Czech Foreign Fighters in the Ukrainian Conflict Cover Image

Czech Foreign Fighters in the Ukrainian Conflict
Czech Foreign Fighters in the Ukrainian Conflict

Legal Aspects and Propagandist Use

Author(s): Miroslav Mareš
Subject(s): Public Law, Security and defense
Published by: Univerzita obrany - Centrum bezpečnostních a vojenskostrategických studií
Keywords: Foreign Fighters; Propaganda; Radicalisation; Cyberspace; Czech Republic, Ukrainian Crisis

Summary/Abstract: This article deals with the phenomenon of Czech foreign fighters in the Ukrainian conflict, mostly from the point of view of the propagandist use and from the point of view of the Czech penal law. Both issues are interconnected, because according to the Czech law, service in foreign armies or in terrorist entities can be penalised. On the other hand, foreign fighters can be assessed as an important propagandist element and their participation in the conflict can strengthen the political position of the warring party. This tension between these legal impacts and the propagandist use creates the main theme of this article. The concept of hybrid warfare frames the current development. The author comes to the conclusion that the legal consequences pose only a limited obstacle for the propagandist use.

  • Issue Year: 26/2017
  • Issue No: MC
  • Page Range: 71-82
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English