A new Counter Extremism Project (CEP) report authored by CEP non-resident fellow Dr. Kacper Rekawek, A Year Of Foreign Fighting For Ukraine, analyzes how the war is being fought, who is fighting, and what challenges governments must contend with as...
"Internal documents show that the Legion is struggling. Recruitment has stagnated. The Washington-based Counter Extremism Project wrote in March that the Legion and affiliated groups 'continue to feature individuals widely seen as unfit to perform their duties.'"
CEP report A Year Of Foreign Fighting For Ukraine referenced in Belgian news: "Ukra En het Counter Extremism Project in Washington schreef in maart nog dat het Legioen en gelieerde groepen "'personen blijven aantrekken die algemeen beschouwd worden als ongeschikt om hun taken uit te voeren.'"
"Internal documents show that the Legion is struggling. Recruitment has stagnated. The Washington-based Counter Extremism Project wrote in March that the Legion and affiliated groups 'continue to feature individuals widely seen as unfit to perform their duties.'"
"Jedním z hlavních motivů tisíců mužů a žen z celého světa, kteří jezdí od loňského února pomoci bránit Ukrajinu, je pomoc slabšímu v nerovném boji. „V této válce jsme my Tálibán,“ slyšel opakovaně ve svých rozhovorech s cizinci bojujícími v řadách ukrajinských jednotek polský vědec Kacper Rekawek odkaz mnoha veteránů afghánské války."
CEP non-resident fellow Kacper Rekawek quoted: "'Het nieuwe Azov', zo noemt Kacper Rekawek de 3deAanvalsbrigade dan ook. Rekawek is een Poolsewetenschapper die van geen greintje sympathie voorRusland kan worden verdacht. Hij is een autoriteit op vlakvan extremisme en liet zich zeker niet door Moskou leidenbij het schrijven van zijn recentste rapport. Daarin vermeldthij dat er ook moslims en een Afro-Amerikaan bij dat nieuweAzov strijden — en die brigade dus maar moeilijk integraalals extreemrechts bestempeld kan worden. Maar hij ziet ooktekenen dat de leiding die nog steeds probeert te gebruikenvoor ideologisch gewin."
"Un estudio del Proyecto Contra el Extremismo (CEP), organización con sede en Oslo, analiza el papel del grupo de voluntarios desplazados hasta a Kiev desde países de todo el mundo, incluido España, para defender la nación de Volodímir Zelenski frente a la agresión rusa."
The Counter Extremism Project (CEP) is releasing its latest report A Year Of Foreign Fighting For Ukraine, authored by CEP non-resident fellow and fellow at the University of Oslo’s Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX), Dr. Kacper Rekawek. It is...
On January 20, 2023, CEP hosted a presentation of the new book by Kacper Rekawek entitled "Foreign Fighters in Ukraine. The Brown–Red Cocktail".
Link to the book here.
The Russian (re-)invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted the Ukrainian authorities to call on its foreign supporters to join the Ukrainian war effort as part of the nascent “International Legion.” The thousands of individuals that apparently applied to join were not the first foreigners to fight in the conflict in Ukraine. Foreigners have been joining both sides of the conflict since 2014.
This book unmasks this largely unknown group of fighters. The author analyses their various ideological and social backgrounds, motivations for joining the conflict, and their battle record in Eastern Ukraine. Based on interviews with these fighters the author examines why men risk their lives to fight a war abroad, while also attracting the attention of security services at home. The author seeks to establish whether these returnees constitute a potential security threat to the West.
EVENT PROGRAM:
Book Presentation: "Foreign Fighters in Ukraine. The Brown–Red Cocktail"
Kacper Rekawek, PhD
Author, postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo and affiliated researcher at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
Discussant
Michael Colborne
Journalist at Bellingcat, author of “From the Fires of War: Ukraine’s Azov Movement and the Global Far Right”
On January 20, 2023, CEP hosted a presentation of the new book by Kacper Rekawek entitled "Foreign Fighters in Ukraine. The Brown–Red Cocktail".
Link to book here.
The Russian (re-)invasion of Ukraine in 2022 prompted the Ukrainian authorities to call on its foreign supporters to join the Ukrainian war effort as part of the nascent “International Legion.” The thousands of individuals that apparently applied to join were not the first foreigners to fight in the conflict in Ukraine. Foreigners have been joining both sides of the conflict since 2014.
This book unmasks this largely unknown group of fighters. The author analyses their various ideological and social backgrounds, motivations for joining the conflict, and their battle record in Eastern Ukraine. Based on interviews with these fighters the author examines why men risk their lives to fight a war abroad, while also attracting the attention of security services at home. The author seeks to establish whether these returnees constitute a potential security threat to the West.
EVENT PROGRAM:
Book Presentation: "Foreign Fighters in Ukraine. The Brown–Red Cocktail"
Kacper Rekawek, PhD
Author, postdoctoral Fellow at the Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo and affiliated researcher at the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)
Discussant
Michael Colborne
Journalist at Bellingcat, author of “From the Fires of War: Ukraine’s Azov Movement and the Global Far Right”
Extremists: Their Words. Their Actions.
In Their Own Words:
We reiterate once again that the brigades will directly target US bases across the region in case the US enemy commits a folly and decides to strike our resistance fighters and their camps [in Iraq].
Abu Ali al-Askari, Kata’ib Hezbollah (KH) Security Official Mar. 2023Get the latest news on extremism and counter-extremism delivered to your inbox.