Ceremonial Parade in Banjaluka, January 9 2026 (Photo: PrintScreen Instagram /zeljka.cvijanovic)
A ceremonial parade was held on Krajina Square in Banjaluka on Jan. 9 to mark Republika Srpska Day with 800 police officers taking part in 14 formations and 11 motorized units.
The parade also included 1,931 participants from the civilian sector, representing 38 organizations grouped into 44 formations. Republika Srpska’s Prime Minister Savo Minic launched the parade, after which the anthems of Republika Srpska and Serbia - “Moja Republika” and “Boze pravde” - were played.
The Bosnian Serb entity's interior minister Zeljko Budimir said that “Republika Srpska marched” in the parade. The minister also said that Srpska had been “constantly under attack since 1995,” adding that the past year was difficult for the Bosnian entity.
The event was attended by RS's highest-ranking officials, as well as Serbian Minister of Culture Nikola Selakovic and Serbia’s Consul General in Banjaluka Milos Vujic. Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic congratulated Republika Srpska on its day, describing ties between Serbia and the Bosnian Serb entity as “unbreakable, strong and eternal.” In a message posted on Instagram, Vucic promised that “Serbia will always stand by RS” and that it would advocate for peace.
Jan. 9 is observed as Republika Srpska Day, which was established on that date in 1992 under its original name, the Republic of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina, by decision of the then-Assembly of the Serb People in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The Constitutional Court of Bosnia and Herzegovina has repeatedly ruled that celebrating Jan. 9 as Republika Srpska Day is unconstitutional and that the holiday is discriminatory against the peoples of Republika Srpska who are not Serbs.
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