Private military companies: legalize or continue to pretend that they are not?
For many years in the press, the campaign for permitting the prohibition of PMCs has been going on at some intervals. The importance of the issue is that the PMC is. But they are not. The legal status of such companies is blurred and incomprehensible to most Russians. Soldiers of fortune? Wild geese? Security structure? Or maybe bandits?
In principle, PMCs have been used for a long time. And the beginning of such use was laid, if not hundreds, then decades ago. If you think a little, it becomes clear that in Russia a whole stratum of the population, or, as they said, the class, was private security contractors. Cossacks. They did not have the official status of military units. However, if necessary, performed military tasks for the protection and defense of the state. And note, successfully.
Moreover, the famous ataman Yermak annexed Siberia to Russia, too, not as a representative of the troops of Tsar Ivan, but as a private person. History delicately says- "detachment of ataman Ermak". Not army, not a regiment, not an army. Just a squad. And in essence, a private military company, if expressed in modern language. Curb for a specific purpose.
But the flowering of PMCs began at the end of the last century and continues today.
What tasks perform PMCs? The conversation will be conducted until the official moments. About what is written in the contracts.
First of all, PMCs are necessary for business. Transnational corporations operate in several states at once. Modern equipment is worth decent money. And enterprises are not always in peaceful zones. It is clear that to use PMCs in Europe or America is stupid. The state can provide protection of objects independently. There is enough own armed division of the company. And in Africa? Syria? Iraq
The next important point is the transportation of goods. Many people remember pirates from Somalia. When the actions of small groups of armed bandits began to bring huge losses to transport companies. Pirates used the fact that civilian ships are not armed even with small weapons and captured tankers and other vessels without any resistance.
Protecting ships at the state level, even using the military fleet, although it reduced the activity of pirates, but did not completely eliminate it. Yes, and it cost a lot of money. And the costs fell on several leading states of the world.
The task was successfully solved by PMCs. Well-armed and trained fighters with their actions discouraged the pirates from making money. Moreover, according to some sources, PMCs could even repel captured ships from pirates.
Another official task of PMCs is to escort VIP-persons. Companies, and sometimes states, cannot always protect their owners and managers. Officially, the head of the company for the state is nobody. Private person. And if the company has billionth turnovers? Such a person becomes a tasty morsel for criminal structures. Private military quickly cooled gangster ardor.
PMCs officially work in the front-line zone, but, according to international laws, are not eligible to participate in hostilities on either side. That is why PMCs specialize in medical care, in logistics, in the construction of military facilities, logistics for the army, and demining of minefields.
There is another task that is not related to real combat operations. Intelligence service. Part of PMCs specialize in search and analysis of intelligence information for the army.
The fact is that the modern army, especially of the Western states, today can hardly do without PMCs. For example, during the Iraqi company, the US paid ten private military companies for logistics, exploration and other services for more than 60 billions of dollars only in the first 6 years of the war. Agree, the scale of the activities of "private owners" is impressive.
And what about Russia? Why is the Russian PMC not known? Everyone knows that such structures exist, but no one can say for sure what and what they do.
There are two reasons for such a “smoke screen” over Russian PMCs. First of all, this is the negative attitude of Russians towards mercenarism as such. In Russia, it is considered a crime to be a mercenary. Law! For us, it is more understandable and even honorable to be a volunteer.
The second reason is purely corporate. Russia has a sufficient number of former military personnel who have passed through the crucible of war. Virtually every agency today has its own special forces. And quite well prepared.
And the main "suppliers" of personnel for PMCs were and remain the Ministry of Defense and the FSB. It is clear that corporate communications in these PMCs are preserved. Therefore, depending on who is at the head of the company, companies are covertly supervised by one of these departments.
The question of the need to adopt the PMC law in 2012 was voiced by V. Putin. He demanded to legalize the activities of PMCs, calling them "a tool for the realization of national interests without the direct participation of the state."
In 2014, the party "Fair Russia" submitted to the Duma a draft PMC law. However, the project was successfully "killed" in the defense committee. The deputies decided that the law is not relevant, incomprehensible and useless. Moreover, the representatives of the Defense Ministry and the FSB unanimously opposed this law. Cause?
