Private military companies are very convenient for countries that do not want to send their soldiers to dubious enterprises that could tarnish the reputation of the state. Mercenaries have special immunity and are not subject to the laws of the country; they are called “untouchables.”
In addition, losses in a private military company (PMC) are easier to hide than in the regular army, therefore, for example, it is much more convenient for Americans to use mercenaries in Iraq, Afghanistan and other countries. Similar motives Russian authorities using the so-called Wagner Group PMC in Syria.
But you should not think that PMCs are engaged only in military operations; their profit comes from rear logistics, building resource supply routes, air transportation of soldiers and cargo, demining territories, protecting objects or persons, and training government soldiers.
Today it is the most famous and one of the largest private military companies, which has its own weapons production and a small air force. A real army of professionals, ready to win a small war anywhere in the world for a significant reward.
Academi numbers about 21 thousand people, mostly veterans of various army units, including special forces, specialists in the field of intelligence, cyber espionage, gunsmiths and many others.
Blackwater Grizzly armored cars. Photo: gawker.com The PMC has its own training center in North Carolina with an area of 28 sq. km, which, by the way, is the largest in the United States. Here they teach urban combat tactics, conducting assaults, driving vehicles under real fire, and many other skills that can save lives in battle.
The excellent training of PMC fighters is evidenced by the battle in Najaf, when eight Blackwater employees guarding the local military headquarters and secured themselves on the roof of the building along with four American policemen and a machine gunner Marine Corps The United States repelled attacks by several hundred Shiite militants for almost a day.
The US Army did not provide any fire support to the mercenaries, and the nearby Spanish and Salvadoran contingents refused to join the battle. The besieged were rescued by PMC pilots who delivered ammunition and picked up a wounded marine.
After the scandal of a shootout in the center of Baghdad in 2007, which ended in the death of seventeen and wounding of eighteen Iraqi civilians, the PMC gained notoriety.
But this did not stop them from earning money. For example, in 2008 the company's revenue exceeded a trillion dollars. Blackwater had hundreds of light armored vehicles and about 20 helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Most of the company's income - 90 percent - comes from government orders.
The company's Blackwater Armored Vehicle division produces its own armored personnel carrier, adapted for combat in urban environments, the Blackwater Grizzly, and Blackwater Airships designs drones.
In 2009, the company underwent a transformation and became known as Xe Services, a year later the name was changed again to Academi.
G4S (Group 4 Securicor)
If Academi is the most famous, then the British PMC Group 4 Securicor is the most numerous. The number of its employees reaches 585 thousand, and the company has offices in 125 countries.
The main activity of the company is related to the transportation of valuables, money, ensuring the security of both individuals and major events, for example, the London Olympics. G4S employees can be seen at the airports of Heathrow, Oslo, Brussels and many others.
G4S specialists are working on the implementation of electronic security systems and provide cash management and logistics services for banks.
The company is able to create a security system from scratch in an area with the most unfavorable conditions. Its employees are also engaged in demining, training and even managing personnel, and if necessary, they are also employed in the coast guard.
It is noteworthy that the British government commissioned the company to build a private police station. Employees private company will take on most of the functions: from escorting criminals to cells to conducting drug testing. The real police will still arrest the bandits.
PMCs of dirty deeds. DynCorp
It is one of the oldest private military companies in the world. The date of its foundation is considered to be 1946. Although the corporation is headquartered in Virginia, all operational management is carried out from an office in Texas. The company employs approximately 14 thousand people.
Employees of this company were involved in numerous crimes: human trafficking, drugs, rape, murder, money laundering and much more, but each time DynCorp management got away with it.
The fact is that the PMC is closely connected with the CIA, and almost 96% of its income comes from government contracts, the amount of which amounts to more than three billion dollars.
DynCorp employees have been involved in all significant conflicts of the last century and today. They were in Bosnia, Colombia, Somalia, Angola, Kosovo and other countries.
The PMC provides air operations services and also provides technical support for helicopters of the US Air Force, Navy and Army.
DynCorp is also engaged in restoring destroyed infrastructure, training intelligence agencies, and providing security services. For example, its employees protected Afghan President Hamid Karzai and trained much of the police forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
DynCorp was one of 8 private military companies specifically selected by the US State Department to remain in Iraq after the withdrawal of American troops.
The best fighters in Africa. Executive Outcomes
This is the largest private military company in Africa, without whose employees more than one local conflict could take place. It consisted of the most experienced fighters on the African continent and was superior in combat effectiveness to any local army.
At one time, Executive Outcomes was armed with Mi-17 and Mi-24 helicopters, as well as MiG-23 fighters; the company actively used T-72 tanks and armored personnel carriers.
PMCs have been seen in shady deals, from interference in the affairs of an oil company from Sierra Leone to contracts with the largest diamond mining and processing company De Beers, as well as such giants as Rio Tinto Zinc, Texaco and others.
It happened that mercenaries captured rich deposits, and then “forgot” to return them to the country on whose land they were located. Executive Outcomes is believed to have mined gold in Uganda, oil in Ethiopia, and had numerous businesses in other countries in which it fought.
