Neo-Nazi Group Fighting in Ukraine Seeks Recruits Online

The neo-Nazi ideology and the recruitment through Telegram and Atomwaffen Division

In fact, before the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, there were dozens of cases of foreign fighters who fought in Ukraine, returned home and were criminally charged with intending to or committing acts of violence. This includes a double homicide in Florida in 2018 by a man who deserted the U.S. Army and fought for far-right extremists in Ukraine in the late 2010s.

It’s up to the Ukrainian authorities and the European community to intervene and stop the action and recruitment of such extreme groups. Otherwise, there is the danger of Ukraine becoming a laboratory for the global far-right, a place where extremists from all around the world travel in order to train and gain combat experience. Groups such as AWD and its recruitment attempts contribute to such a direction and pose security issues not only for Ukraine, but for the rest of the world.