Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Pierre-Richard Prosper told the Sarajevo daily "Dnevni avaz" of 14 July that unnamed U.S. diplomats have spoken to Russian officials about the possibility that some Serbian or Bosnian Serb fugitive war crimes indictees are hiding in Russia.

He stressed that indictees cannot escape justice and that every country is obliged to observe its international obligations in that respect. Prosper noted that Russian officials have acknowledged those obligations but have not said whether any indictees are indeed in that country. The U.S. diplomat added that Washington is now waiting for Moscow to say whether any fugitives are on its territory, and, if so, what measures it intends to take. It is widely believed that former Generals Gojko Jankovic, Vinko Pandurevic, Vujadin Popovic, and Vlastimir Djordjevic are hiding in Russia. An official of Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) recently denied such reports as "lies and provocations".