Abstract

Russia likely selects extremists to support in Europe based on access and compatibility with the group’s views on the West. Russia also prizes support for its side in the war in Ukraine. The Ukraine war is key to the identification and recruitment of Western extremist groups by Russia. Russian assistance consists of providing propaganda support, finances, weapons, and paramilitary training. Russia likely does this to undermine the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union (EU), and other nations they perceive as moving toward NATO and the EU. Russian support enhances a group’s effectiveness even if extremist operations often end in failure or inaction. European nations can assess if the Russian state is supporting an extremist group within their country using a provided list of indicators as one line of effort. The indicator list and subsequent assessment can assist in arguments for technical surveillance and guide the questioning of human sources to blunt this threat.

摘要

俄罗斯可能会根据与该组织对西方观点的接触程度和兼容性来选择在欧洲支持的极端分子。俄罗斯还珍视乌克兰战争中对其一方的支持。乌克兰战争是俄罗斯识别和招募西方极端组织的关键。俄罗斯的援助包括提供宣传支持、财政、武器和准军事训练。俄罗斯这样做可能是为了破坏北大西洋公约组织（NATO）、欧盟（EU）以及他们认为正在向北约和欧盟靠拢的其他国家。即使极端主义行动常常以失败或无所作为告终，俄罗斯的支持也能提高组织的效率。欧洲国家可以使用提供的一系列指标作为一项努力来评估俄罗斯政府是否支持其国内的极端主义组织。