British authorities fear that the current threat of a Russian invasion of Ukraine could attract far-right extremists from the United Kingdom, who could travel to the country in search of weapons training and military experience.

Counter-terrorism police were positioned at the departure gates of at least one major UK airport this week, where they questioned travelers to Ukraine about their identities and the reasons for their trip.

The checks came after at least half a dozen known neo-Nazis traveled to Ukraine this week from the United States and one European country, security sources said.

Last fall, Kiev deported two American men with ties to neo-Nazi groups in their home country, BuzzFeed reported. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said at the time that the men “tried to join one of the Ukrainian military units in order to gain combat experience, which the group’s representatives planned to use in activities illegal”.

Western leaders have warned that Russia may be planning an invasion of Ukraine, after Moscow massed more than 130,000 troops – at least 60% of the country’s ground forces – along its borders. Western intelligence officials offered a possible time to launch the attack this week, even as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy appealed for calm.

In Kyiv and other cities, civilians have been buying guns – legal with a license in Ukraine – and taking first aid courses in preparation for the violence that could come to their doorsteps.

But potential far-right recruits would likely seek to join paramilitary groups fighting on the frontline in the eastern Donbass region.

Russia has armed and financed an insurgency there since 2014, and although the conflict is largely frozen, exchanges of fire continue. US officials have warned that Russia could be planning a “false flag” incident in the region that could be used as a pretext for military intervention.

In 2014, when Russian proxies attacked in the east, the Ukrainian government took all the help it could get, including far-right extremists. Over time, these battalions were integrated into the country’s army and national guard.

The most notorious far-right group is the Azov Battalion, a paramilitary force that uses Nazi-related symbols and has many members who have held far-right extremist views. He was accused three years ago of actively seeking British recruits by Hope Not Hate, a prominent anti-fascist watchdog.

In recent years, political and media concerns about the recruitment of violent extremists abroad have primarily focused on radical Islamists seeking to join groups such as the Islamic State. However, far-right radicals also pose a serious threat to their home society if they return with combat experience.

US seeks extradition of former US soldier Craig Lang from Ukraine to stand trial for the 2018 murder of a Florida couple, after he returned from time spent with far-right groups in eastern Ukraine.

FBI Director Christopher Wray warned in 2019 of the growing number of white supremacists seeking military experience abroad. “We’re definitely starting to see racially motivated violent extremists connecting online with like-minded people, and in some cases we’ve seen people traveling overseas for training,” he said. declared to Congress.

Canadian journalist Michael Colborne, who published a book on the far right in Ukraine in January, said if war broke out the battles could serve as both propaganda and a training opportunity for the far right.

“In the worst case, Azov will have even more opportunities to present themselves as the ‘true defenders of the fatherland and the vanguard of the revolution’. If it’s about capturing Ukrainian cities, I’m afraid we’ll see far-right guerrilla fighters on the streets,” he said in a recent interview with Marker, a website created by the far-right violence watchdog group.

Asked about anti-terrorism checks at airports, the Interior Ministry said it did not comment on police operations.