The official status of PMCs will lead to the fact that there will be companies in the country that can withstand official security agencies. Private "Rambo" frightened the security forces.
So, the legal status of PMCs in Russia did not receive. But they are. Why? Yes, simply because the Russian legislation in this matter is structured in such a way that there is no clear wording. A "blur" and makes it possible to exist "legally."
The most famous, and perhaps the most serious PMC in Russia is the "RSB-Group". It is this company that offers the whole range of services of classic PMCs. The price list of the company includes security of facilities, including oil and gas facilities, airport security, escort of convoys in a conflict zone, escort of civilian ships, and so on. In addition, the company's specialists offer services for mine clearance, exploration and counterintelligence, and data analysis.
There are companies that offer services for the release of hostages and the return of goods. Simply put, the market requires services, PMCs provide them. Of course, often companies do the work of state structures. But, you see, how often victims remain unhappy with the actions of such structures.
But the majority of PMCs with the participation of Russians work outside of Russia. Most often these are small companies. It is known about several PMCs in Africa. These companies not only successfully compete with "old" Western companies, but have already pressed these companies. In addition, there is evidence of the work of our PMCs in Syria, Iraq, Iran.
Paradoxically, it is these PMCs that prevent the adoption of the law. Russian PMCs in conflict zones due to the past specialization of their fighters are quite closed. Information about them is most often at the level of private communication, rare messages in local media and social networks. And this, in turn, gives rise to many rumors.
In the article on PMCs, no matter how much I want to touch on this topic, one cannot do without a Ukrainian topic. In the Russian media there was a lot of material about Western, especially Polish and Baltic PMCs. There were also materials about American PMCs. But the Russian is mentioned only one.
Many remember the string of assassinations of prominent Republican commanders last year. When it was not clear that those who opposed the leaders of the republics or had an independent position on state-building in the republics, died under circumstances that showed the actions of professionals.
It was then that PMC Wagner surfaced. The company is serious, although not very "glowing" in the Donbas. Mysterious structure that does not fit into the "classical" PMCs. You can call the PMC company only with a stretch. It is rather a militarized organization with an incomprehensible structure. Some analysts talk about some kind of "battalion tactical group." Agree that without a certain support in the "top" such a company can not exist.
Moreover, today there is information about the existence of PMCs Wagner training camp in the Krasnodar Territory. And in service appeared armored vehicles and heavy weapons.
By the way, many people think that such companies as the PMCs of Wagner have appeared recently. Alas, the history of this company begins in the 2013 year. And by and large and before. The famous "Slavic Corps", which fought in Syria, became the basis of this company.
Today, Western analysts say that the PMC Wagner has intensified in Syria. And she participates in the fighting, both independently and as part of the Syrian army. In addition, they write about the interaction of PMCs with the Russian army. But there is no official confirmation of this. And, of course, will not.
At the beginning of this year, the question of PMCs was raised again in the Duma. January 28 began to discuss it. However, this discussion did not bring any results. Deputies again were afraid of responsibility, found a bunch of reasons. Until now, the law of private security committees has been debated at various levels.
The appearance of publications on this issue is clearly the result of the beginning of the election campaign. Now you can find those who "push through" the law in the new Duma. You can include this issue in the list of problems that need to be addressed in the near future. Candidates today are much more sensitive to the problems of the country than deputies tomorrow.
Naturally, the question arises: do we need this law?
The answer is unequivocal. Is needed. And really urgent. The existence of small companies, such as PMCs Wagner, is not always legal. And not only according to Russian laws, but also according to international ones. Direct participation in the fighting is an example. The classic "nothing personal is just business." Need to earn. And the money does not smell.
Large companies are more controlled by the state. They have something to lose. Even the image of such companies is expensive. But for small companies the opposite. The "muddier", the more profitable. The same PMC Wagner, I repeat, was created on the basis of the disbanded "Slavic Corps". For a small company, losses in case of liquidation are minimal. There are fighters, that's all. Material loss is not very much. Although armored vehicles and heavy weapons cost a lot, the company's revenues can quickly compensate for the losses.
