Critical State: The Roma Victims of the Bosnia War
If you read just one thing this week … read about the reasons why Roma are rarely acknowledged in discussions about the Bosnian war.
During the war in Bosnia between 1992 and 1995, an estimated 100,000 people were killed. The fighting, though it eventually ended, has an enduring legacy in the Balkans: The sectarian war saw ethnic cleansing, mass detentions, war crimes, and genocide.
As Yugoslavia collapsed under the weight of confessional divides, Bosnia sought to break away and establish an independent state. Bosnian Serbs, however, remained loyal to the government in Belgrade, fighting against the separatist push. An estimated 80% of those killed during the war were Bosniak Muslims.
In a new deep dive at Balkan Insight, Lamija Grebo takes a hard look at one group in Bosnia that endured all of the hardships the war brought but has hardly received acknowledgment: the country’s Roma minority.
“Although Roma victims have been identified during research into war crimes committed in specific areas, the suffering of Roma as a community has never been separately addressed,” Grebo wrote.
In fact, a Roma community lived alongside others in Srebrenica, where Bosnian Serb forces massacred some 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in 1995.
“Many of them were prominent in offering resistance, shared the same fate with us, shared hunger with us, and I think we have not addressed that sufficiently,” Emir Suljagic, director of the Srebrenica Memorial Centre, told the outlet.
The reason for this lack of acknowledgment, some Roma advocates say, is deep-seated xenophobia and bigotry against the minority.
“No matter how many universities we finish, we will always be gypsies,” one Roma resident of a settlement outside Sarajevo said.
If You Read One More Thing: Wilders Coalition Collapse
Dutch far-right leader Geert Wilders has pulled his Party for Freedom (PVV) out of the governing coalition, causing the Dutch government to collapse, as reported by Politico EU.
The coalition, formed after Wilders’s November 2023 election victory, struggled to agree on asylum policies. Wilders demanded a strict 10-point migration plan, including border closures and deportations, but his allies refused to sign on.
Prime Minister Dick Schoof will now lead a caretaker government until new elections, likely later this year. The collapse highlights deep divisions over immigration in Dutch politics, with Wilders aiming for a stronger mandate in the next vote
Enrichment: Yes, or No?
The US has proposed a nuclear deal allowing Iran to enrich uranium at low levels for a limited period, according to a new report from Axios.
This contradicts public statements from US officials who previously insisted on zero enrichment and full dismantlement of Iran’s nuclear program. The proposal aims to create a regional enrichment consortium, restricting Iran’s nuclear activities to civilian purposes only.
Iran would need to halt new centrifuge research and dismantle key infrastructure for uranium processing.
The deal faces strong opposition from Israel and Republican lawmakers, who have demanded stricter controls.
Deep Dive: Russian Drones above Kherson
A new Human Rights Watch report details how Russian forces have systematically used drones to target civilians in Kherson, violating international humanitarian law. The report documents at least 45 deliberate drone attacks between June and December 2024, resulting in nearly 500 civilian injuries and 30 fatalities.
Human Rights Watch interviewed 36 survivors and witnesses of these attacks and analyzed 83 videos uploaded to Russian military-affiliated Telegram channels. The footage confirms that Russian drone operators use high-resolution video feeds to track their targets, leaving little doubt that their intent is to kill, maim, and terrify civilians.
The report documents at least 45 deliberate drone attacks on civilians and civilian infrastructure, including healthcare facilities and essential services in Kherson’s Antonivka and Dniprovskyi neighborhoods. These attacks have led to widespread fear, causing many residents to avoid leaving their homes and contributing to depopulation in the targeted areas.
Valeriy Sukhenko and Anastasia Rusol, a married couple, suffered injuries after a drone attack on their home on Nov. 17. “Sukhenko said he was suffering from nightmares. Rusol said, ‘I start doing something and then I just stop. I am disoriented and lost,’” the report states.
Anastasia Pavlenko, a 23-year-old mother of two, who worked at a coffee shop in Kherson, recalled a drone attack.
Pavlenko said she was cycling and “Suddenly, I saw a drone take off from a roof and start to chase me.” The drone followed Pavlenko for nearly 300 meters, according to the report. Then, “the drone dropped a grenade. I was injured in my neck, left leg, and under the rib.” When she regained her wits, she “was still biking, covered in blood and with flat tires,” Pavlenko told HRW.
The Kherson City Council Executive Committee reported that nearly 500 civilians were injured and 30 killed due to drone attacks between May and December 2024. In January 2025, drone strikes accounted for 70% of civilian casualties recorded in Kherson by the United Nations Human Rights Monitoring Mission in Ukraine.
These attacks appear to be deliberate or reckless, constituting war crimes aimed at instilling terror in the civilian population, according to the report. Human Rights Watch called for urgent action to enforce respect for international humanitarian law and hold perpetrators accountable.
The drones used in these strikes are mostly commercially available quadcopters manufactured by Chinese companies DJI and Autel, as well as a Russian-made model called Sudoplatov.
The use of commercially available drones to conduct such attacks raises questions about the future of conflict.
Ukraine's Operation Spiderweb attack used drones to target Russian strategic bombers across multiple air bases, including locations deep inside Russia. The operation involved smuggling 117 drones into Russia inside wooden cabins mounted on trucks. These drones were remotely launched near air bases, catching Russian forces off guard.
Show us the Receipts
At Inkstick, Alexander Langlois looked at President Donald Trump’s recent visit to the UAE and the concern it sparked over human rights. As the Trump administration pushes AI-driven trade deals, its deployment in authoritarian states like the UAE raises alarms. Abu Dhabi has built a sophisticated digital surveillance system and Trump’s decision to revoke export controls on AI technology has further empowered the Emirati government. The move comes as Washington faces geopolitical competition in AI, particularly with China, as the US seeks to maintain technological dominance while navigating complex international alliances.
Kris Parker reported for Inkstick on relentless Russian assaults that Ukrainian soldiers in Donetsk Oblast face as ceasefire negotiations stall. The 49th Assault Battalion of Ukraine’s 66th Mechanized Brigade trains for urban combat amid ongoing artillery and mortar strikes. Despite the previous support of the Biden administration, Donald Trump’s return to the White House has introduced uncertainty regarding US aid to Ukraine. As geopolitical tensions rise, Ukrainian soldiers brace for prolonged conflict, underscoring the human cost of stalled negotiations.
At The World, Shirin Jaafari reported in Maaloula, a historic Christian town in Syria, on residents grappling with uncertainty following the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad last December. The new government, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa, former head of al-Qaeda affiliate Jabhat al-Nusra, has raised concerns among religious minorities about their future. Some Christians recall past violence, including abductions by extremist groups, but remain hopeful that the new leadership will foster unity. But there has been renewed violence, with clashes between various factions leaving over 1,100 dead.
Call for Pitches
Inkstick is calling on reporters and writers who may have ideas that align with our editorial mandate to submit pitches. Our nonprofit newsroom focuses on the human impact of global security, the defense industry, and war. We’re especially interested in reported features out of the United States. Email editors Patrick Strickland and Allyn Gaestel at pstrickland (at) inkstickmedia (dot) com and agaestel (at) inkstickmedia (dot) com.
Critical State is written by Inkstick Media in collaboration with The World.
The World is a weekday public radio show and podcast on global issues, news, and insights from PRX and GBH.
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Critical State is made possible in part by the Carnegie Corporation of New York.