Legal Status in the Donbas Conflicts: Foreign Fighters, Mercenaries, Far-Right Radicals

Abstract

On January 6, 2021, an armed group of about two thousand people, who could not accept the loss of the election of former President Donald Trump, stormed the US Capitol. David C. Rapoport, who received many references to the wave theory of his in terrorism studies, penned an article on the Capitol Attack and said that he wondered what could happen when far-right actions coalesce into big movements. February 23, 2022, as the United Nations Security Council convened to resolve the ongoing tension between Russia and Ukraine, Russian President Vladimir Putin authorized the entry of the Russian Army into Ukraine on television screens. He said the 'special operation' was carried out under Article 51 of the United Nations Charter. The Donbas Conflict, which has been going on since 2014, seems to have presented a historic opportunity to the far-right radicals. Special military forces, foreign fighters, far-right radicals, terrorist organizations, states used force/violence. The conflicts attracted the attention of far-right radicals, and radicals found ample scope for legitimate use and access to the means of violence. The aim of the study is to present the legal framework of the space created by the Donbas Conflicts for far-right radicals. For this purpose, the legal framework applicable to the conflict will be drawn, the rights and authorities granted to the actors within this legal framework will be determined, and it will be investigated what kind of freedom the far-right radicals have achieved within this legal framework.