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- Full name: Nikola Perović
- Pseudonym: N/a
- Alternatives: N/a
- Location: pos Ukraine, pos Russia, pos Serbia, pos France
- Affiliation: pos Fifteenth International Brigade [IBP], Continental Unit [UC]
Nikola Perović (°1989) is a French national from Serbia. He joined the French army in 2008.1 Perović was deployed to Afghanistan in 2009 and 2010.2 He initially served with distinction but over time grew disaffected with life in the military. The army ditched him in 2013.3 By then, Perović had already become involved in far-right activism. In the early 2010s, he got associated with the Identitarian Bloc [BI; Bloc Indentitaire] and the Nationalist Youths [JN; Jeunesses Nationalistes].4 Perović also turned into an ardent admirer of Russian leader Vladimir Putin.5
Perović and another likeminded former soldier, Victor Lenta, reportedly set up the Continental Unit [UC; Unité Continentale] somewhere in early 2014.6 In the summer of that year, Perović became the first UC member to travel to eastern Ukraine and link up with Russian militant forces.7 He was soon followed by Lenta and two other associates.8 The UC attracted other French fighters over the next months. Perović acted as a translator for the French volunteers, translated French army manuals into Russian and served as a military instructor to militants loyal to the Donetsk People’s Republic.9 In 2015, he also took part in fighting against the Ukrainian army around Mariupol.10
Perović also took care of public relations. In the summer of 2014, he gave several interviews to the French, Russian, Serbian and international press.11 Perović implored Serbs to come fight on the side of the Russian forces and endorsed ultranationalist election candidate Vojislav Ŝešelj in 2015 Serbian elections. On social media, he served as one of the UC’s most active propagandists. Perović denounced NATO, the European Union and America for “subjugating Europeans” and called on the peoples of the continent to rally behind Russia.12
After a while, Perović lowered his profile. Very little is known about his activities after 2015. He has reportedly been linked to the Abkhaz-dominated Fifteenth International Brigade [IBP; Internatzionliaya Brigada Pyatnashka] for which the Serb purportedly served as a trainer.13 Perović’s current status and whereabouts are unknown.
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