Under pressure from the Americans, Executive Outcomes was liquidated as a PMC in 1998. However, this did not stop it from being revived under the name SRC (Strategic Resource Corporation) and is still operating.
From Russia with love. "Wagner Group"
A small amount of information about this PMC began to leak into the media with the outbreak of hostilities in Ukraine and Syria. As RBC writes, citing its own sources, Wagner’s group got its name from the call sign of its leader.
The photo is for illustrative purposes only. Photo: wp.com The “Wagner Group” trains at the base in Molkino in the Krasnodar region, where the forces of the 10th separate special forces brigade of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense are also located.
Wagner is the call sign of the detachment leader, but in fact his name is Dmitry Utkin, and he previously served in the Pskov GRU brigade.
This company appeared in Syria shortly before Russia began deploying its military bases in 2015. According to RBC, in 2016 there were from 1 to 1.6 thousand PMC employees in Syria, depending on the tension of the situation.
While at a base in Russia, an employee of the Wagner Group received up to 80 thousand rubles per month ($1,345); directly in Syria, the salary increased to 500 thousand rubles ($8,406).
About a thousand dollars were spent on equipment for each fighter. The fighters of the Wagner Group played a big role in the liberation of Palmyra and in the battles near Deir ez-Zor.
Let us remind you that Belarusian citizens who take part in hostilities in other countries can be prosecuted in Belarus. They can be brought under Art. 133 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus - “Mercenarism”. Responsibility also lies with those individuals who recruit our citizens to participate in confrontations in other countries.
Article 132 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. Recruitment, training, financing and use of mercenaries
Recruitment, training, financing, other material support and use of mercenaries to participate in armed conflicts or hostilities is punishable by imprisonment for a term of 7 to 15 years.
Article 133 of the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus. Mercenary
Participation on the territory of a foreign state in armed conflicts, military actions of a person who is not part of the Armed Forces of the warring parties and acts in order to receive material reward without the authority of the state of which he is a citizen or on whose territory he permanently resides (mercenarism), - is punishable by imprisonment. for a term of 3 to 7 years with or without confiscation of property.
Posted 12/26/2014 by editor
PMCs in the Russian Federation do not yet have official legal status - this bill is at the consideration stage, therefore the state does not have the right to officially involve PMCs in solving certain problems. But despite this, PMCs successfully exist and operate both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad.
On this moment There are not so many domestic military companies. The main market for such services is represented by the following players:
PMC RSB-Group
The creators are professional military men, reserve officers of the GRU and FSB with command and combat experience. All company activities are based on compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation and the laws of countries in which the company protects the interests of its clients.
The company does not engage in mercenary activities or consulting for terrorist organizations, overthrowing governments, etc. Tasks on the territory of the Russian Federation are carried out by a private security company, intelligence activities are carried out by a special agency RSB, and for special/tasks outside the country there is a personnel unit of reserve officers of various troops.
The most complex tasks are carried out in close cooperation with the New Zealand PMC NavSec Int Ltd. The company's services range from performing tasks in high-risk areas and conducting combat operations to competitive intelligence, legal support, military consulting and protection of maritime vessels.
PMC MAR
The company's activities are carried out in strict accordance with the laws of the Russian Federation and other states on whose territory various services are provided.
The list of services includes military activities, technical/protection and reconnaissance, security of convoys, individuals, gas and oil pipelines, other facilities, cargo convoy, legal/legal support, etc.
Anti-Terror-Eagle
The company was registered in 1998 as an organization created by former military personnel. The company's employees: about 40 percent are reserve military personnel (reconnaissance and special forces of the Airborne Forces), another 40 percent are reserve military personnel from special forces (ROSICH, VITYAZ) and 20 percent are veterans of the GRU, VYMPEL and the Navy.
The company specializes in training military personnel, sapper work, and security of facilities.
Moran Security Group
This PMC is international group companies that provide services in the field of medical services, consulting, security/security, and cargo transportation.
A team of professionals with solid experience and training carries out all the work from scratch and exclusively on the basis of international legislation and the laws of the Russian Federation.
Services include: convoy of ships and armed escort, logistics, security of pipelines and sea ports/platforms, reconnaissance, etc.
Redoubt-Antiterror
It is a military-professional union of organizations from the military of the Russian Federation (and not only) from special forces, as well as the Airborne Forces. The company was founded in 2008 by a group of reconnaissance officers and veteran paratroopers (SVR, naval special forces, Airborne Forces and GRU, Airborne Forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs).
Each employee has combat experience and is a participant in special operations and peacekeeping operations.
PMC experience - work in Iraq and Syria, Yugoslavia and Afghanistan, as well as in other hot spots. Company services: safety and security, certification of specialists to provide these services, training of personal security groups, briefing of specialists before a demining trip, protection of air defenses according to UN requirements, etc.
Tiger Top-Rent Security
Founded in 2005 with the aim of conducting operations in Iraq. This PMC collapsed in 2006, after which its employees created independent separate PMCs, known as Redut-Anti-Terror, Ferax, Phoenix and Moran Security Group.
