Category: Ukraine

The establishment of the Dagestan National Centre in Russia and the Dagestan Volunteer Battalion ‘Imam Shamil’ in Ukraine underscores the reverberations of the Ukraine conflict in the North Caucasus. This development highlights a substantial threat emanating from various movements and organisations, advocating for the destabilisation and fragmentation of the Russian Federation.

In the ongoing contest between Russia and Ukraine for endorsement from the Islamic world, the North Caucasus emerges as a critical asset in the Kremlin’s strategic arsenal. It serves as a linchpin for Moscow’s domestic political efforts in managing a diverse, multireligious, and multiethnic society, while also underpinning Russia’s foreign policy activities directed towards the Arab-Muslim world.

The KazanForum 2023 and Zelensky’s visit to Jeddah during the Arab League summit underlined how strategic is the Muslim world for Russia and Ukraine.

The CIA video in the Russian language published on YouTube, which invites dissatisfied Russians to provide information to the U.S. Intelligence agency, confirms Washington’s strategy to create a network of assets inside the Russian Federation and put pressure on the Kremlin.

On the surface, the Ukraine war appears to be a conflict between two primary actors, namely, the Russian Federation and the sovereign nation of Ukraine. On deeper analysis, however, it can be said that the Ukraine war is an example of great power competition.

The presence of the Musul’manskij korpus “Kavkaz” in the Ukraine conflict stressed the significant role that volunteer battalions have in supporting Kyiv and fighting against the Russian Federation, which they consider an imminent threat to the Ukrainian territory and the Muslim umma.

On Tuesday, February 21st, 2023, SpecialEurasia, Mondo Internazionale, Opinio Juris – Law & Political Review and MInter Group srl organised the online webinar “A year of Ukraine conflict: insights, geopolitical analysis, possible future developments” to analyse the last year of fighting in Ukraine contextualising this event in the Eurasian geopolitical chessboard.

Following the allegations of Iran being involved in the Ukrainian conflict by delivering weapons to Russia, Tehran has been under severe international pressure and sanctions. Given its good relationship with Iran and its neutral foreign policy, Oman might emerge as a strategic regional mediator and help resolve critical issues such as the revival of the Iranian nuclear deal and the dispute between Iran and Saudi Arabia.

In the context of the Ukraine conflict and the changing geopolitical scenario in Eurasia, Islamabad denied the ammunition supply to Ukraine to avoid any possible deterioration of the relations with the Russian Federation, which is actively involved in promoting the Pakistani energy and logistic markets.

La presenza di foreign fighters e battaglioni di volontari in Ucraina accresce il rischio geopolitico dello scacchiere strategico eurasiatico essendo questi attori non statali impegnati attualmente nel combattere le forze armate russe e al contempo collegati direttamente o indirettamente con membri della diaspora o della militanza armata-jihadista che negli ultimi anni hanno operato nello spazio post-sovietico e in Medio Oriente.

The beginning of the Ukraine conflict drew a line under the development of the geopolitical situation on the Eurasian continent over the past three decades since the beginning of the 1990s.

The creation of the Turan Battalion confirmed that the Ukraine conflict had become the perfect battleground for international fighters and contractors united by the desire to fight against the Russian Federation and promote their ideologies and goals.

Since the beginning of the Ukraine conflict, the Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov has played a decisive and influential role in assisting the Russian military operations on the ground with his kadyrovtsy and Chechen troops and supporting the Kremlin’s ideological confrontation with the West.

The possibility that Donbas will soon hold a referendum to join the Russian Federation might significantly influence the Eurasian geopolitical chessboard by exacerbating the confrontation between Moscow and the West and, therefore, impacting regional and international political and socioeconomic dynamics.

In a video message, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the partial military mobilisation, confirming the difficult situation that the Russian troops are experiencing in the Ukraine conflict due to Kyiv’s counter-offensive to reconquer Donbas and Crimea.

Georgian authorities denied that Tbilisi would hold a referendum to open a “second front” against the Russian Federation, destabilising the South Caucasus and threatening the Georgian economy, which is heavily dependent on the Russian market.

On June 24th, 2022, SpecialEurasia, in cooperation with Criminalità e Giustizia, CISINT, Cesintel, IPA, ADR 360 and CCMN, organised an online webinar to present the book “Conflict in Ukraine: geopolitical risk, jihadist propaganda and threat for Europe”.

Il libro “Conflitto in Ucraina: rischio geopolitico, propaganda jihadista e minaccia per l’Europa” pubblicato da Enigma Edizioni è nato da un progetto di SpecialEurasia con l’obiettivo di analizzare il rischio geopolitico derivante dalla propaganda jihadista e dalla presenza dei foreign fighters nel conflitto ucraino e le possibili ripercussioni per il continente europeo. 

Recent cyber attacks against Italian government websites highlighted the Ukraine conflict’s impact on the cyber landscape and possible future threats to Europe and Russia’s public institutions and private businesses.

Since several Muslim soldiers are fighting in Ukraine among the ranks of the Russian troops, there is considerable debate and propaganda if they can be considered ‘mujahideen’ who fight in ‘the path of Allah’ or ‘disbelievers’.

According to the Russian Defense Ministry, several foreign fighters from different countries are fighting in Ukraine to support Kyiv’s Government. On the other hand, Middle Eastern newspapers reported that Syrian and Iranian fighters might arrive in Ukraine to fight among the Kremlin’s ranks.

{:en}Il giorno sabato 23 aprile 2022 alle ore 14.00 il team di SpecialEurasia prenderà parte all’evento “Storia di un Conflitto. Dall’Euromaidan ai giorni nostri. La Repubblica di San Marino e i nuovi equilibri geopolitici mondiali” organizzato da Libera.{:}{:it}Il giorno sabato 23 aprile 2022 alle ore 14.00 si svolgerà a San Marino l’evento “Storia di un Conflitto. Dall’Euromaidan ai giorni nostri. La Repubblica di San Marino e i nuovi equilibri geopolitici mondiali” organizzato da Libera a cui prenderà parte del team di SpecialEurasia per illustrare il quadro geopolitico dell’attuale conflitto ucraino, i problemi per la sicurezza e i cambiamenti nei mercati degli investimenti.{:}

Since the beginning of the special military operation of the Russian Armed Forces in Ukraine, political leaders and experts have been seriously concerned about the situation on the world food market. It is possible that a number of countries in North Africa and the Middle East may face a real threat of famine.

The Ukrainian crisis, which was supposed to represent the collapse of the Russian economy and its leading role in Eurasia, is having unexpected implications. The sanctions imposed on Moscow’s energy supplies have caused oil prices to rise and created some opportunities for the Persian Gulf countries.

The Ukraine conflict has highlighted the prominent role that cybercriminals and hackers might play in a contemporary war characterised by the extensive use of tech products, social media and the Internet. 

Since the Ukraine conflict has attracted foreign fighters and the Russian Armed Forces have among their soldiers Muslim believers, the leaders of the Russian Muslim organisations released a statement supporting the Kremlin.

Ukraine conflict and the Russian military operations highlight that international security can only be mutual, based on relevant contractual obligations and tangible actions that create an atmosphere of mutual trust.