Russia's Anger at UN Efforts to Establish a Day of Remembrance for the Srebrenica Genocide

On Wednesday, Russia expressed anger at efforts made at the United Nations to designate an international day in honor of the victims of the Srebrenica genocide. Vasily Nebenzya, Russia's ambassador to the UN, told the Security Council: "We consider this provocative text a threat to peace and stability in this country [Bosnia] and the entire region." Mr. Nebenzya accused the Western supporters of this proposed resolution, which is set to be voted on in the UN General Assembly, rather than the Security Council, of "reopening old wounds of the civil war." Bosnian Serb forces captured Srebrenica, which was under UN protection at the time, on July 11, 1995, just months before the end of the bloody civil war in Bosnia, which left around 100,000 dead. In the days following this event, about 8,000 Muslim men and teenage boys were killed by Serb forces in the city, a crime that has been labeled genocide by the International Criminal Court and the International Court of Justice. Germany and Rwanda are working to have the UN designate July 11 as a day of remembrance for the victims of the 1995 Srebrenica genocide, coinciding with the 30th anniversary of the massacre in the summer of 2025. Denis Bećirović, the Bosniak leader of the multi-ethnic presidency of Bosnia, told the Security Council that this resolution is "of utmost importance for disseminating the truth and raising awareness about the genocide committed against Bosniaks." The draft resolution, which is set to be voted on next week, has sparked public outrage in the Republika Srpska and Herzegovina, leading thousands to take to the streets in protest over the past weekend. Milorad Dodik, the president of Republika Srpska, stated last week, "It is a lie that 8,000 people were killed in 7 days." Nebenzya further referenced the deadly NATO bombings leading up to the Dayton Peace Agreement for Bosnia and Herzegovina, stating that it is "completely illogical and even unethical for NATO members to try to erase the shameful evidence of the bombings of the former Yugoslavia in 1995 and 1999 and only blame the Serbs." Robert Wood, the U.S. deputy ambassador to the UN, also told the Security Council, "It is a historical fact that this genocide occurred in Srebrenica," and denying these facts "hinders reconciliation."