ICCT Press New Book - Russia and the Far-Right: Insights From Ten European Countries

The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) published today, 10 April 2024, the new book “Russia and the Far-Right: Insights From Ten European Countries”.

The book  seeks to identify the different forms and patterns of Russia’s influence on far-right/REMVE (racially and ethnically motivated violent extremist)  milieus across Europe, over the past decade. Through many case studies, it distinguishes cases of direct and indirect influence, as well as Russian connections with the radical right and far-right extremism. Specifically, this book covers ten European countries: Austria, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hungary, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia and Sweden. Overall, it testifies to Russia’s growing infiltration of the far-right milieu in Europe, which is used for the purposes of Moscow’s “political warfare” waged on the broader West. 

This book resonates particularly as recent media reports highlighted an alleged Russia-sponsored operation to spread propaganda and influence right-wing and anti-establishment politicians ahead of the 2024 European Parliament elections.

Throughout the last year, ICCT and a group of distinguished experts from across Europe have been monitoring such Russian actions in relation to the European far-right. The book includes chapters by some of Europe's best-known experts on far-right extremism and will act as an ultimate guide on how this milieu is influenced, directed, infiltrated or led by Moscow. Given the Russian war of aggression against Ukraine, this is an extremely poignant issue which is of interest to decision-makers on both sides of the Atlantic.  

“In the current geopolitical context, marked by exacerbated political tensions, an ongoing war in Europe borders, and intense disinformation campaigns, this book serves as a wake-up call for policy-makers with regard to the pervasive influence of Russia across Europe, and its dangers for democracy and internal security”, said ICCT Director Thomas Renard, one of the co-editors of the book.

"It has been a privilege to work with such a distinguished group of authors, the key experts on the far-right and the Russian influence in their respective countries. Their expertise and the book pertain to one of the, if not THE, key security concerns of the day and we believe the book will become a reference point, a compendium on how Russia "does business" in this milieu," added Kacper Rekawek, another editor, ICCT Senior Research Fellow and Programme Lead of the Current and Emerging Threats Programme.

This book is open-access and is a must-read for policymakers, practitioners, academics, and anyone interested in understanding the contemporary challenges of terrorism and counter-terrorism. It is published by ICCT Press and now available for free download here.

The International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT) is one of the leading think tanks on counter-terrorism worldwide. It provides research, policy advice, good practices recommendations and capacity building support for researchers, practitioners, and policy-makers worldwide. It was founded in 2010, and is based in The Hague, Netherlands. 

For media inquiries, please contact: 

Francesca Merletti at f.merletti@icct.nl or + 31 (0) 70 7630059