PMC Tiger Top-rent security (as well as Orel-anti-terror) are not inferior in professionalism to their colleagues from the USA and Great Britain. Among the completed tasks of the company's employees from 2004 to 2007 were escorting convoys, guarding military facilities, and protecting personnel oil companies and Russian diplomats, missions in Lebanon and Israel, Palestine and Afghanistan.
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Protecting ships from pirates, eliminating a cell of a terrorist organization, and larger-scale military operations - all this is the sphere of activity of modern PMCs. As a rule, these guys do not know fear, have serious training and extensive experience in participating in hostilities.
In unstable geopolitics modern world PMCs have become one of the most popular and effective tools in solving military problems of many states. Private military companies have proven to be indispensable in special operations where it is not possible to use conventional military personnel.
Protecting ships from pirates, a combat mission to eliminate a cell of a terrorist organization in another country, or even larger-scale military operations - all this is the sphere of activity of modern PMCs. As a rule, these guys do not know fear, have serious training and extensive experience in participating in hostilities.
Many of these organizations have offices around the world, others work with the UN as a security guarantor. Their work is reviewed in a variety of tones, but we will tell you about the 10 most famous PMCs in the world.
№1 Academi (Blackwater)
A country: USA
Number: more than 20,000 mercenaries.
Specialization: support for coups d'etat and the established regime in countries where the American military contingent has been deployed. Many unofficial sources claim that this PMC works with arms smuggling and protects drug trafficking coming from the Middle East.
The most high-profile operations: Iraq, Baghdad, 2007.
In 1997, two Marines decided to create their own security company, ready to take on any job if they pay well for it. This is how one of the most famous PMCs in the world appeared - Blackwater. Murder of civilians, arms smuggling, drug trafficking and coups d'etat - as it turned out, many were willing to pay for the provision of such services, including the governments of entire countries.
It all started in 2002, when Blackwater Security Consulting (BSC) received its first major contract from the CIA. Twenty brave thugs arrived in Afghanistan to guard department employees who had announced the hunt for “terrorist #1” - Osama bin Laden.
At the end of the six-month mission, the company had generated $5.4 million in revenue. But the main thing here was not the money, but the connections that the PMC acquired. After all, from then to this day, the main customer of Blackwater has been the American intelligence services. And it was from this moment that Blackwater’s reputation began to acquire notoriety, forcing the company’s management to change its name twice. Today they call themselves Academi.
Blackwater operatives completed their second large order the very next year. In May 2003, they were hired to protect US State Department employees in Iraq. As a result, the thugs hit the jackpot of 21.4 million dollars. But the most interesting thing awaited them ahead.
Blackwater gained worldwide fame on September 16, 2007. In the central square of Baghdad, mercenaries staged a firefight, as a result of which 17 civilians were shot dead and another 18 were seriously injured. A scandal broke out. And although there were children among the victims, the thugs never suffered any serious punishment.
The Iraqi government tried to expel the PMC from the country, but to no avail. The very connections that Blackwater secured in 2002 had an impact. Refusal to extend the contract - this was the official reaction of the customer - the US government.
It subsequently turned out that company employees were involved in 195 shootings from 2005 to 2007. In 84% of cases, the mercenaries did not hesitate to open fire to kill, despite the right to use weapons only for the purpose of self-defense.
№2 G4S (Group 4 Securicor)
A country: Great Britain
Number: more than 500,000 people
Specialization: transportation of valuables and cash, as well as staffing private security services. Security of strategic sites and major international events, such as sports Olympics; escorting prisoners on behalf of the police.
The most high-profile operations: Between 2004 and 2011. absorbed seven of its competitors.
The largest PMC in the world, represented in 125 countries. For comparison, the British army is 180,000 strong. The headquarters is located in London.
G4S officers are hired to provide security at airports and escort prisoners on behalf of the police. The firm's clients include not only corporations, financial institutions and governments sovereign states, but also airports, seaports, logistics and transport providers, as well as private individuals.
In hot spots, British mercenaries are officially engaged in clearing ammunition, training personnel and guarding railway traffic. In 2011, the company's management signed the UN Global Compact, which is an international standard for promoting business conduct, including labor protection, human rights, anti-corruption and environmental protection.
The loudest victories of Group 4 Securicor occurred not on the battlefields, but, no matter how strange it may sound, in business. Between 2004 and 2011. The PMC absorbed seven of its competitors. It expanded its activities to include not only security activities, but also the production of gadgets and security systems, which are now imported by the company all over the world. Despite the fact that the company positions itself precisely as a PMC, there is no information about the company’s participation in military operations. But it has its own index on the international exchange.
No. 3 MPRI International (Military Professional Resources) Inc.
A country: USA
Number: 3,000 people
Specialization: MPRI International provides training programs for special forces personnel. Assists governments in developing effective information analysis, provides support in conducting research and assessing public opinion.
The most high-profile operations: Bosnia and Herzegovina, 1994. Preparation of the “Balkan Blitzkrieg”.
