Recent U.S. intelligence indicates that Russia is currently working to recruit
Syrian fighters to support their military campaign in seizing control o


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Russian Recruitment Of Syrian Foreign Fighters Poses Increased Challenges To
Ukraine And Abroad

 

(New York, N.Y.) – Recent U.S. intelligence indicates
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that Russia is currently working to recruit Syrian fighters to support their
military campaign in seizing control of Kyiv and Kharkiv in Ukraine. According
tomedia reports
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, Russia has offered to pay Syrian fighters—many of whom possess expertise in
urban combat—between $200 and $300 a month to serve in roles such as guards and
recruit mercenaries for a six-month period. The introduction of Syrian foreign
fighters could potentially further escalate violence in Ukraine and heighten
the global threat of violence-oriented extremists with combat experience.

 

As Russia internationalizes its recruitment efforts, individuals, such as
violence-oriented extremists, could also be prompted to join Russia’s
offensive. According to the Counter Extremism Project (CEP)’s latest policy
brief,Foreign Fighters in the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War: An Initial Assessment of
Extremist Volunteers
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, foreign fighters’ ability to plan and successfully carry out attacks in
accordance with their ideology increases massively with the benefit of combat
experience. Attempts to send fighters, including Syrians, to strengthen the
Russian offensive in Ukraine should be closely monitored.

 

CEP’s policy brief explains that while violence-oriented foreign extremists
represent the smallest fraction of those traveling to take part in the
conflict, they pose a clear security risk. For instance, Russia receives
support from extremists including theSlovak Conscripts
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,Hungarian National Front
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, andNordic Resistance Movement
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. If individuals from those groups obtain combat experience in the conflict
zone, they will potentially have a greater impact in promoting violent
extremist agendas in their home countries upon their return.

 

For more information on the developing situation regarding extremist foreign
fighters in Ukraine as well as CEP’s complete policy recommendations, the brief
Foreign Fighters in the 2022 Russia-Ukraine War: An Initial Assessment of
Extremist Volunteers is available here
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.

 

To read CEP’s report Career Break or a New Career? Extremist Foreign Fighters
in Ukraine, please click here
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.

 

To read CEP’s report Looks Can Be Deceiving: Extremism Meets Paramilitarism In
Central and Eastern Europe, please click here
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. To watch the webinar on this topic, please clickhere
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.

 

To read CEP’s resource Russia: Extremism and Terrorism, please click here
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