Deployment of Paramilitary Formations of Ukrainian Extremist Nationalist Organisations and Parties in the Fighting in Eastern Ukraine in 2014

-

  • Szabó Lajos
doi: 10.32561/nsz.2025.2.2

Abstract

Extremist Ukrainian nationalist parties entered national politics right away after Ukraine’s independence, but only had significant support in Western Ukraine. These parties never achieved significant political results in the Ukrainian parliamentary or presidential elections. Until the “Revolution of Dignity” of 2013–2014, these parties and organisations, as well as the paramilitary organisations associated with them, were more of an “exotic anachronism” than a real political factor. 

The rise of extremist nationalist organisations and paramilitary formations are closely linked to the events following the “Revolution of Dignity”, the annexation of Crimea and the outbreak of the armed conflict in Donbas.  During the war in Donbas, Ukrainian nationalist paramilitary formations defended Ukraine from the armed uprising of pro-Russian separatist forces as a complement to and occasionally instead of the Ukrainian armed forces, which were incapable of defending the country with arms.

Keywords:

Ukraine extremist nationalist organisations paramilitary formations Crimea Donbas Revolution of Dignity

References

Parliamentary Elections (1998). Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20040809223530/http://www2.essex.ac.uk/elect/database/indexElections.asp?country=UKRAINE&election=ukr98

Бійці ДУК та 93 бригада ЗСУ знайшли катівню ДНР і тіло вбитого ними цивільного (2014). július 31. Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20140802150200/http://ps-zahid.info/news/bijtsi-duk-ta-93-bryhada-zsu-znajshly-kativnyu-dnr-i-tilo-vbytoho-nymy-tsyvilnoho

БУТУСОВ, Юрий (2016): Дмитро Ярош: “Перший наступальний бій війни відбувся 20 квітня 2014-го – добровольці атакували блокпост під Слов'янськом”. Censor.net, 2016. Online: https://censor.net/ru/r385673

БУТУСОВ, Юрий (2017): 14 марта 2014 года – добровольцы Харькова отразили атаку российского террориста Арсена Павлова на улице Рымарской. Censor.net, 2017. március 13. Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20200122225522/https://censor.net.ua/resonance/431983/14_marta_2014_goda_dobrovoltsy_harkova_otrazili_ataku_rossiyiskogo_terrorista_arsen%20a_pavlova_na_ulitse

ВІТЕР, Марта (2015): Позивний Мольфар. Письменник на війні. Ukrainszka Pravda, 2015. február 6. Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20150206133626/http://life.pravda.com.ua/person/2015/02/6/188936/

BODA Mihály (2023): Az igazságos háború elmélete és a teremtésvédelem: az igazságos háború elméletének története a középkortól a 20. századig a teremtésvédelem szempontjából. Hadtudományi Szemle, 16(4), 123–137. Online: https://doi.org/10.32563/hsz.2023.4.6

ДЕМКОВА, Слава (2014): «Чорний корпус» відправився в зону АТО. Uapress.info, 2014. június 24. Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20220619223209/https://uapress.info/uk/news/print/28835

DROBNJAKOVICH, Marko – MCHUGH, David (2014): Ukrainian Troops Drive Rebels Out of Mariupol. AP News, 2014. június 14. Online: https://apnews.com/general-news-040fce7786064fd6872e4d045c29955d

Euromaidan PR (2014): The Council of Maidan Self-Defense Organizes “United Revolutionary Army” throughout Ukraine. Euromaidan PR, 2014. február 8. Online: https://euromaidanpr.wordpress.com/2014/02/08/the-council-of-maidan-self-defense-organizes-united-revolutionary-army-throughout-ukraine/

FEDINEC Csilla – FONT Márta – SZAKÁL Imre – VARGA Beáta (2021): Ukrajna története: régiók, identitás, államiság. Budapest: Gondolat.

FORRÓ, Tomáš (2022): Nászutas lakosztály a Háború Hotelben. Ford. Mészáros Tünde. [h. n.]: Lábnyom.