The law is also needed because today Russia is forced to spend huge amounts of money on re-equipment of the army and navy. And this, in turn, leads to a decrease in costs for other areas of life. Private security contractors, according to the draft law, will work not only abroad, but also in Russia. This means solving the tasks of guarding facilities (many simply forgot that the majority of "state-owned" companies are in fact LLC, CJSC, etc.), to escort important cargo, to ensure the safety of citizens.
That is, to do what the Soviet Union did in such an organization as VOKhR - the militarized guard that existed as a unit of the service of private security police, as well as departmental security of enterprises and institutions.
Thus, the costs incurred by the state today will be transferred to the private sector.
The events in Ukraine have shown that volunteers who are involved in the conflict (on both sides) are more politically advantageous to the state. Yes, and we, too. You can always disown them. Let's go, they themselves participate. Themselves responsible for their lives and death.
But after all, the task of the state, including, is to protect the interests of its citizens. Not only in the punishment for mercenary, but also in defense. Those who, at the call of the heart, went to war, are the same citizens as the rest. So why shouldn't the state protect them?
PMCs are a regular business project. And, like any business, will pay taxes to the treasury of the country. After all, injuries and illnesses of fighters today are treated in the same way as illnesses of workers in other spheres. So let companies pay for their risk.
In general, the problem of PMCs must be addressed today. It is shameful to hide our eyes and talk about the absence of these companies among us is already indecent. The decision is overdue. Or we clearly regulate the activities of PMCs, and then establish control over this business, or “drive them” into a large “shadow” - and then any volunteer can be recognized as a mercenary with all further “charms”, any fighter - too.
Blurring in existing laws plays today against the state. It is necessary to bring complete clarity to the concepts and formulations. The existence of loopholes is the way to create big problems in the future.
In principle, PMCs have been used for a long time. And the beginning of such use was laid, if not hundreds, then decades ago. If you think a little, it becomes clear that in Russia a whole stratum of the population, or, as they said, the class, was private security contractors. Cossacks. They did not have the official status of military units. However, if necessary, performed military tasks for the protection and defense of the state. And note, successfully.
Moreover, the famous ataman Yermak annexed Siberia to Russia, too, not as a representative of the troops of Tsar Ivan, but as a private person. History delicately says- "detachment of ataman Ermak". Not army, not a regiment, not an army. Just a squad. And in essence, a private military company, if expressed in modern language. Curb for a specific purpose.
But the flowering of PMCs began at the end of the last century and continues today.
What tasks perform PMCs? The conversation will be conducted until the official moments. About what is written in the contracts.
First of all, PMCs are necessary for business. Transnational corporations operate in several states at once. Modern equipment is worth decent money. And enterprises are not always in peaceful zones. It is clear that to use PMCs in Europe or America is stupid. The state can provide protection of objects independently. There is enough own armed division of the company. And in Africa? Syria? Iraq
The next important point is the transportation of goods. Many people remember pirates from Somalia. When the actions of small groups of armed bandits began to bring huge losses to transport companies. Pirates used the fact that civilian ships are not armed even with small weapons and captured tankers and other vessels without any resistance.
Protecting ships at the state level, even using the military fleet, although it reduced the activity of pirates, but did not completely eliminate it. Yes, and it cost a lot of money. And the costs fell on several leading states of the world.
The task was successfully solved by PMCs. Well-armed and trained fighters with their actions discouraged the pirates from making money. Moreover, according to some sources, PMCs could even repel captured ships from pirates.
Another official task of PMCs is to escort VIP-persons. Companies, and sometimes states, cannot always protect their owners and managers. Officially, the head of the company for the state is nobody. Private person. And if the company has billionth turnovers? Such a person becomes a tasty morsel for criminal structures. Private military quickly cooled gangster ardor.
PMCs officially work in the front-line zone, but, according to international laws, are not eligible to participate in hostilities on either side. That is why PMCs specialize in medical care, in logistics, in the construction of military facilities, logistics for the army, and demining of minefields.
There is another task that is not related to real combat operations. Intelligence service. Part of PMCs specialize in search and analysis of intelligence information for the army.
