Mladić came to prominence during the Yugoslav Wars as a skille | History

Mladić came to prominence during the Yugoslav Wars as a skilled and brave general in the eyes of his troops. He was part of the campaign to secure Serb territory (for Republika Srpska) in Bosnia and Herzegovina as Yugoslavia collapsed. In 1994 fortunes changed when the Croatians and the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina (the latter comprised mostly of Bosnian Muslims, Bosniaks) joined forces and the war reached a stalemate. The war was ended by the Dayton Accords. The war featured the first case of genocide in Europe since WWII, and was marked by atrocities on all sides, especially by the Serbs.

Mladić became known as the "Butcher of Bosnia" for his unashamed ethnic cleansing. In particular, he was behind the brutal Siege of Sarajevo, the longest siege (April 1992 - February 1996) of a capital city in modern times. Unrestricted shelling of Sarajevo, combined with sniping campaigns against citizens, led to a death toll of about five and a half thousand civilians. Units under his command also perpetrated the Srebrenica massacre, in which over eight thousand Bosniak men and boys were massacred.