How to register a private military company. The people who were shot at should write the law. — What specific “other tasks” can we talk about?

The question is really ripe. There is still no law regulating the activities of PMCs in Russia, despite the fact that the companies themselves have existed and been operating successfully for many years, although they operate in a “gray” legal zone mainly under subcontracts. Russian PMCs gained the greatest fame thanks to the events in Syria. However, their activities began much earlier than the war in this country. They have long been carrying out their specific tasks in many regions affected by war and unrest: they protect oil fields and various facilities, provide bodyguards and instructors, conduct convoys and ensure the security of missions. Moreover, in the maritime security market, Russian specialists managed to seriously displace the British, who were previously the leaders in it. Our PMCs cost less, but worked more efficiently, even carrying out counter-piracy landing operations, during which captured ships and hostages were freed, and secret bases of sea robbers were destroyed.

In today's world, with its renewed global confrontation, transnational crime and terrorist threats, PMCs are turning into a powerful tool for solving complex geopolitical problems, not only self-sustaining, but also generating considerable profit.

As a matter of fact, Sergei Lavrov simply voiced the work already underway. The first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Construction and Legislation, Mikhail Emelyanov, said in an interview with RT that the Russian parliament intends to consider the issue of legalizing the creation and operation of private military companies. “The bill is planned to be introduced within a month. Lavrov’s speech stimulates us to do this. The situation in Syria has shown the relevance of private military companies - they are excellent for use in such local conflicts. The law will allow PMC employees to participate in counter-terrorism operations abroad and to protect the sovereignty of allied states from external aggression. And also to the protection of various objects, including oil and gas fields, railways"- said Emelyanov.

The State Duma Defense Committee is also ready to get involved in the work. And its chairman, Vladimir Shamanov, believes that this issue was not previously appreciated by Russian legislators and now it is necessary to make up for lost time. The new law should determine the relevant departments that will license the activities of PMCs, define the concept and tasks of private military companies, the types of their work and services. And also to secure social guarantees for Russians who work for PMCs in Russia and other countries. Let us remind you that bills on this topic have already been rejected by the State Duma. However, this time the law is likely to be passed.

What is the Wagner group

Wagner’s private military company appeared in the Middle East shortly before Russia began officially deploying its bases in Syria in the fall of 2015, a Defense Ministry officer noted in a conversation with RBC. This information was confirmed by a source familiar with the operation. In total, almost 2.5 thousand people who represented the Wagner group were located near the Syrian Latakia and Aleppo.

Fontanka first reported on the Wagner group and its participation in the Syrian war in October 2015. According to this media, PMC fighters were previously seen in the southeast of Ukraine, where they took part in battles on the side of the self-proclaimed republics. The Wall Street Journal also wrote about this.

Wagner’s group got its name from the call sign of the detachment leader, RBC sources who are personally familiar with Wagner said. "Fontanka" called commander PMC Wagner Dmitry Utkin: according to the publication, Wagner is his combat call sign. Utkin was at a reception in the Kremlin in December 2016, this information was provided by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

Wagner PMC with the owner of the Concord group Yevgeny Prigozhin, the latter in a commentary to RBC, which has nothing to do with the military company.

An RBC source familiar with fighters from the Wagner group said that the minimum salary of a mercenary at a base in Russia is 80 thousand rubles, and for service in Syria they pay from 250 thousand rubles. per month. For the deceased, the military company pays compensation to his relatives.

According to the chairman of the Moscow Military Bar Association, Vladimir Trignin, the law is necessary because now PMC employees and their families “do not have the rights and benefits like contract soldiers”: “PMC employees are not under any protection, are not insured, although they can perform tasks national importance on the territory of other states.”

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Yuri Shvytkin (“ United Russia") I am convinced that it is necessary to legalize PMCs. “The bill needs to be developed and clearly spell out the issue of social status and protection of this category of citizens, as well as members of their families,” he said, adding that the adoption of the law on PMCs “will increase the significance of the tasks that they perform.”

The head of the Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT) organization, Ruslan Leviev, was convinced that the current situation with the captured and killed fighters of the Wagner group forced them to declare the need to protect PMC employees.