“We teach you how to kill professionally.” Company created by 8th former officers Armed Forces The USA has become a kind of springboard for training special forces soldiers, providing a wide range of services for governments and armed forces of 40 countries.
But the real profit of the American PMC comes from working in the thick of modern global conflicts. Over the course of their history, MPRI International mercenaries managed to take part in almost all armed conflicts in the Balkans, the Middle East, South America and Africa.
In February 1994, MPRI thugs, on behalf of the US State Department, facilitated the conclusion of an agreement between the Croats and Muslims in Bosnia and Herzegovina. Under pressure from the mercenaries, the leaders of the warring parties were forced to sign an agreement providing for military opposition to the Serbs.
Subsequently, a PMC consisting of retired American officers managed to as soon as possible to prepare high-level military personnel for the Croatian and Bosnian armies, as well as to develop and implement an effective operational communication system between NATO headquarters and troops, which ultimately affected the successful outcome of the so-called “Balkan Blitzkrieg.”
After the end of the active phase of the conflict, the company continued to work with Liberation Army Kosovo, then worked with Albanian militias in Macedonia in 2000-2001 and government forces in Liberia and Colombia.
And in 2001, at the initiative of the US Department of Defense, MPRI International thugs went to Georgia to reorganize the Georgian Armed Forces according to NATO standards.
#4 Aegis Defense Services
A country: Great Britain
Number: more than 20,000 people
Specialization: security activities in the aerospace, diplomatic and government sectors, as well as in the mining and oil and gas industries. The company also provides armed personnel services for American government and UN missions.
The most high-profile operations: Iraq, 2005.
Representative offices of this PMC are open in Kenya, Iraq, Nepal, Bahrain, Afghanistan and the USA, and its headquarters are located in Basel.
Officially, the company's employees are engaged in security activities, but in addition to security, the company also provides the services of armed personnel. As often happens, the main customer is the US government. Not without scandals.
In 2005, a video appeared on the Internet showing Aegis Defense Services employees shooting at unarmed Iraqis. And although the company’s management did not admit its involvement in the incident, the Pentagon nevertheless temporarily suspended cooperation with the PMC.
Now the PMC is fulfilling another contract from the American authorities in the amount of $497 million, which provides for ensuring security in Iraq and protecting the US government in Kabul.
No. 5 PMC RSB-Group (Russian Security Systems)
A country: Russia
Number: the main core is about 500 people. Depending on the scale of the operation, the number of employees can increase to several thousand by attracting hired specialists.
Specialization: conducting security operations both on land and at sea. The company produces professional competitive intelligence and provides military consulting services. The RSB group also has its own training center, where training seminars are held for military specialists.
The most high-profile operations: Gulf of Aden, 2014.
RSB-Group is today the main Russian private military company. According to some reports, the number of employees is about 500 people, but for large operations the organization’s staff can reach several thousand. Considered the most qualified and effective organization in the security sector of the Russian market.
Officially, the PMC operates in areas with an unstable political situation. RSB-Group mainly conducts operations in the Middle East.
The creators are professional military personnel, reserve officers of the GRU and FSB, who have been through more than one hot spot and have highest level team interaction.
The headquarters of RSB-Group is located in Moscow. Representative offices are opened in Sri Lanka, Turkey, Germany and Cyprus. In addition, there is an office in Senegal that oversees West Africa and the Middle East, in which this PMC specializes and where it conducts large-scale operations.
At the international level, RSB-Group positions itself as a Russian private military company. The range of services offered includes security of oil and gas facilities and airports, escort of convoys in conflict zones and cargo ships in pirate-prone sea areas, as well as mine clearance, military training, reconnaissance and analysis.
According to Oleg Krinitsyn, director of RSB Group, PMC employees have been providing services abroad since 2011.
“RSB has security companies with weapons licenses registered outside of Russia. And Russian RSS employees work abroad in accordance with the laws and requirements of the state where our security groups are located. We use semi-automatic weapons of 7.62 mm, 5.56 mm caliber, body armor, thermal imagers, night vision devices, satellite communications, and if necessary, we can use UAVs,” Krinitsyn said in an interview with Kommersant.
He also said that the first foreign operation of the RSB Group was to protect ships in the Gulf of Aden from Somali pirates. It is noteworthy that the PMC built its own tactics to protect ships, thanks to which the pirates simply changed course, abandoned military clashes, and even in rare cases welcomed well-armed military personnel from the RSB on the ship they were guarding. Thus, PMCs manage to carry out security at sea almost bloodlessly.
№6 Erinys International
A country: Great Britain
Number: unknown
Specialization: The activities of PMCs are focused on providing security services, in particular, in areas of Central Africa with very difficult natural conditions.
The most high-profile operations: Iraq, 2003.
British military company, registered in an offshore zone on the British Virgin Islands. Has a number of subsidiaries in the UK, the Republic of Congo, Cyprus and South Africa.
"Major US Support in Iraq." Since 2003, Erinys has provided comprehensive support to the US government in military operations in Iraq.
PMC employees are former employees of British intelligence agencies and special forces.
