Opportunities for Far-Right Protest in Ukraine

Shortly after the Russo-Ukrainian war broke out in 2014, Ukraine attracted a lot of media attention as foreign fighters coming from extremist milieus travelled to eastern Ukraine to participate in the conflict. In addition, Ukraine was portrayed as a hotspot for far-right tourism: extremists from all around the world travelled to Kiev to attend Asgardsrei, a National Socialist black metal festival. But does this media frenzy accurately reflect the dynamics of far-right mobilization in Ukraine? This article takes a closer look at the far-right movement in Ukraine, its mobilization and repertoires of action, as well as contextual factors that help explain the evolution of the movement over time and its mobilization patterns. The article applies a structural approach within social movement theory that places the far-right movement into its wider environment. It relies on semi-structured expert interviews and an original database of far-right protest events from the onset of the Orange Revolution in 2004 to 2020. The article first looks at how the legal, political, and social context has changed over time, providing varying opportunities for mobilization. Then, it examines how these changes affect far-right protest, defined broadly to include various forms of contentious action, from press conferences to violent attacks. Thus, the article sheds light on how changing opportunities affect protest and its main characteristics, such as frequency, size, target, and level of violence. The paper thus contributes to an emerging literature that studies the far right as a social movement. The aim is to expand scholarship on social movements, which has traditionally focused on left-wing, progressive movements, to include nativist and authoritarian movements. It also aims to expand the literature on the far right, which remains largely party-centred, to include extra-parliamentary actors. In addition, the paper aims to contribute to the study of the far right outside of Western European, consolidated democracies and shed light on mobilization in hybrid regimes, as well as the distinctive context of post-Soviet transition to liberal democracy and market capitalism.