Global Security [é. n.]: Volunteers. Global Security, [é. n.]. Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20230308125421/https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/world/ukraine/volunteers.htm

ХОМЕНКО, Святослав (2015): “ХНР”: Харківська невдала республіка. BBC News Ukraina, 2015. április 8. Online: https://www.bbc.com/ukrainian/politics/2015/04/150406_kharkiv_sx

Interfax (2011): SBU Opens Criminal Case Against ʻVasylkiv Terroristsʼ. Interfax, 2011. augusztus 23. Online: https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/77439.html

Interfax-Ukraine (2014): Radical Protesters Burst into Party of Regions’ Kyiv Office. Kyiv Post, 2014. február 18. Online: https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/radical-protesters-burst-into-party-of-regions-kyiv-office-337006.html

IOVENKO, Artem (2015): "The ideology and development of the Social-National Party of Ukraine, and its transformation into the All-Ukrainian Union "Freedom," in 1990–2004. Communist and Post-Communist Studies, 48(2–3), 229–237. Online: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.postcomstud.2015.06.010

Korrespondent (2014): Партія Свобода створює власний батальйон. Korrespondent, 2014. június 13. Online: https://ua.korrespondent.net/ukraine/politics/3377514-partiia-svoboda-stvoruiie-vlasnyi-batalion

Kyiv Post (2012): With All Party Lists Ballots Counted, Regions Party Gets 30%, Batkivschyna 25.54%, UDAR 13.96%, Communists 13.18%, Svoboda 10.44%. Kyiv Post, 2012. november 8. Online: https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/content/oct-28-parliamentary-election/with-all-party-lists-ballots-counted-regions-party-gets-30-batkivschyna-2554-udar-1396-communists-1318-svoboda-1044-315790.html

Kyiv Post (2014): Parliament Votes 328-0 to Impeach Yanukovych on Feb. 22; Sets May 25 for New Election; Tymoshenko Free. Kyiv Post, február 23. Online: https://archive.kyivpost.com/article/content/ukraine-politics/euromaidan-rallies-in-ukraine-feb-21-live-updates-337287.html

LB (2021): Політична партія “Правий секторˮ. LB.ua, szeptember 30. Online: https://lb.ua/file/party/1610_politichna_partiya_praviy_sektor.html

MACASKILL, Ewen – WALKER, Shaun (2014): Heavy Shelling in Ukrainian Port of Mariupol Hours Before Agreed Ceasefire. The Guardian, 2014. szeptember 5. Online: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/sep/05/ukraine-heavy-shelling-hours-before-ceasefire-russia

PONOMARENKO, Illia (2018): Goodbye, ATO: Ukraine Officially Changes Name of Donbas War. Kyiv Post, 2018. február 20. Online: https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/goodbye-ato-hello-taking-measures-ensure-national-security-defense-repulsing-deterring-armed-aggression-russian-federation-donetsk-luhansk-oblasts.html

PUGLISI, Rosaria (2015): Heroes or Villains? Volunteer Battalions in Post-Maidan Ukraine Istituto Affari Internazionali, 2015. március 8. Online: https://www.iai.it/sites/default/files/iaiwp1508.pdf

RACHKEVYCH, Mark (2015): Turning Point. Kyiv Post, 2015. augusztus 20. Online: https://archive.kyivpost.com/kyiv-post-plus/turning-point-396222.html

RAMET, Sabrina P. ed. (1999): The Radical Right in Central and Eastern Europe Since 1989. Pennsylvania State University Press.

РОМАНЕНКО, Валентина (2023) УПЦ МП заборонили на Житомирщині. Українська правда, BBC Україна, (2023): április 27. Online: https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2023/04/27/7399690/

RUDLING, Per Anders (2016): The Cult of Roman Shukhevych in Ukraine: Myth Making with Complications. Fascism: Journal of Comparative Fascist Studies, 5(1), 26–65. Online: https://doi.org/10.1163/22116257-00501003,

Svoboda: The rise of Ukraine's ultra-nationalists. (2012): december 26. BBC Online: https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-20824693

Time Note (2015): The Azov Special Operations Detachment. Timenote.info, 2015. Online: https://timenote.info/en/events/The-Azov-Special-Operations-Detachment

YOUNG, Cathy (2022): Heroes of Mariupol or Neo-Nazi Menace? The Bulwark, 2022. május 25. Online: https://www.thebulwark.com/p/heroes-of-mariupol-or-neo-nazi-menace

Ukrainszka Pravda (2013): У КМДА побили вікна та двері. Ukrainszka Pravda, 2013. december 1. Online: https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2013/12/1/7003983/view_print/

Ukrainszka Pravda (2014): Сили АТО звільнили Красногорівку – Ярош. Ukrainszka Pravda, 2014. augusztus 1. Online: https://web.archive.org/web/20140804025019/http://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2014/08/1/7033707/

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.