Description
Why, when and how members of active paramilitary groups disengage? Existing studies on disengagement from paramilitary organisations have focused on demobilised paramilitary groups, which were disbanded following a peace agreement or the end of armed conflict. Less is known about how disengagement works in active paramilitary organisations continuously engaged in ongoing armed conflict. The key theoretical claim of this study is that in active paramilitary organisations group transformation (either ideological or organisational) is far more conducive to individual decisions to disengage than external opportunities, such as employment prospects or reintegration to peaceful life. This study draws its empirical insights from in-depth qualitative interviews with former members of Ukraine’s pro-government paramilitary battalions who disengaged from their groups in 2015. The findings demonstrate that massive ideological and organisational transformation within Ukraine’s paramilitary battalions has pushed thousands of their members to disengage regardless of existing opportunities. These findings have broader implication for further research and practice on disengagement from armed groups with valuable insights for both policy-makers and practitioners.