In the matter of protecting the rights of such people, one should not forget that the Wagner group is very far from Western understanding the term "private military company," he added. Traditionally, employees of Western PMCs are engaged only in security and training, says Leviev. In his opinion, the conduct of battles and offensive operations, reconnaissance, and acts of sabotage should remain on the shoulders of government agencies. “With Dmitry Utkin’s group everything is different. Now Wagner PMC is the main ground tactical force of Russia in Syria. They drive fighting, are advancing on the enemy’s positions,” Leviev claims.

But the more problematic issue is the weapons, and not the recognition of losses, the head of CIT noted. “Private military companies need bases with weapons and armored vehicles to train fighters, and according to modern Russian legislation a private structure cannot own such an arsenal,” Leviev summed up.

According to CIT, during the campaign in Syria, about 260 Russian PMC fighters were killed. According to Fontanka data as of August 2017, during the entire Russian campaign in the Arab Republic, from 70 to 92 employees of Russian PMCs were killed.

Legal inconsistencies

The editor-in-chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, reserve colonel Viktor Murakhovsky notes that in practice the interests of PMCs do not always coincide with the interests of government agencies. “In Syria, for example, it’s so a difficult situation, the forces at work are so different that theoretically it could happen that a Russian PMC will act in support of an organization that is in conflict with the Ministry of Defense. In this case, there must be some kind of arbitration, which would be in the image and likeness Federal service for military-technical cooperation, I would issue a license for every contract with a foreign state in the area of military cooperation,” says Murakhovsky.

The head of the private military company RSB-Group, Oleg Krinitsyn, claims that the absence of a law on PMCs “does not complicate their work at all.” He agreed that PMCs are companies engaged in supporting the military operations of the army, whose task is to obtain commercial profit. “Private military companies operate outside of Russia and are subject to the laws of the host country. And not a single country will recognize this law of ours,” Krinitsyn told RBC. He also added that this is at least the third attempt to write a law and “so far things have not gone further than talk.”

The State Duma Defense Committee has not yet prepared a bill regulating the activities of PMCs, Yuri Shvytkin told RBC. RBC’s source in the State Duma explains this by saying that “there was an unspoken directive not to attract undue attention to PMCs.” According to the source, most likely, the situation changed after the withdrawal of the main contingent of regular troops from Syria. “The role of PMCs will grow,” he added.

We need a bill that will legalize the situation with PMCs, Franz Klintsevich, a member of the Federation Council Defense Committee, told RBC. “We don’t have them, not yet, and the current legislation is extremely aggressive towards mercenaries. We are not developing it because of the position of the security agencies [who oppose such a law],” he said. A source in the apparatus of the upper house confirmed that the head of the defense committee, Viktor Bondarev, “has not received such laws and the leadership of the committee is not currently dealing with this problem.”

Mercenary Market

The legalization of PMCs in Russia means the emergence of a new market, but it will be small, Krinitsyn believes. He is confident that financial conditions will be created for entering the market that will not allow everyone to enter, but “only a select few and those close to them.” Officially, there will be three or four companies that have close ties with the authorities and law enforcement agencies, the head of RSB-Group is convinced.

PMC costs

“Taking into account salaries, base supplies, accommodation and food, the annual maintenance of the Wagner group can cost from 5.1 billion to 10.3 billion rubles. One-time expenses for equipment - 170 million rubles, compensation to the families of the victims with a minimum estimate of losses - from 27 million rubles,” RBC wrote in 2017.

After the legalization of private military companies, such as Wagner PMCs, Russian market there will be no more than three, Leviev believes. “This is very expensive: you need to maintain a base with a large number of weapons, ammunition, and armored vehicles. We need to find good instructors, qualified former military personnel - the potential personnel supply is also not immense,” he explained.

Allied countries and disputed territories will be interested in the services of Russian PMCs: the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Central Asian countries, Leviev added.

