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For the first time, Italy arrests far-right Italians who fought in Ukraine
Source: Washington Post
For the first time, Italy arrests far-right Italians who fought in Ukraine
By Anna Momigliano
August 6 at 4:53 PM
Plenty of attention has been paid to the European-born fighters who have joined the Islamic State and other Islamist militant groups in the Middle East — and the efforts of European countries to stop them. But what about those fighting in Ukraine?
In Italy, it has long been an open secret that far-right activists were fighting in Donbass, the eastern Ukrainian region where pro-Russian separatists — with Russian government assistance — have been fighting the Ukrainian government since 2014. Italian authorities, however, didn’t seem interested in stopping them.
That suddenly changed last week, when prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Genoa ordered the arrest of six men accused of joining pro-Russian militias in Donbass and recruiting others to their cause. The arrests marked the first time Italian authorities have charged anyone with fighting in Ukraine, though three of the men remain at large. The same prosecutors have also charged 15 other people with being part of the recruitment ring.
“What’s interesting is that some of them were already known faces whose activities in Ukraine were common knowledge,” said Francesco Marone, a research fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies.
-snip-
By Anna Momigliano
August 6 at 4:53 PM
Plenty of attention has been paid to the European-born fighters who have joined the Islamic State and other Islamist militant groups in the Middle East — and the efforts of European countries to stop them. But what about those fighting in Ukraine?
In Italy, it has long been an open secret that far-right activists were fighting in Donbass, the eastern Ukrainian region where pro-Russian separatists — with Russian government assistance — have been fighting the Ukrainian government since 2014. Italian authorities, however, didn’t seem interested in stopping them.
That suddenly changed last week, when prosecutors in the northern Italian city of Genoa ordered the arrest of six men accused of joining pro-Russian militias in Donbass and recruiting others to their cause. The arrests marked the first time Italian authorities have charged anyone with fighting in Ukraine, though three of the men remain at large. The same prosecutors have also charged 15 other people with being part of the recruitment ring.
“What’s interesting is that some of them were already known faces whose activities in Ukraine were common knowledge,” said Francesco Marone, a research fellow at the Italian Institute for International Political Studies.
-snip-
Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2018/08/06/first-time-italy-arrests-far-right-italians-who-fought-ukraine/