The Dilemma of the Militias
Ukrainian Volunteer Formations and the Monopoly on the Use of Force
Deutsche Fassung
Abstract
After the start of the Russian-supported insurgency in the Donbas, volunteer battalions emerged in many regions throughout Ukraine. Some are paramilitary defence forces, others are fighting alongside the Ukrainian Army in the country’s east. This form of self-defence may be legitimate. However, it is an expression of the state’s failure and brings with it considerable problems. Militias undermine the state’s monopoly on the use of force and can endanger the country’s democratisation. In the worst case, some militia units, especially those with right-wing manifestations, unwittingly become Moscow’s most important auxiliaries in the destabilisation of Ukraine.
(Osteuropa 9-10/2014, pp. 135–146)