“Will our PMCs be able to receive truly monetary orders from European and American companies - for the protection of fields, diplomatic missions, and corporate facilities? Doubtful, since it requires an established reputation. And given our relations with the West, the sanctions, I suspect that almost none of the Western and European companies will dare to resort to the services of legal Russian PMCs,” summed up RBC’s interlocutor.

What is the Wagner group

Wagner’s group got its name from the call sign of the detachment leader, RBC sources who are personally familiar with Wagner said. Fontanka called Dmitry Utkin the commander of the Wagner PMC: according to the publication, Wagner is his combat call sign. Utkin was at a reception in the Kremlin in December 2016, this information was provided by the press secretary of the Russian President Dmitry Peskov.

Wagner PMC with the owner of the Concord group Yevgeny Prigozhin, the latter in a commentary to RBC, which has nothing to do with the military company.

Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on Defense Yuri Shvytkin (United Russia) is convinced that it is necessary to legalize PMCs. “The bill needs to be developed and clearly spell out the issue of social status and protection of this category of citizens, as well as members of their families,” he said, adding that the adoption of the law on PMCs “will increase the significance of the tasks that they perform.”

In protecting the rights of such people, it is worth remembering that the Wagner group is very far from the Western understanding of the term “private military company,” he added. Traditionally, employees of Western PMCs are engaged only in security and training, says Leviev. In his opinion, the conduct of battles and offensive operations, reconnaissance, and acts of sabotage should remain on the shoulders of state structures. “With Dmitry Utkin’s group everything is different. Now Wagner PMC is the main ground tactical force of Russia in Syria. They are conducting combat operations, advancing on enemy positions,” Leviev asserts.

But the more problematic issue is the weapons, and not the recognition of losses, the head of CIT noted. “Private military companies need bases with weapons and armored vehicles to train fighters, and according to modern Russian legislation, a private structure cannot own such an arsenal,” Leviev summed up.

Legal inconsistencies

The editor-in-chief of the Arsenal of the Fatherland magazine, reserve colonel Viktor Murakhovsky notes that in practice the interests of PMCs do not always coincide with the interests of government agencies. “In Syria, for example, the situation is so complex, the forces at work are so different, that theoretically it could happen that a Russian PMC will act in support of an organization that is in conflict with the Ministry of Defense. In this case, there should be some kind of arbitration that, in the image and likeness of the Federal Service for Military-Technical Cooperation, would issue a license for every contract with a foreign state in the area of military cooperation,” says Murakhovsky.

Mercenary Market

PMC costs

After the legalization of private military companies, such as Wagner PMCs, there will be no more than three on the Russian market, Leviev believes. “This is very expensive: you need to maintain a base with a large number of weapons, ammunition, and armored vehicles. We need to find good instructors, qualified former military personnel - the potential personnel supply is also not immense,” he explained.

Allied countries and disputed territories will be interested in the services of Russian PMCs: the self-proclaimed republics of Donbass, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and the countries of Central Asia, Leviev added.

The bill defines the goals of PMCs as “protecting the rights and legitimate interests” of those who ordered their services, promoting the services of Russian security guards and military personnel abroad, “developing international military cooperation,” as well as “reducing the level of military and terrorist threats.”

At the same time, the authors of the bill insist that private military companies must be guided by the principles of “respect for human rights and freedoms,” “cultural characteristics and national customs of the state of territorial jurisdiction, racial and national differences and freedom of religion, respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of states.”

No foreigners

Sergei Mironov and Mikhail Emelyanov believe that the authorized capital required to create a PMC must be at least 10 million rubles, while “the maximum amount of property contributions to the authorized capital of a private military and military security organization cannot be more than 50% of the size authorized capital,” the draft law says.

But for foreigners and Russians who have foreign passports, as well as for foreign companies, the bill “prohibits” the contribution of money to the authorized capital of PMCs. They cannot act as founders of private military companies - only Russian citizens and legal entities have this right, and Russians, in addition, should not have a criminal record.

Who can serve

The Fair Russians left the right to serve in Russian PMCs to foreigners. An employee of a private military and military security organization can be either a citizen of Russia or a citizen of a foreign state who has reached the age of twenty-one years, “suitable in terms of professional training and health status to perform labor function directly related to the implementation and provision of military and military security work and services.”

