Thread by @KacperRekawek

[THREAD] on #Western #XRW #foreignfighters in #Ukraine war as @FightExtremism publishes my report on the issue 2day. Main Q: what it takes to become such a fighter? Who are they? Here I will summarise the main findings for your convenience. Link: counterextremism.com/sites/default/… 1/

2/ I began researching this back in 2014 – when I saw this clip with #France #foreignfighters on #DNR #LNR side of the war in #Ukraine. I was surprised, to say the least.
youtube.com/watch?v=ahdROt…

3/ As it turns out, a few hundred #Western ers with #XRW convictions travelled to fight in #Ukraine on EITHER side. Many had known each other from before the #war in #Ukraine.  Below is a map of the main mobilisations for the war. Note the scale of the #Russia n for BOTH SIDES.

4/ These fighters have a specific worldwiew: pro-#family, #christian but also #pagan, #Europe an, #Eurasia n, #libertarian but also #communitarian, #nationalist, pro #Putin , pro #ecology

5/ …and are anti-: #EU, #USA, #NATO, #LGBT, #Israel, #capitalism, #communism, #media, #Islam, #migrants, #refugees, #oligarchy, big #money

6/ Neither #UKR nor #Russia (incl #DNR + #LNR) mobilised #foreignfighters along #XRW lines. But fighters liked #martial discourse and mixed it with their feeling of fatalism re #West: “we fight there as we can’t fight here, we are to weak.” And off they went to #Ukraine.

7/ Being too "weak" does not, however, stop them from dreaming of #Donbass, i.e. a #nationalist #revolt in their countries. Maybe that's why some joined #GiletsJaunes protests in #Paris in 2019 so readily[photo from Le Huffington post of V Lenta,commander of #UniteContinentale]

8/ Three groups of #XRW #foreignfighters in #Ukraine emerge: 1. resetters - those wanting a new career in a new country – #UKR or the “separatist” republics,

9/ The ghosts - those coming back and forth to the frontline, after recuperating and fundraising spells back at home

10/ and 3. the adventurers - the restless, publicly available and open about their intention to fight in other wars in the future).

11/ #XRW #Western alumni of the war in #Ukraine redeployed to different trouble spots around the world (#Iraq, #Syria, #Libya etc.). They are still looking for their #Donbass” wherever they might find it.

12/Thus, #Ukraine for them was a stage, platform. Yes, units like #Azov hosted them but are not now turning them into #XRW #terrorism operatives who would target #West. #Azov ≠ #neonazi #terr hub. Neither is #UKR.

13/Interestingly, #Russia role is overlooked in all this – things changing with #RID designation by @DeptofState as #terrorism org? Below map of the pipeline for #XRW #Western #separatist fighters.

14/ If not in the mood for reading -here is a link to a @YouTube video of my presentation of this I did with @BIGS_Potsdam and @FightExtremism @CEP_Germany youtube.com/watch?v=ok-yTz…

15/ Enjoy the report and me know what you think. Ht to all who helped: @ColborneMichael @LarsGyllenhaal @BalazsJarabik @schfm @Morgan_Finnsio @yevhenfedchenko @ArkadiuszLegiec @ChristopherJM , @sarahlain12 @macklin_gd @p_pieniazek @OPokalchuk @Wyrwal @janraudszus @Jacravn ...

16/ @kooleksiy @alexRitzmann @pierresautreuil @MikaelSkillt @Jonas2Nilsson @vorobyov @PogorzelskiP @JonathanLeman @JohnFaerseth @GIRD_S @sofia_koller @UmlandAndreas @A_SHEKH0VTS0V @BenTeitel @Pavel_Klymenko @AdrienNonjon.