anticipating a military commemoration on Saturday and the funeral on Monday. Police and state security agencies projected that "tens of thousands" could attend.

Despite his conviction, many Serbians view Mladic as a hero. His return has drawn condemnation in a region still deeply divided by the conflicts of the 1990s. Thousands have previously held vigils and marches in his honour.

The Bosnian War erupted when Bosnian Serbs sought to establish their own state, with Serbia supporting their cause. Serbia has frequently accused the West and the tribunal of unfairly blaming Serbs for wartime atrocities and failing to deliver justice for Serb victims.

Mladic was a prominent figure during the Bosnian War, which resulted in over 100,000 deaths and displaced more than a million people before concluding with a US-brokered peace agreement in 1995. The war included the Srebrenica massacre, recognized as Europe's first genocide after World War II, where Bosnian Serb forces killed Bosniak men and boys.

The tribunal in The Hague has previously stated its solidarity with victims of atrocities, emphasizing its commitment to justice and accountability for heinous crimes committed during the conflicts.

Questions remain regarding the full extent of state involvement in facilitating the military honours for Mladic and the potential for renewed ethnic tensions in the aftermath of this ceremony.