Restrictions on service in PMCs also apply to convicts and those who served in the army for less than one year or were dismissed from law enforcement agencies for committing a disciplinary offense. Those who have been held accountable for distributing drugs or psychotropic substances will also not be allowed to serve in PMCs. Deputies will not allow foreigners who are under Russian or UN sanctions to serve in Russian PMCs.

“The head of a private military and military security organization can be a citizen Russian Federation who has reached thirty years of age and has a higher education professional education“, the deputies proposed, while clarifying that the head of the PMC cannot be a current official or deputy.

Uniform and weapons

Special uniforms and insignia of PMC employees cannot be similar to or similar to the uniform and insignia of law enforcement officers and military personnel, the developers of the bill note. The procedure for wearing uniforms for PMC employees will be established by the Russian government, the document says. This also applies to special coloring, inscriptions and signs on PMC vehicles.

PMCs have the right to use weapons, the text of the draft says. Types, types and models of weapons, cartridges for them, as well as the standards for providing them to employees of a private military and military security organization on the territory of Russia are determined by Russian regulations legal acts, and beyond its borders - the norms of international law, international and intergovernmental agreements of Russia and the norms of law of the state of territorial jurisdiction. The same applies to the circulation of weapons, cartridges and ammunition, as well as the rules for their storage, the document says.

Ban on revolutions

Deputies separately clarified the prohibitions that apply to PMCs. The amendments emphasize that private military and military security organizations are prohibited from overthrowing legitimate authorities or undermining in any other way the constitutional order, legal, economic, financial foundations of the state or “forcibly changing the internationally recognized borders of states, violating sovereignty, supporting foreign occupation of part or all of the territory of a state.” They will also not be able to establish their control over natural resources another country or forcibly expel the local population.

Pensions for mercenaries

According to the authors of the bill, work in a PMC should be counted towards the total length of service and length of service for the purpose of assigning social insurance benefits, subject to payment of contributions to Pension Fund and the State Social Insurance Fund, the project developers emphasize. They are also subject to compulsory insurance“in case of death, injury or other damage to health, kidnapping and demands for ransom in connection with the performance and provision of military and military security work and services, including on the territory of a foreign state, in the manner established by the legislation of the Russian Federation” , the document says. At the same time, insurance of PMC employees is carried out at the expense of the company itself and is included in its costs, Fair Russia emphasizes.

It was the protection of the rights of PMC fighters that became the reason for a new proposal to legalize PMCs. On Monday, January 15, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said at a press conference in Moscow that he considers it necessary to develop companies working for PMCs in other countries. “I think that the legislative framework needs to be clearly established here so that these people are also within the legal framework and protected,” Lavrov said. The minister noted that the practice of using PMCs by countries around the world is “spreading.”

A few weeks ago in social network An announcement appeared on VKontakte: “Guys, there is an option to work for your homeland!” – read the first line. Salary “on base” is 50 thousand rubles per month, “for exit” – from 80 thousand rubles plus bonuses. In terms of conversion, this amounts to between 700 and 1150 euros. The announcement ended with the words: “Good fight, soldiers of fortune!”

The user who published the ad calls himself Ilya Ivanov. His job is to recruit fighters for PMCs, the so-called private military companies. And a lot indicates that last days he was very successful in forming a private army. He is looking for men who are ready to defend Russian interests on new battlefields for money in 2017.

A car convoy at the training ground in Molkino. The only soldier we managed to talk to replied that they were “coming from an exercise.”

Ivanov is not the only recruiter currently recruiting fighters, but he is perhaps one of the most experienced. Back in 2014, he wrote on his VKontakte page that he was looking for people who were ready to “determine themselves with adventures in hot countries.” At that time, the public still knew nothing about Russian soldiers in Syria, and Ilya’s activities were illegal. For recruiting mercenaries, he faced up to eight years in prison. Now everything has changed.

