Russia's aggression against Ukraine has intensified the confrontation between the West and Russia that has been perceptible in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) for years. Russia is trying to exploit and harden ethnic and political dividing lines. To this end, Russia is using its backers. For example, Milorad Dodik, newly elected president of Republika Srpska, one of the country's two entities, shows a friendly relationship with Putin. However, one year after the start of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, little has changed in people's daily lives, apart from higher prices. At the same time, a lot has happened on the political stage: On October 2nd, 2022, elections were held to form governments at the state level, in both entities, Federation of BiH and Republika Srpska, the cantons, and in Brčko. In addition, BiH was designated as a candidate country for accession to the European Union (EU) by the European Council on December 15, 2022. The EU wants to increase its influence in BiH and make it more perceptible. In doing so, it is meeting with a majority positive response.
