The Russian Jihadists Fighting for Ukraine

The role of foreign fighters has emerged at the centre of the conflict between Ukraine and Russia. Notable among the international volunteers are jihadist militants, particularly of Russian nationality, but also from former Soviet areas, who fight and propagandize[1] in other theatres of operation, such as Syria. In this instance, they have decided to take part in the conflict and exploit it as an opportunity to directly confront the “Russian enemy” with hopes of later bringing the armed confrontation back to their home regions.

The presence of anti-Russian foreign fighters in Ukraine is not a recent phenomenon. As early as 2015, two Chechen battalions emerged to fight on the Ukrainian front, namely the “Dzhokhar Dudayev Battalion” and the “Sheikh Mansur Battalion”.