MOSCOW (AP) – Russia said Saturday it will return an Orthodox icon presented to Russia’s foreign minister in Bosnia, a gift that has sparked a protest from Ukraine.
The presiding Serb member of Bosnia’s triple presidency, Milorad Dodik, gave the icon to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov when he visited Sarajevo earlier this week. The icon, said to be 300 years old, is believed to have come from eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed rebels fought against Ukrainian forces in a six-year conflict.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Sarajevo has requested information on how the Bosnian Serb leader obtained the icon, noting that failure to provide the information would mean that Bosnia supports Russia’s “aggressive policies and military actions” in eastern Ukraine. . Dozens of Serbs have fought alongside the pro-Russian rebels in the conflict that began in 2014.
On Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Ministry said the icon would be returned to Bosnia pending an Interpol investigation to uncover its origins.