Little-known amendments to the law

Since many men in Russia completed military service, the amendments to the law affect almost all Russians. Now, if they fight terrorists, they are considered military personnel, even if they do not officially belong to any part of the Ministry of Defense. In other words, changes to the Law on Military Service allow the use of Russian mercenaries throughout the world and legalize the activities of PMCs. On January 9, 2017, the law came into force.

Blackwater is one of the most famous private military companies, which, among other things, performed partly criminal tasks for the US Army, for example, in Iraq. When Blackwater's actions became public knowledge, it sparked a global debate about the legality of such firms. Russia did not stand aside either. Thus, RT asked the question in its materials: Private military companies: a new method of warfare?

However, today, when this topic has affected our own country, the pro-Kremlin media remain silent.

How do legal PMCs function? How do recruiters like Ivanov work? To respond to the advertisement, ZEIT ONLINE creates a fake account of Pavel Nikulin on VKontakte. Pavel is 27 years old, he works as an electrician in Volgograd. In 2010 and 2011, he served in military service as a driver-mechanic of the T-72 tank.

Conversation with a recruiter

Pavel Nikulin exists only as a virtual page on a social network. His biography and fake Vkontakte profile help to find out details about the recruitment and training of PMC fighters. Nikulin and Ivanov exchange several messages on the social network and call each other twice by phone.

Nikulin: Hello, my name is Pavel. I'm talking about the VKontakte ad.

Ivanov: I get it from work. Pavel, tell me, what is your citizenship?

Nikulin: Russian.

Ivanov: Finally. So. Do you have a military ID? Who by position?

Nikulin: Tank driver-mechanic.

Ivanov: Great! Look, Pavel. Let me tell you about the matter first.

Ivanov says that tankers are “in great demand.” In addition, we need doctors, sappers and competent signalmen. They are also looking for helicopter pilots - they are not competitive. All other applicants must first pass tests and provide Required documents. The most important, and also the most difficult, condition is the presence of a foreign passport and the absence of loans and criminal records.

Whether Ilya Ivanov is the real name of the recruiter cannot be certain. However, two other sources who tried to become fighters in the PMC confirmed to ZEIT ONLINE that they also communicated with Ivanov. In addition, Ilya described in detail the route and terrain near the training ground where the PMC is training. The correspondence of the description with reality was later confirmed by ZEIT ONLINE's own source.

Polygon in Molkino

According to Ivanov, the training base for PMC fighters is located near the village of Molkino in the Krasnodar Territory. It is about 500 kilometers from here to the Ukrainian Donetsk, and about 250 kilometers to the Russian resort of Sochi. In 2015, the Molkino test site underwent modernization, for which more than 50 million rubles were spent. Officially, three military units are stationed in Molkino: 1st Guards Missile Brigade (military unit 31853), 10th separate brigade special purpose GRU of the Ministry of Defense (military unit 51532), as well as the 243rd combined arms training ground (military unit 55485).

Highway M4. A convoy of vehicles returns from a training exercise back to the training ground in Molkino

Legal PMCs existed in Russia before. The most famous are Moran Security Group and RSB-Group. Like Academi, the American successor company to Blackwater, these Russian firms offer services in security, consulting and armed defense and security. Although the companies declined to respond to ZEIT ONLINE's request, they claim on their official websites that they do not engage in mercenary activities or participate in military operations abroad. CEO of the RSB-group company Oleg Krinitsyn, in a conversation with the Fontanka newspaper, said that his company was not tasked with sending anyone to Syria, but if there were such proposals, he would be ready to discuss them.

Dmitry Utkin and Wagner PMC

One of the former employees of Moran Security Group later founded his own PMC, which is called the Wagner Group. We are talking about Dmitry Utkin - aka Wagner. Utkin served in the GRU special forces, after his dismissal he worked under a contract with the Moran Security Group, protecting ships in dangerous areas from pirate attacks. After his dismissal in the fall of 2013, he was part of about 250 “contractors” in Syria. Six months after the Syrian trip, he created the so-called “Wagner Group,” which took part in the fighting in eastern Ukraine and later in Syria.

