Stevandic Dares Actor Stukan to Come to Banja Luka

The president of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska, Nenad Stevandic, has publicly threatened Sarajevo actor and writer Feda Stukan, after Stukan said in Pristina that he did not understand how he was allowed into Kosovo but not into Serbia. The message was posted on X, and it touches Serbia directly: Stukan has been barred from entering the country since 2024, a ban imposed at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport that still stands today.

What Stukan Said in Pristina

While in Pristina, Stukan spoke publicly about being allowed into Kosovo but not into Serbia. His statement, carried by the Sarajevo outlet Klix, read:

“If Kosovo is Serbia, how can I enter Kosovo, but not Serbia?”

The question was aimed indirectly at the fact that official Belgrade does not recognize Kosovo’s independence and treats it as its own territory, while at the same time denying Stukan physical entry into Serbia itself.

Stevandic’s Response on X

The reply came from Nenad Stevandic, president of the National Assembly of Republika Srpska. In the same post, he compared Stukan to Hitler, called him a self-confessed drug addict and a sniper for a paramilitary formation, and dared him to try coming to Banja Luka. The post read:

Hitler could also enter Kosovo, but he would not be let into Serbia, just like any self-confessed drug addict and sniper from a paramilitary formation such as the Patriotic League of Bosnia and Herzegovina. Let him try Republika Srpska, say Banja Luka, for instance the neighborhoods of Starcevica or Laus. Or let him visit the Vulturese…

Stevandic names two Banja Luka neighborhoods by name, Starcevica and Laus, and mentions the Vulturese, the former name of the supporters’ group of the Banja Luka football club Borac, which today goes by the name Lesinari. The combination of naming a specific person alongside specific locations in the city is what sets the post apart from an ordinary political exchange of accusations.

Barred from Entering Serbia Since 2024

Stukan was barred from entering Serbia in 2024. When he landed at Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla Airport on a flight from Sarajevo, he was handed a decision refusing his entry. The official reason listed in the decision was a “negative security risk assessment.” Stukan himself links the ban to his appearances at the Serbia Against Violence protests in Belgrade. After the first ban, he tried to enter Serbia again and was again turned back at the border.

That background is why his statement in Pristina carries an edge: a man who is allowed to travel to Kosovo, territory Belgrade treats as its own, is at the same time denied the right to physically set foot in Serbia itself.

How the Story Spread

Stevandic’s post was first reported by the Sarajevo outlet Klix on August 25, which described the message as an indirect, veiled threat, since alongside naming a specific person it also lists specific locations in Banja Luka, using the phrase “let him try.” The same outlet published a follow-up piece the next day noting that Stevandic had not “wrapped the threat in diplomatic cellophane,” but had instead resorted to what it called “gangster talk.” The outlet Depo carried Stevandic’s message on August 26 at 1:16 p.m., with the same assessment, that the post could be read as a threat.

We have not previously covered this topic.

Why It Matters for Serbia

For Belgrade, the message is relevant on two counts. The first is substantive: Stevandic, as president of the legislative body of the Republika Srpska entity, is publicly addressing a person the Serbian state has already barred from entry through administrative means, and he is doing so in language that goes beyond ordinary diplomatic or political debate. The second is regional: this is an official whose statements are followed in both Belgrade and Sarajevo, and the dispute over who is and is not allowed to cross Serbia’s border remains an open question that extends well beyond this single case.