RT Article
T1 Notes from the Underground: Profiles and Mobilization Dynamics of Pro-Russia Western Fighters in the Donbas—Insights from Italy
JF Terrorism and political violence
VO 36
IS 4
SP 512
OP 532
A1 Marone, Francesco
LA English
YR 2024
UL https://krimdok.uni-tuebingen.de/Record/188827879X
AB The Ukrainian crisis has caused important repercussions at the international level, including the influx of thousands of voluntary fighters from abroad. According to recent estimates, from 2014 until the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, approximately 1,000 Westerners travelled to the disputed region of the Donbas (Eastern Ukraine), on both sides of the conflict (Ukrainian forces and Russia-supported “separatist” militias). This article intends to offer an original contribution to the empirical study of the mobilization of Western fighters in the Donbas, by taking into account, for the first time, the national case of Italy (one of the countries most affected by the phenomenon in the West). In particular, based on detailed primary and secondary sources, the paper examines in depth a relatively large Italian network of pro-separatist fighters and direct supporters, including far-right militants, and analyzes their profiles and mobilization dynamics, drawing upon the literature on social movements and contentious politics.
K1 Far Right
K1 Foreign fighters
K1 transnational insurgents
K1 Italy
K1 Donbas conflict
K1 Ukraine
DO 10.1080/09546553.2023.2171868