In December 2016, Utkin even appears at a reception on the occasion of Heroes of the Fatherland Day in the Kremlin. Among the invited heroes of the Soviet Union and Russia, Utkin was one of the few guests who did not have such high merits. The fact that Utkin was nevertheless invited to the celebration may indicate that Wagner PMC fighters carried out important operations in Syria for the Russian army.

Ivanov says that Wagner PMC is recruiting fighters in Molkino. Those who tried to get into the PMC reported in a conversation with ZEIT ONLINE that the entrance tests are quite easy. Everyone must complete simple physical training standards: push-ups, pull-ups, running one hundred meters and three kilometers, the Cooper test and fire training. Anyone who was able to pass everything remains at the base to undergo training, which usually lasts two months.

All military actions, regardless of whether they began on Russian initiative or not, were used by Putin for his domestic political rating. Thanks to the positive presentation of the army and military successes by pro-government media, patriotism and pride in the country and its president grew in Russia. In addition, with the help of weapons production it was possible to support the weakened domestic economy. Moreover, when a country is involved in a war, problems like corruption no longer seem so significant. All this could also play an important role if new conflicts arise abroad involving Russia.

Ukraine, Syria – Afghanistan?

However, not all so simple. The first problem has to do with people. Now it is problematic for Putin to find enough people to fully conduct military operations, says Stefan Meister, an expert on Russia from the German Society foreign policy. According to him, Russia is on this moment is involved in two conflicts in Syria and Ukraine, which requires many soldiers and weapons. Even if we take into account that the troops have been modernized since 2008, their resources are not unlimited.

Meister believes it is likely that Russia will enter into new military conflicts in 2017, in addition to existing ones. First of all, from the point of view of the fight against international terrorism unleashed by Donald Trump, new mercenary brigades can help in this process, he says. A different contract is concluded with mercenaries than with conscript soldiers, because they will be hired by private military companies. This will make it easier to prevent the public from gaining access to this information, Meister said. This problem arose especially often in Ukraine, when the government had to explain why Russian soldiers were among the killed “volunteers.” If a PMC fighter dies, the Ministry of Defense can easily challenge its involvement.

The second snag is related to possible battle sites where PMC fighters are fighting.

Nikulin: Is this Syria?

Ivanov: This is already an old topic. Now there will be... I can’t say that, I think you can guess: in the 80s the army was there. Understood? There are also sands and mountains. There, then, a peacekeeping operation means protecting ambassadors and so on. They even give you a medal for a feat of arms. They won’t give you any more, because you won’t appear on TV.

Afghanistan? In addition to Syria, Ukraine and unstable regions like Libya, Russia may also intervene in the conflict in Afghanistan in 2017. But the negative image that is associated in Russian society with losses in Afghanistan runs deep. As Meister says, this image is comparable to the US "Vietnam trauma". Today, even with the support of the propaganda machine, it will not be possible to persuade the Russian population to participate in the ground operation in Afghanistan.

The most important thing is money

“Today, only technical specialists and instructors are in Afghanistan, who are required, in particular, for technical support of Russian helicopters,” says Meister. Thus, in January 2016, an intergovernmental agreement was signed to provide military-technical assistance to Afghanistan.

“If NATO withdraws its troops from Afghanistan in 2017, then Russia may indeed be gripped by fear that terrorism will spread throughout the country.“The Taliban “can greatly destabilize the Central Asian neighbors of the Russian Federation, and this is a real threat, including for Russia,” says Meister.

Most applicants to PMCs do not care where they are sent to fight. The most important thing is money. According to Ivanov, prices at PMCs today are as follows: 50 thousand rubles during training at the base, from 80 to 120 thousand “at the exit,” in addition to bonuses. By Russian standards, this is a lot of money. “If you burn a tank, you get money. Do you understand? If you hit some firing point, you get more money if the commander confirms it,” explains Ivanov.

More details and a variety of information about events taking place in Russia, Ukraine and other countries of our beautiful planet can be obtained at Internet Conferences constantly held on the Keys of Knowledge website. All Conferences – open e and absolutely free. We invite everyone who wakes up and is interested...

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How to register a private military company. The people who were shot at should write the law. — What specific “other tasks” can we talk about?