CONFLICT IN UKRAINE, RUSSIAN-LANGUAGE JIHADIST PROPAGANDA, CHECHENS BATTALIONS AND THE LINK WITH THE RUSSIAN NORTH CAUCASUS

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, international media have reported the presence of Chechen battalions among the ranks of Kyiv and Moscow’s forces. The Chechen presence in the conflict has nourished the jihadist propaganda in the Russian language and created a debate in the Russian North Caucasus and among the Russian Muslim umma (community) regarding the legitimacy of fighting with or against the Russian Federation. This paper wants to analyse the Russian jihadist propaganda’s narrative over Ukraine, the Chechen battalions’ role in support of the Ukraine army, and the geopolitical risk for the entire Eurasian region from terrorist groups’ exploitation of the Ukraine conflict.