Bosnia and Herzegovina elections to feature sanctioned Russian observers

Russian election observers traveling to Bosnia and Herzegovina for the general elections on October 4 include individuals with close ties to the Kremlin and those under Western sanctions.

Among the 20 approved observers are Elena Afanaseva, a senator from the Orenburg region sanctioned by the EU, US, and UK for supporting Russia's recognition of separatist territories in Ukraine, and Aleksej Kondratjev, a former GRU intelligence officer reportedly linked to the Redut private military organization.

These individuals are part of a group proposed by the Federation Council of Russia, headed by Valentina Matvijenko, who has been under US and European sanctions since 2014. While 15 observers were accredited via the Russian Embassy, five others were proposed by the Federation Council. This deployment occurs amid warnings from US and European institutions regarding Russian activity in the Western Balkans.