The largest operation recent years- deployment of 16 thousand security guards in Iraq in 282 points throughout the country. A huge contingent ensured the safety of pipelines and other energy infrastructure nodes.
In 2004, she found herself at the center of a scandal when information about cruel treatment of prisoners appeared in the press. According to journalists, mercenaries violated the human rights convention by using brutal torture against a 16-year-old Iraqi resident during a military investigation.
The company currently works closely with oil and gas corporations, extractive industries, non-governmental organizations and public services. The services are also readily used by the American and British governments, and even the UN.
No. 7 Northbridge Services Group
A country: Dominican Republic
Number: Varies depending on tasks
Specialization: providing security consulting and training, operational and intelligence support, and providing strategic communications. PMCs also provide assistance in the field of maritime security and the protection of natural resources.
The most high-profile operations: Liberia, 2003.
"Every whim for your money". The main customers of this PMC are transnational companies and conglomerates, which are generous in paying for various types of security tasks own business in different parts of the world.
Northbridge Services Group is registered in Dominican Republic. Offices are open in the USA, UK and Ukraine.
The company "provides an effective service designed to meet the needs of governments, multinational corporations and non-governmental organizations, the corporate sector and individuals."
Northbridge mercenaries assist law enforcement agencies in the fight against terrorism, drug trafficking, organized crime and unauthorized search of information, provide assistance in the field of maritime security and the protection of natural resources.
The volume of financial receipts in 2012 amounted to 50.5 million dollars
She gained worldwide fame in 2003 when she offered the UN Tribunal to capture Liberian President Charles Taylor for $2 million. But the proposal was rejected as illegal.
The PMC played an important role in resolving the armed conflict in this country. Northbridge Services Group took the side of the rebels, thereby ensuring the overthrow of the official government of the country and the further entry of UN peacekeepers into its territory.
No. 8 DynCorp
A country: USA
Number: about 14 thousand people.
Specialization: the widest range of security and defense services in the air, on land and on water. In addition, the company is a developer of security systems and a provider of solutions within military combat strategies.
The most high-profile operations: Afghanistan, 2002.
PMC DynCorp appeared back in 1946. The corporate headquarters is located in Virginia, but all operational management is carried out from an office in Texas. DynCorp receives more than 65% of its revenue from the US government.
The oldest PMC in the world provides services to the US military in several theaters of operations, including Bolivia, Bosnia, Somalia, Angola, Haiti, Colombia, Kosovo and Kuwait. DynCorp provides physical protection services to Afghan President Hamid Karzai and trains much of the Iraqi and Afghan police forces.
According to some experts, the company is closely connected with the CIA and dubious transactions could be carried out under its cover.
There are several major scandals in the history of the corporation.
Iraqi authorities accused the company and the US State Department of misusing $1.2 billion aimed at training law enforcement units.
In October 2007, a company employee killed a taxi driver in Baghdad, and in July 2010, DynCorp employees shot and killed four Afghan civilians near Kabul airport.
No. 9 ITT Corporation
A country: USA
Number: about 9,000 employees.
Specialization: high-tech engineering development and production of defense technologies.
The most high-profile operations: Latin America and South America 1964
PMC appeared as one of the divisions of the ITT Corporation. The organization itself began in the 1920s as an international telephone and telegraph company. After division into areas, it became one of the main contractors for US government orders in the defense industry.
ITT Corporation is considered one of the largest companies engaged in high-tech engineering development, as well as the production and implementation of defense technologies.
She became famous for her direct participation in the overthrow of regimes Latin America, in the Brazilian coup in 1964, when the government tried to nationalize American companies, as well as financing the group that brought Pinochet to power in 1973.
In March 2007, ITT Corporation was fined $100 million by the US Department of Justice for sharing information about night vision devices and counter-laser weapons technology with Singapore, China and the UK.
No. 10 Asgaard German Security Group
A country: Germany
Number: unknown
Specialization: planning operations and support in risk areas, security, consulting, training and advanced training, conducting seminars.
The most high-profile operations: Somalia 2010.
One of the most famous German PMCs. Founded in 2007 by a former high-ranking German paratrooper named Thomas Kaltegärtner. The number of employees remains unknown to this day. It has representative offices in Somalia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Nigeria, Morocco, Chad, Croatia and the United Arab Emirates.
It is noteworthy that the German Foreign Ministry made an official statement that it has no control over the activities of this PMC and does not know anything about its activities in Somalia.
The PMC is known for having concluded one of the most resonant contracts with the Somali oppositionist Galadid Abdinur Ahmad Darman, who declared himself president of the republic back in 2003. In 2009, Sheikh Sharif Ahmed became interim president, and Galadid decided to strengthen his position with the help of German mercenaries.
The legality and official recognition of the activities of private military companies is a fairly popular topic today. This is especially true for Russia, where this phenomenon has just begun to appear, in contrast to the West and Europe, where PMCs have been operating for a long time. The effectiveness of such companies in hot spots has already been proven; the only question is whether they will be officially recognized by the state or not.
