US Treasury lifts sanctions on Milorad Dodik and other Republika Srpska officials

According to available information, the move is linked to an informal understanding between Dodik and the new US administration, and had been widely anticipated.

OFAC published an updated Specially Designated Nationals and Blocked Persons (SDN) list, from which Milorad Dodik, President of Republika Srpska, as well as several Bosnian individuals and entities associated with him, have been delisted.

The decision removes sanctions on Dodik and his family members, Igor and Gorica Dodik, along with a number of companies previously designated as connected to them, including Alternativna televizija (ATV), Infinity Media, Prointer ITSS, Agape restaurant, Fruit Eco, Agro Voce, Global Liberty, Sirius 2010, Nimbus Innovations, Best Service, and others.

In addition to Dodik and his family, OFAC also removed several Republika Srpska officials from the list, including Zeljka Cvijanovic, Radovan Viskovic, Nenad Stevandic, Sinisa Karan, Srebrenka Golic, Petar Djoki, Stasa Kocarac, Dzerard Selman, Rajko Kuzmanovic, Alen Seranic, Dragan Stankovic, Dusko Perovic, and others.

This marks a significant shift in US sanctions policy toward Bosnia and Herzegovina, as Dodik had been under American sanctions since 2017, when Washington accused him of obstructing the Dayton Peace Agreement and engaging in corrupt practices.

Alongside the delisting, OFAC issued General License No. 129, related to transactions involving Rosneft Deutschland GmbH and RN Refining & Marketing GmbH, and updated one Frequently Asked Question (FAQ 1216).

The US Treasury Department did not provide additional reasoning for the delistings, but the move comes amid continued political tensions between Washington and Banja Luka, fueled by Dodik’s ongoing secessionist rhetoric and challenges to Bosnia and Herzegovina’s sovereignty.