When war broke out in Eastern Ukraine in 2014, the government of Ukraine failed to provide adequate defense to maintain its territorial integrity. In the wake of this government failure, several private volunteer efforts arose to meet popular demand for military action against Russian-backed Separatists. These volunteer battalions had to find alternative methods of aligning their incentives with the population wishing to be defended, and alternative methods of aligning the incentives of their leadership and their recruits. The success of these battalions depended on the potential for political careers and favors, the strength of reputation mechanisms in small communities, and the potential for loot and spoils. These factors shaped the size, characteristics, and activities of the volunteer battalions.

2014 年乌克兰东部爆发战争时，乌克兰政府未能提供足够的防御来维护其领土完整。在这次政府失败之后，一些私人志愿者努力满足民众对针对俄罗斯支持的分离主义分子采取军事行动的需求。这些志愿营必须找到其他方法来使他们的激励措施与希望得到保护的人口保持一致，以及将其领导层和新兵的激励措施保持一致的替代方法。这些营的成功取决于政治生涯和人情的潜力、小社区声誉机制的强度以及战利品和战利品的潜力。这些因素塑造了志愿营的规模、特征和活动。