The President of the Association of Veterans of the Alpha anti-terrorism unit, Sergei Goncharov, said that the State Duma could speed up the decision on the adoption of a law on private military companies.
“To be frank, such a law on private military companies, as far as I understand, has not yet been adopted in Russia. Although this topic has been raised many times, because our “main opponents” - the USA, Great Britain and France - have private companies that are active throughout the globe. They do quite serious work, which brings dividends to these countries,” Goncharov noted.
At the moment, the issue of control over the activities of PMCs is in a “stagnant” state. According to Sergei Goncharov, it needs to be addressed to the State Duma, which could introduce a corresponding bill.
Russian security structures are seeking from the state a law to regulate private military companies (PMCs), which de facto already exist in our country. Such conclusions follow from the report of the head of the Association of Military Security Companies, reserve colonel, former chief of staff of the special forces of the internal troops “Vityaz” Andrei Golovatyuk, who shared its contents with Gazeta.Ru.
According to him, the participation of the army, police forces and other state security agencies is not enough to solve all the security problems arising in different regions peace.
Challenges such as terrorism, transnational crime, interethnic and interreligious conflicts have made the profession of “security specialist” one of the most in demand, and PMCs a profitable business.
Russian representatives of this industry define a PMC as a registered private commercial structure, staffed by professionals, controlled by the state and working in its interests. This is its fundamental difference from detachments of mercenaries and terrorists, say the authors of the report.
Corporations of this type will become increasingly important in wars and armed conflicts over time, experts say. In modern international peacekeeping operations, PMCs have long been equal legal entities along with the branches and branches of the Armed Forces.
In addition to classic military operations, the range of popular “military services” of private structures includes: armed protection of property of individuals and legal entities, including in zones of military conflicts, ensuring the security of large public events, development and adoption of measures in the field of information security, professional security of facilities, convoy escort, reconnaissance, military consulting; combat operations, strategic planning, information gathering, operational or logistics support; maintenance and operation of combat systems and equipment; detention of prisoners; consulting and training for military personnel and security guards.
The use of PMCs for armed protection against pirates and escort has become routine civil courts, conducting safety audits of oil and gas offshore platforms, security of ships, piers and submerged platforms and much more; clearing minefields, destroying unexploded ordnance, and providing logistics to troops; aerial reconnaissance and the use of unmanned aerial vehicles.
Originally from Africa
The history of official PMCs began during the struggle of African countries for independence. After the fall of the apartheid regime in South Africa, thousands of professionals from the army and police were left out of work. At the same time, an endless series of armed conflicts, inter-tribal and inter-clan wars, revolutions and coups took place in neighboring countries. It is clear that in such a situation, professional military personnel were not without work for long.
Very soon, the first private military company arose in South Africa, which offered the services of military specialists both for training the armed forces of a conditional customer, and for direct participation in specific military events.
The first PMC was called Executive Outcomes (“ Efficient Execution") and was founded in 1989.
After the company completed several small orders, operations followed in Angola and Sierra Leone, after which it gained fame. In 1992, civil war began in Sierra Leone. After a series of painful defeats by the rebels, the government turned to Executive Outcomes for help, whose employees quickly turned the situation in their favor. For a successful military operation the country's government paid Executive Outcomes more than $30 million. In addition, the company received a share in the trade of diamonds and other minerals in Sierra Leone.
This financial success sparked a wave of imitators around the world. PMCs began to emerge in the USA, Great Britain, France, Malaysia and Indonesia. The money that governments were willing to pay for wars won by proxy more than covered the salaries of military specialists, of whom there was no shortage after the end of the Cold War and the collapse of the Warsaw Pact bloc.
PMC leaders, as a rule, had influential patrons in the highest echelons of power in countries that defined the very concept of international law, which allowed their employees to avoid using the concept of “mercenary” with all the ensuing consequences.
Iraq and Afghanistan
In Iraq, PMCs appeared when, after the overthrow of the regime of Saddam Hussein by the American military, a civil war broke out in the oil-rich country instead of establishing democracy. Growing losses among soldiers forced President George W. Bush to conclude contracts with PMCs. At the same time, such contracts were signed by ministries and departments of the US and UK governments. Could not resist (or were forced to do so) from recruiting private soldiers and missions of various civil organizations, as well as the newly formed Iraqi government.
Private traders were immediately sent to the hottest and dangerous places, which made it possible to officially reduce losses and declare stabilization of the situation.
PMC Custer Battles guarded the Baghdad airport, Blackwater Security Consulting, ErinysIraq Ltd - oil fields and pipelines, Hart Group - Iraqi energy systems, Kroll accompanied UN missions and convoys, Military Professional Resources, Inc. taught national guard Iraq, Titan Corporation controlled the prisons.
In Afghanistan, most of the logistics of military and civilian coalition missions were already carried out by PMCs. They were often involved in guarding the perimeters of military bases.
“The presence of Chinese PMCs in this market is growing rapidly, especially in African countries, where they ensure the security of Chinese oil and gas fields,” says the analytical report of the Russian Association of Military Security Companies.
