Ukraine is attracting Americans who want to fight alongside far-right extremists. What happens when radicalized soldiers like Craig Lang return home? buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Lang deserted the US military and later traveled to Ukraine to fight with a paramilitary group. By the time he returned to America, he had grown increasingly radicalized. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Any plans to return to fighting overseas meant Lang needed money. So, according to prosecutors, he and a friend from his Ukraine unit planned an ambush under the guise of an arms transaction. In April 2018, a Florida couple fell under a deadly hail of bullets.
Experts on extremism have been following the activities of mostly young far-right extremists with military backgrounds who see foreign war zones as labs to gain actual combat experience. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
Ukraine has emerged as a hub in the transnational white supremacy extremism network. Extremists began pouring in, and among them were roughly 40 Americans — many of whom held far-right views, a propensity for violence, and were searching for a new beginning.
A researcher at @FightExtremism said that European intelligence agencies began taking notice years ago of extremists going to Ukraine and returning. Some countries have even arrested and prosecuted those citizens. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ… 
The former ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism at the State Department, while still in his post, told BuzzFeed News that the US had been monitoring reports of American white supremacist fighters in Ukraine “very closely.” buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
But Lang’s case is not just a matter of extraditing an accused killer. For Ukraine, it’s an issue of what to do with a man who volunteered and risked his life to defend the country, and who could face capital punishment if he returns to the US. buzzfeednews.com/article/christ…
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