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Event information:

Presented by CIPS

The event will gather international experts studying foreign fighters in the former Soviet Union to analyze the causes explaining why the region became the biggest contributors of foreign combatants in Syria surpassing the Middle East. It will also investigate the importance of the war in Ukraine as a traveling destination for Western far-right extremists as well as fighters from all over the former Soviet Union and its long-term effect of regional security.  

This two-day workshop will provide a better understanding of 1) the threat link to foreign fighters in the former Soviet Union; 2) the reasons behind their violent mobilization, and 3) determine what specific policies that can be put forward to address post conflict challenges including the question of returnees.

**The conference is funded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) of the United Kingdom, the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC), and the Centre for International Policy Studies (CIPS)**

Please note that this a hybrid workshop – participation can be in person or online.

Programme

October 18, 2023

9:00am-9:30am – Foreign Fighters in the Former Soviet Union: An introduction

  • Jean-François Ratelle, University of Ottawa
  • Huseyn Aliyev, University of Glasgow (Online)

9:30am-11:00am – The War in Ukraine: Contextual Factors Supporting Foreign Fighters

  • Chair: Alexandra Wishart, University of Ottawa
  • Dominique Arel, University of Ottawa – From Ukraine’s Unnamed War (2014-2021) to Russia’s Full-Scale Invasion (2022-2023)
  • Paul Robinson, University of Ottawa – A Military Perspective on the War in Ukraine
  • Major Harry Gorham, University of Glasgow – Ukraine’s Combined Arms Operations since February 2022

11:00am-11:15am – Coffee break

11:15am-12:45pm – Foreign Fighters in Ukraine

  • Chair: Mark Youngman, Threatologist
  • Kacper Rekawek, Center for Research on Extremism (C-REX) at the University of Oslo – Foreign Fighters in Ukraine: The Brown–Red Cocktail
  • Bertrand Belhomme de Franqueville, University of Ottawa – The far-right and far-left in Ukraine
  • Jean-François Ratelle, University of Ottawa – Russian Citizens Fighting for Ukraine

12:45pm-1:45pm – Lunch

1:45pm-3:45pm – Caucasian Foreign Fighters in Ukraine

  • Chair: Jean-François Ratelle, University of Ottawa
  • Harold Chambers, Indiana University – Chechen Foreign Fighters in Ukraine
  • Marat Ilyasov, Miami University of Ohio – Political agenda of the Chechen fighters in Ukraine
  • Mark Youngman, Threatologist – The other foreign fighters: Mapping the Chechen security services
  • Alexander Yeo, University of Glasgow – South Caucasian Foreign Fighters in Ukraine: The Role of Tradition

October 19, 2023

9:30am-11:30am – Returnees in the Former Soviet Union

  • Chair: Marat Ilyasov, Miami University of Ohio
  • Edward Lemon Texas A&M University – Repatriating and Rehabilitating Returnees: The View from Central Asia
  • Elena Zhirukhina, University of St Andrews – ‘Identifying factors beyond policies towards foreign terrorist fighters and families in Central Asia’ (Online)
  • Noah Tucker, University of St. Andrews – Conflict migration and reintegration of foreign fighters in Central Asia
  • Ekaterina Sokirianskaia, Conflict Analysis and Prevention Centre – Repatriating and Rehabilitating Returnees: The View from Russia (Online)

11:30am-12:30pm – Lunch

12:30pm-2:30pm – Foreign Fighters in Ukraine and Syria: A Comparative Analysis

  • Chair: Thomas Juneau, University of Ottawa
  • Elena Pokalova, National Defense University – Professional Foreign Fighters or Displaced Insurgents? Trends from the Caucasus
  • Vera Mironova, Harvard University – A Fieldwork Perspective on Foreign Fighters in Syria and Ukraine
  • Aleksandre Kvakhadze, University of Birmingham – Contributory Factors of the Foreign Fighters’ Mobilisation

2:30pm-3:00pm – Coffee Break

3:00pm-3:30pm – Conclusion

Accessibility
If you require accommodation, please contact the event host as soon as possible.
Date and time
Oct 18, 2023 to Oct 19, 2023
9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
Format and location
In person
Social Sciences Building (FSS), room 4007
Language
English
Audience
General public, Graduate students, Undergraduate students