The war of words between the Serbian president and the BiH defense minister flared up after Vučić's visit to Bugojno. While Vučić claims the allegations about his entourage are fabricated, Helez retorts that BiH security services tracked his every move.
The exchange of harsh words between Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić and Bosnia and Herzegovina's Defense Minister Zukan Helez reached a new level on Wednesday, August 6, 2026. The trigger was Vučić's recent visit to Bugojno and Čipuljići, after which Helez made claims about armed individuals in the president's entourage who had not been officially announced.
Helez earlier stated that officers of the Ministry of Interior of the Central Bosnia Canton had removed a group of armed men on quad bikes who were allegedly not part of the Serbian president's official security detail. Vučić responded by accusing Helez of years of spreading falsehoods.
The Serbian president categorically rejected the accusations, insisting that his entourage included no security personnel from Serbia. According to him, the armed men on quads were exclusively members of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) of the Republika Srpska Ministry of Interior, which falls within their jurisdiction.
"Do you know what a lie that is? There isn't a single man from Serbia! Those on quads were members of the Special Anti-Terrorist Unit (SAJ) of the Republika Srpska MUP, which is within their remit. Everything he wrote is a lie. He found it hard to stomach that I came to his-and my-Bugojno, that I didn't ask his permission-because I won't ask anyone for permission to come to my own hearth," Vučić said.
He then directly addressed the BiH defense minister: "Why didn't you arrest me, you liar? You've been lying for two years, and you couldn't stand that my doors were open to everyone. I came to you on my knees-why didn't you arrest me? I had a few men from the Cobras, and the rest were SAJ members from Republika Srpska."
Shortly after Vučić's address, Helez posted a lengthy and extremely sharp response on Facebook. He stressed that Bosnia and Herzegovina's competent institutions had closely monitored every move the president made during his stay in the country.
"Let Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić know that we tracked his every move during his visit to Bosnia and Herzegovina. Had there been a request for his arrest, he would have been arrested. Neither party thugs nor any security detail would have protected him," Helez wrote. He added that they were aware of the details of the reception's organization, including "sandwiches, per diems, flags, and clapping on command," and that they knew how much someone was paid to greet him in front of his house, calling the whole event a "carefully staged political show."
The BiH defense minister then issued a direct challenge to the Serbian president, inviting him for a joint walk through cities in Serbia. "He is the only president who cannot freely walk through his own cities without a carefully organized reception. That's why I invite him: if you dare, let's walk together through Belgrade, Novi Sad, and Niš-me as the defense minister of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and you as the president of Serbia."
Helez continued with accusations against Vučić's policies, asserting that nationalism is a cover for corruption and failures. "Everyone now knows that wherever you implemented your policy, under the guise of defending Serbs and Serbdom, there are fewer Serbs today-from Gazivode, through Glina, to Čipuljići. Nationalism becomes a facade behind which corruption, injustice, and your own failures hide. People were not driven away by other nations, but by a policy that offered them myths instead of a future," he said.
He also assessed that "the time of Vučić's regime is soon passing" because young people are demanding change, adding that his legacy will be that of a politician who "constantly lost." According to Helez, "the Greater Serbian policy that Vučić has championed for years has left behind divisions, emigration, and empty hearths." In that context, he warned: "If you continue to defend Serbs and Serbdom like this, you will achieve the goal of 'all Serbs in one state,' but that state will only be Serbia."
At the end of his post, Helez nevertheless drew a line between the authorities and the people. "Since I am dealing with Belarusian manipulators, I want to emphasize that I have nothing against the Serbian people. I grew up with Serbs, went to school with them, shared life moments, and today I consider many of them friends. My problem is not with the people, but with the Greater Serbian policy that does not acknowledge committed crimes, tries to redraw borders, and advocates divisions instead of peace and a shared future," the minister concluded.