In Sudan, Chinese PMCs protect deposits owned by Chinese entrepreneurs. This group consists of 40 thousand fighters dressed in military uniforms without insignia.
Formally, they do not belong to the Chinese army, but are employees of a private organization.
The most famous actions of Chinese military companies were in 2012, when employees of one of the Chinese PMCs, together with the Sudanese, participated in an operation to free 29 Chinese workers captured in Sudan. The operation was not carried out very successfully; as a result, one of the hostages was killed. The catalyst for the formation and development of Chinese PMCs was the kidnapping of 25 Chinese workers in Egypt in 2012.
Among the former Soviet republics, Georgia and Ukraine are especially noticeable on the PMC market.
Already by the beginning of the five-day war in 2008, the American companies Cubic Corporation (creating a communications system for the Georgian armed forces) and Kellog, Brown and Root (logistics and technical support for the armed forces) were operating in Georgia.
The British company Halo (Hazardous Areas Life Support) Trust received contracts for demining simultaneously in Georgia and Abkhazia. The contract for training Georgian military contingent to participate in operations in Iraq and Afghanistan was awarded to the American company MPRI.
In the Georgian operation in South Ossetia Israeli company Defensive Shield participated. According to the Swedish report state institute Defense Research (FOI), the head of this company, Brigadier General Gal Hirsch, one of the leaders of the operation in southern Lebanon in 2006 and the former commander of the 9th division of the Israeli army, prepared and took part in the operation to storm Tskhinvali in August 2008, and many employees of this company were among the instructors who trained the Georgian army, and some of them took part in hostilities.
According to the authors of the report, PMCs were involved by the government of Turkmenistan to protect the borders with Afghanistan. The agreement was concluded with a German PMC, but its employees are mainly citizens of Russia, Ukraine, and also from the countries of the former Yugoslavia.
In Russia
Among the largest and most successful XDR on Russian market usually referred to as RSB-Group, Tiger Top Rent Security, Ferax, Antiterror-Eagle, and the military consulting company Alfa-Vityaz, whose employees worked in Iraq, Afghanistan, Kurdistan and other dangerous regions.
Until recently, this list also included Moran Security Group from St. Petersburg. The success of this company, especially in Iraq, as well as in protecting ships from attacks by pirates, seriously worried competitors, especially the British.
“It was through their efforts that the incident was organized when, in October 2012, in the Nigerian Lagos, local naval forces seized the security vessel Myre Seadiver belonging to the Moran Security Group, the crew of which was completely released only in October 2013,” Russian market experts are confident PMC.
The final blow to Moran Security came a little later, when the previously unused Article 359 of the Criminal Code “Mercenarism” was used against employees of the PMC - deputy director of the Moran Security Group Vadim Gusev and the organization’s personnel officer Evgeniy Sidorov.
Draft relevant federal laws have already been submitted to the State Duma twice: “On Private Military Companies” by Deputy Alexei Mitrofanov and “On Private Military Security Companies” by Deputy Gennady Nosovko. However, they received negative reviews from relevant departments.
PMC representatives refer to Art. 9 of the Federal Law “On Defense,” which allows citizens “to create organizations and public associations that help strengthen defense,” but various security forces are opposed.
The advantage of PMCs is, among other things, that their services are cheaper than using regular troops. Secondly, by involving “private traders”, it is possible to solve rather sensitive problems politically moments. In the context of a “hybrid war”, PMCs become one of the most important tools. They allow a de facto military presence of a certain country and the implementation of its geopolitical interests where de jure it should not exist. Finally, PMCs are a profitable and in-demand business, industry representatives state.
Problems with law
In international law, a “gray zone” has formed around the activities of PMCs. On the one hand, they are not covered by the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries of 1989; on the other hand, the existing Montreux Document (2008) and the International Code of Conduct for Private Military Companies (2010) are not legally binding and are only advisory in nature.
The intergovernmental working group of the UN Human Rights Council deals with issues of improving international legislation in this area on a regular basis. The practice of employing private military personnel abroad is perceived by the majority of members of this working group as a given, which can no longer be driven under prohibitive international norms - we're talking about on the regulation of such activities.
During this work, two main approaches emerged. Countries with a developed market for private military services (USA, EU, Canada, Australia) indicate the sufficiency of existing instruments for self-regulation of the industry, such as the Montreux Document and the International Code of Conduct for Private Security Companies (they are not international treaties and do not impose legal obligations) . The preferences of this group of countries are the preservation of the status quo, the priority of national legislation, bilateral agreements and non-binding norms.
Their opponents (BRICS countries, Algeria, Venezuela, Egypt, Cuba, Ecuador and others) are concerned about the growing scale use of PMCs in armed conflicts and advocate the elimination of the identified “gray zones” in the use of PMCs.
The decision to create a PMC institute in Russia is fifteen to twenty years late, Boris Chikin, co-founder of the OSS Group PMC, commented on the report to Gazeta.Ru.
According to him, now most lobbyists for the adoption of the law on PMCs expect to receive government funding. However, the adoption of such a law will not give Russian structures a real opportunity to work abroad.
