For those Bosnians who survived the 1992-1995 Bosnia and Herzegovina war;

The current Russian war on Ukraine seems all too familiar.

With these words, "Alma Milisic" opened a report for her on the English Al Jazeera website, in which she confirmed that the news of the ongoing Russian military operation in Ukraine and the bombing of Kyiv brought a special shock to the Bosnians who still remember living in Sarajevo under what was later described as "the longest siege in the history of modern wars."

During that time, the Bosnian capital Sarajevo was subjected to intense bombardment by the occupying Serb forces and continuous attacks by Serb snipers;

As a result, nearly 11,000 people, including 1,600 children, were killed.

As Europe prepares for the possibility of the war on Ukraine spreading to other neighboring countries;

This shock and fear, adds Milisic, who lived through the Bosnian war years as a 4-year-old child, is especially true for citizens of countries that previously fought wars with Russia or were invaded by the Soviet Union.

"This collective trauma that Europe or any other society bears, makes people feel as if they share the same fate, but it also makes them more afraid of new attacks and wars," says Salma Pacificak, a psychologist interested in the Balkans and a resident of Florida.

Milicic stresses that Bosnia and Herzegovina, which celebrated its 30th anniversary of independence from the former Yugoslavia on March 1, feels particularly vulnerable to the possibility of a new war.

The specter of that brutal war that lasted 4 years and claimed the lives of more than 100,000 civilians and brought into existence the “Republic of Bosnian Serbs” has come to haunt the country, in light of the threat of Serb leader Milorad Dodik to secede from the country.

Faruk Cesic, 52, a Bosnian poet and war veteran, recounts how he could barely sleep during the night that marked the start of what he described as the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

"I stayed up until 2 a.m. worrying and expecting the worst. I knew there was going to be war (in Ukraine), and I didn't want that to happen," he added.


Similar events

The writer notes that she followed - as is the case with Sesic and many Bosnians - the latest updates of the war through news channels and social networking sites;

Emphasizing that many of the events surrounding the ongoing war in Ukraine are very similar to those that occurred in the days prior to the outbreak of the Bosnian war in the early 1990s, such as the language of threats, refugee flight and heavy bombing.

"Those Bosnians (in Europe) who have suffered from the trauma of war are watching these events on TV from a different point of view... I have received many messages from people in the Balkans saying: This looks like me... This looks like my aunt... My father. People again experience feelings of anxiety and shock."

She adds that this can manifest itself in several manifestations, including panic attacks, guilt survivors, flashbacks, inability to sleep, emotional outbursts, nightmares and feelings of worthlessness or helplessness. Some people may also find themselves buying food to stockpile and making other preparations in anticipation of the worst scenarios.