Russia returns Orthodox icon to Bosnia-Herzegovina amid Ukrainian objections
Russia says it will return an Orthodox icon which was presented to the Russian foreign minister in Bosnia-Herzegovina, following vocal protests from Ukraine, where the icon is thought to have been written.
By Stefan J. Bos
The presiding Serb member of Bosnia's three-member presidency, Milorad Dodik, gave the icon to Russia's Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov.
It happened when Lavrov visited the Bosnian capital, Sarajevo, earlier this week. But the icon, which was said to be 300 years old, is believed to originate from eastern Ukraine.
It's an area where Russia-backed rebels have fought Ukrainian troops in a six-year conflict. The Ukrainian Embassy in Sarajevo quickly protested against the gift. It wondered how the Bosnian Serb leader came to possess the icon.