There, the work of companies is regulated only by local legislation. The adoption of a special law in Russia will only create the illusion of control of this activity by the state.
“To perform any special tasks, if necessary, use entity, it is enough to register a company outside the jurisdiction of Russia and close it upon completion,” says Chikin.
In his opinion, large Russian private security structures wishing to work abroad may not wait until the state adopts the relevant law. It is enough to register your company in the country in which you will work.
Private military companies in Russia (PMCs) are companies that carry out their statutory tasks in high-risk areas, in particular in combat zones, where the actions of the company itself (its employees) are not offensive in nature, but deterrent, and allow for options for preventive measures .
In the territory Russian Federation There are about ten private military companies operating. Some of them have already suspended their activities, but other PMCs were created on their basis.
E.N.O.T. CORP- a private military company that carries out military-patriotic and humanitarian activities. It was created on the basis of the association of military-patriotic clubs “RESERVE”. The military carries out preventive measures against illegal migration, and also takes measures to suppress organized crime and drug trafficking. “Raccoon men” regularly accompany humanitarian supplies to the hottest spots on the planet.
A private military company in Russia, consisting of Cossack units. The activities of PMCs take place under the strict control of the Russian leadership through the Council for Cossack Affairs under the President of the Russian Federation. Support for the Cossacks is based on the principles of Cossack culture, military life and history. The basis of the activities of the Cossack units includes civil and territorial defense, maintaining public order, protecting borders, fighting terrorism, etc. Employees of the Cossacks PMC took part in combat operations in such hot spots of the globe as Iraq, Yugoslavia, Afghanistan, Chechnya, etc.
One of the most secret private military companies that operates in Novorossiya. The organization prefers not to advertise its activities. Its employees are retirees from various departments and veterans local wars. Wagner PMC is a large professional structure that works for the Russian government. The Wagner detachment takes part in hostilities in many hot spots of the planet. "Wagnerians" pass probation training, after which the military is certified or eliminated.
A private military company in Russia, providing a full range of security and armed protection services, both on the territory of the Russian Federation and abroad. Personnel reserve The PMC consists of reserve officers who served in special forces of various military branches and have combat experience in hot spots of the world. Ferax employees participated in combat operations in Iraq, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, Kurdistan, etc.
A private military company in Russia that was founded to conduct operations in Iraq. It began its operation in 2005, but literally a year later it curtailed its activities. Its former employees, professional military men, created other independent PMCs. The short-lived organization managed to complete tasks such as escorting convoys, guarding military facilities, as well as protecting personnel of oil companies and Russian diplomats, missions in Lebanon and Israel, Palestine and Afghanistan. The organization was engaged in sniper (counter-sniper) training of specialists, shooters, sappers, radio engineers, rapid response fighters in urban conditions, etc. After the collapse of Tiger Top-Rent Security, Moran Security Group, Ferax, Redut-Antiterror and Antiterror-Eagle were formed.
A private military company in Russia, which is a military-professional union of organizations, which consists of professional military personnel, special forces, airborne forces, etc. All employees of a private organization must have experience in combat operations and are participants in special operations and peacekeeping operations. The PMC was founded in 2008, its creators were intelligence officers and veteran paratroopers. The organization has experience working in Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan and Yugoslavia and other hot spots. The range of main services provided by the company includes security activities, training of personal security teams, certification of specialists for the provision of private security services, protection of environmental protection according to UN requirements, etc.
Moran Security Group is a private military company in Russia that provides a range of services in the field of security, consulting, transportation, as well as medical support and cargo transportation. All activities of Moran Security Group are carried out on the basis of the legislation of the Russian Federation. The main functions performed are armed escort and convoy of ships, security of various objects, logistics, reconnaissance, etc. Moran Security Group is the owner of a naval training center located in St. Petersburg.
A private military company in Russia, which has been operating since 1998. The organization was created by former military personnel. PMC employees are reserve military personnel, as well as veterans of the GRU, VYMPEL and the Navy. Anti-Terror-Eagle is engaged in the protection of facilities, training military personnel, and also carries out sapper work.
A private military company in St. Petersburg, which operates on the territory of the Russian Federation. IDA states that it operates in strict accordance with the laws of the country where its services are provided. The PMC provides services of the following nature: technical protection and reconnaissance, military activities, protection of convoys, individuals, gas and oil pipelines, other facilities, cargo convoy, legal/legal support, etc.
(“Russian System Security”) is a private military company in Moscow, which has several directions. It has a division of both land and sea operations. The Marine Operations Division provides armed protection, escort and security services for civil vessels, and safety audits of oil and gas offshore platforms. The Ground Operations Division provides armed security for facilities, conducts reconnaissance, as well as training, etc. The creators of this PMC are reserve officers of the GRU and FSB, professional military men who have rich command and combat experience. The activities of RSB-Group are based on compliance with the legislation of the Russian Federation. RSB-Group employees do not participate in armed conflicts as mercenaries, and also do not consult organizations and groups that have any connection with terrorist organizations.