Several pro-Russian organizations in Bosnia and Herzegovina have supported Russia in its attack on Ukraine on their social networks, but not all previously mapped by Bosnia and Herzegovina's Balkan Research Network (BIRN BiH) have reacted nearly a week since the invasion began.

At the end of February, the Night Wolves of Bosnia’s Republika Srpska (RS) entity started a series of announcements in which they support the Russian attack on Ukraine. Goran Tadic, the vice president of the BiH branch of this organization whose members from Russia and Ukraine took part in the separation of Crimea and the fights in Donbas, shared a photo in their Facebook group with a poster of support for Russia hung in Banja Luka on February 22, Detektor.ba wrote.

Tadic also posted a video of Alexander Zaldostanov, the founder and leader of the Night Wolves of Russia, thanking Russian President Vladimir Putin for recognizing Donbas and saying that the Wolves had helped in the effort to “drive the enemy out” but that they can't wait another hour because their “brothers and friends” are in the Ukrainian occupied territory of Donbas.

BIRN BiH had previously reported that Night Wolves are considered one of the important ways in which Russia is expanding its influence. The Club’s president Zaldostanov aka the Surgeon, is banned from entering at least two European Union countries, the United States, Canada and Bosnia and Herzegovina.

Kenan Hodzic from the Faculty of Criminology and Security Studies at the University of Sarajevo told BIRN BiH that support for Russia from the extensive and massive network of various groups in BiH transmitting anti-Western sentiment was not lacking.

It took a long time for other pro-Russian organizations in BiH to respond to the Russian attack on Ukraine. Some of them still have not responded at all, BIRN wrote.

It took the unregistered humanitarian organization, St. George, from Loncar four days to “feel the need” to say something about the war on Ukraine. The members of this organization bear the name of Russia on their clothes.

After the introductory mourning for the loss of life of all civilian victims of this “holy war,” which is explained by the fact that these are mostly Orthodox peoples who raised their hands against each other because of the “Western system,” the members accused the United States of conflicts around the world and aggression against Serbia. They believe the war could lead to the complete economic collapse of poor countries such as those in the Balkans.

Damir Kapidzic, a professor at the Faculty of Political Sciences in Sarajevo, told BIRN BiH that in addition to religious and ideological ties and close ties with similar organizations in other countries, pro-Russian groups in BiH were supported by the Russian Embassy and others.

Hodzic also believes that more direct and clearer forms of Russian support can be found in the huge potential for additional organizations and groups providing additional financial and material support for subversive activities, militarization and radicalization of youth.

Sports fan groups that have so far shown affection for Russia in BiH have generally not had any reactions to the war in Ukraine.