By Joshua Askew, June 10, 2022
“In a world where rulers use all kinds of manipulation, compulsion and violence to wage bloody wars for their own interests, organised people must confront them with force.”
These are the incandescent words of Ilya, a self-styled Ukrainian anarchist.
He is part of a motley crew of “anarchists, anti-fascists and football hooligans”, who say they have united under the black flag — a key symbol of anarchism — to help Ukraine defend itself from Russian aggression.
Although “security concerns” prevent them from sharing too much about their identity, their self-styled “anti-authoritarian” platoon numbers several dozen, with volunteers coming from all around the world.
