The Ukrainian Crisis ─ The Role of, and Implications for, Sub-State and Non-State Actors

The conflict in eastern Ukraine continues with little sign of a negotiated resolution. Crimea has been absorbed into the Russian Federation, and celebrates the third anniversary of its ‘integration’ in March 2017. The ongoing nature of the conflict contrasts with a lack of academic exploration of the issues surrounding it. To date, most analyses have focused on the geopolitical implications of the Ukrainian crisis, such as the impact on NATO-Russia relations, and foreign policy responses to the crisis from a variety of state and supranational actors including the EU and Russia. The role of sub-state and non-state actors, and implications for them, has been largely overlooked.

This volume seeks to rectify this by examining a wide array of non-state and sub-state actors that have both played a role in the conflict in Ukraine and been indirectly impacted by it. It explores topics such as the popularity of the separatist movement in Donbass, the perception of local political elites, the involvement of private armies and the implications for sub-state actors across the post-Soviet space.

This book was originally published as a special issue of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies.

Tracey German is a Reader in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, UK. Her research focuses on Russia’s relations with its neighbours, and conflict and security in the Caucasus and Caspian region. Publications include Regional Cooperation in the South Caucasus: Good Neighbours or Distant Relatives? (2012) and Russia’s Chechen War (2003), as well as articles in journals such as International Affairs, Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, European Security, Europe-Asia Studies, Central Asian Survey, Vestnik analitiki and Politique etrangere.

Emmanuel Karagiannis is a Senior Lecturer in the Defence Studies Department at King’s College London, UK. He has written extensively on Russian foreign policy, ethnic conflicts in the ex-USSR, and political Islam in Central Asia. His articles have appeared in, among others, Studies in Conflict and Terrorism, Terrorism and Political Violence, Journal of Southeast European and Black Sea Studies, Small Wars and Insurgencies, Contemporary Security Policy, Asian Security, European Security, Mediterranean Politics, Europe-Asia Studies, Nationalities Papers, Central Asian Survey, Nationalism and Ethnic Politics.