ABSTRACT
The “Balkan” chapter will discuss the pro-Ukraine and pro-separatist mobilizations amongst individuals in different post-Yugoslav countries, namely in Serbia (pro-separatist mobilization) and Croatia (pro-Ukraine mobilization), but also with smaller groups or contingents of fighters from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Montenegro. Some of the fighters had previous experience from the Balkan Wars of the 1990s and, to some extent, their respective mobilizations for Ukraine or for the separatists could be seen as not only another instance of “career” foreign fighting. In some cases it was also an attempt to “repay debts” to foreign fighters who fought for Croatia/Serbia in the 1990s. The Serbian mobilization is well documented with, again, recruiters or trailblazers, in this case – individuals actually working in Russia before the war, bringing their comrades into the war, also with the help of some other (French) foreign fighters. Subsequently, their contingent, or more accurately – a community as the Serbs constituted one of the most significant foreign fighter contingents in the war in Ukraine, split because of personal rivalries and accusations of defrauding the contingent's far from impressive financial means. Its activities and members came to light due to a string of judicial proceedings in Serbia which brought the fighters to justice as it wanted to curry favor with the EU. The Croat mobilization was smaller but, again, brought to light activities of facilitators/recruiters, some with experience of serving in the ranks of the French Foreign Legion, either Croats or residents of Croatia.
