The International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) presented their research on the phenomena of paramilitary volunteers in Ukraine at the Kharkiv information crisis center on March 7, 2016.
The International Centre for Defence and Security (ICDS) presented their research on the phenomena of paramilitary volunteers in Ukraine at the Kharkiv information crisis center on March 7, 2016.
A paramilitary volunteer organization Estonian Defence League (Defence League), being a part of Estonia’s defence system, exists for almost 25 years. The study presented by Estonian experts focused on key moments of the potential use of military volunteers in Ukraine. ICDS Executive Director Dmitry Teperik said that about 8% of Estonia’s defense budget goes to Estonian Defence League: “We have a well-written concept of the national defense in case of aggression, and you have the invaluable experience of the past two years. This is a unique experience for modern Europe.”
By now in Ukraine no one has tried to systematize and analyze the phenomena of paramilitary volunteers, their motivation and integration into the regular army.
The study demonstrated that an average Ukrainian military volunteer is 30 – 40 years old with higher education, family and children. The main driver of his/her decision to volunteer was precisely a desire to protect his/her family.
The main conclusion of the Estonian experts: volunteers in Ukraine in the shortest possible time have accumulated a unique experience and created the potential for a prospective national paramilitary volunteer organization.
In the conclusion of the presentation ICDS researcher Anna Bulakh added that such volunteer movement should be strictly apolitical.
Read more: QHA (in Russian)