MOSCOW
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Tuesday dismissed as “complete nonsense” EU accusations against Russia over an alleged GPS jamming attack on EU President Ursula von der Leyen’s plane during her visit to Bulgaria.
At a news conference in Moscow, Lavrov described the incident as “a fake news attack.”
“It was just recently that we supposedly almost killed Ursula von der Leyen, who flew around different countries in either a plane or a helicopter, inciting them against our country. And then they suddenly declared that Russia had jammed GPS signals, putting the aircraft or helicopter at risk of crashing. By the way, representatives of the European Union themselves later disavowed this absurdity,” he said.
Lavrov cited several other examples of Western “fake news” aimed against Russia, noting that in the case of the EU president’s aircraft, “the methods remain the same.”
Turning to the situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Lavrov said Russia firmly condemns attempts by the West to remove Milorad Dodik from power in Republika Srpska.
“We categorically denounce efforts to oust Serbian leaders unacceptable to the West from office through fabricated criminal cases. Specifically, today’s interlocutor, our friend Milorad Dodik, is the lawfully elected legitimate president of Republika Srpska,” he stressed.
“It’s astonishing that these attempts are made under the pretext of accusing Mr. Dodik of committing a crime. According to Christian Schmidt, the high representative of Germany in Bosnia and Herzegovina (whom Russia does not recognize as legitimate), Mr. Dodik’s crime consists in failing to comply with orders and decisions issued by Mr. Schmidt himself,” Lavrov stressed.
On May 27, 2021, the Steering Committee of the Peace Implementation Council for Bosnia Herzegovina appointed Christian Schmidt as High Representative, despite objections from Russia and Republika Srpska. In response, Russia and China proposed a UN Security Council resolution to limit his term and abolish the position, but it was rejected when key members abstained. Schmidt took office on August 31, 2021, without UN approval, leading Russia, China, Republika Srpska, and Serbia to consider his appointment illegitimate.
The minister added that it was “hard to imagine in a normal rule-of-law state that someone self-appointed” tries to “usurp all power” in a sovereign nation whose rights are clearly defined by UN Security Council resolutions.
On Aug. 28, the Central Election Commission of Bosnia and Herzegovina announced that early elections for the presidency of Republika Srpska should take place on Nov. 23 following the announcement on Aug. 6 terminating the powers of RS President Milorad Dodik.
The decision followed a ruling by the Appeal Court upholding the sentence of Dodik of one year imprisonment and a six-year ban on political activity for ignoring Schmidt’s rulings.
Later, the prison term was replaced with a fine. In response, Dodik announced plans for a referendum on Oct. 25 seeking public trust in the leadership of Republika Srpska.
