Why fighters from post-Soviet world flock to Ukraine’s banner

On Kriposnyi Lane in central Kyiv, captured Russian military vehicles stand in front of the National Museum of Military History. Just up the street, a bronze plaque affixed to a wall pays tribute to Imam Shamil, a 19th-century leader of the Caucasian resistance to the Russian Empire, and inspiration for subsequent Chechen resistance to Moscow’s rule.

The proximity of the two signs of defiance hints at a sense of common cause for fighters from across the post-Soviet world, thousands of whom have come to Ukraine’s aid since the Russian invasion.

“We need to stop Russian aggression,” says Tor, a stocky English-speaking Chechen fighter resting in Kyiv between rotations to the front line in Bakhmut. “If we don’t do