The fact is that the modern army, especially of the Western states, today can hardly do without PMCs. For example, during the Iraqi company, the US paid ten private military companies for logistics, exploration and other services for more than 60 billions of dollars only in the first 6 years of the war. Agree, the scale of the activities of "private owners" is impressive.
And what about Russia? Why is the Russian PMC not known? Everyone knows that such structures exist, but no one can say for sure what and what they do.
There are two reasons for such a “smoke screen” over Russian PMCs. First of all, this is the negative attitude of Russians towards mercenarism as such. In Russia, it is considered a crime to be a mercenary. Law! For us, it is more understandable and even honorable to be a volunteer.
The second reason is purely corporate. Russia has a sufficient number of former military personnel who have passed through the crucible of war. Virtually every agency today has its own special forces. And quite well prepared.
And the main "suppliers" of personnel for PMCs were and remain the Ministry of Defense and the FSB. It is clear that corporate communications in these PMCs are preserved. Therefore, depending on who is at the head of the company, companies are covertly supervised by one of these departments.
The question of the need to adopt the PMC law in 2012 was voiced by V. Putin. He demanded to legalize the activities of PMCs, calling them "a tool for the realization of national interests without the direct participation of the state."
In 2014, the party "Fair Russia" submitted to the Duma a draft PMC law. However, the project was successfully "killed" in the defense committee. The deputies decided that the law is not relevant, incomprehensible and useless. Moreover, the representatives of the Defense Ministry and the FSB unanimously opposed this law. Cause?
The official status of PMCs will lead to the fact that there will be companies in the country that can withstand official security agencies. Private "Rambo" frightened the security forces.
So, the legal status of PMCs in Russia did not receive. But they are. Why? Yes, simply because the Russian legislation in this matter is structured in such a way that there is no clear wording. A "blur" and makes it possible to exist "legally."
The most famous, and perhaps the most serious PMC in Russia is the "RSB-Group". It is this company that offers the whole range of services of classic PMCs. The price list of the company includes security of facilities, including oil and gas facilities, airport security, escort of convoys in a conflict zone, escort of civilian ships, and so on. In addition, the company's specialists offer services for mine clearance, exploration and counterintelligence, and data analysis.
There are companies that offer services for the release of hostages and the return of goods. Simply put, the market requires services, PMCs provide them. Of course, often companies do the work of state structures. But, you see, how often victims remain unhappy with the actions of such structures.
But the majority of PMCs with the participation of Russians work outside of Russia. Most often these are small companies. It is known about several PMCs in Africa. These companies not only successfully compete with "old" Western companies, but have already pressed these companies. In addition, there is evidence of the work of our PMCs in Syria, Iraq, Iran.
Paradoxically, it is these PMCs that prevent the adoption of the law. Russian PMCs in conflict zones due to the past specialization of their fighters are quite closed. Information about them is most often at the level of private communication, rare messages in local media and social networks. And this, in turn, gives rise to many rumors.
In the article on PMCs, no matter how much I want to touch on this topic, one cannot do without a Ukrainian topic. In the Russian media there was a lot of material about Western, especially Polish and Baltic PMCs. There were also materials about American PMCs. But the Russian is mentioned only one.
Many remember the string of assassinations of prominent Republican commanders last year. When it was not clear that those who opposed the leaders of the republics or had an independent position on state-building in the republics, died under circumstances that showed the actions of professionals.
It was then that PMC Wagner surfaced. The company is serious, although not very "glowing" in the Donbas. Mysterious structure that does not fit into the "classical" PMCs. You can call the PMC company only with a stretch. It is rather a militarized organization with an incomprehensible structure. Some analysts talk about some kind of "battalion tactical group." Agree that without a certain support in the "top" such a company can not exist.
Moreover, today there is information about the existence of PMCs Wagner training camp in the Krasnodar Territory. And in service appeared armored vehicles and heavy weapons.
By the way, many people think that such companies as the PMCs of Wagner have appeared recently. Alas, the history of this company begins in the 2013 year. And by and large and before. The famous "Slavic Corps", which fought in Syria, became the basis of this company.
Today, Western analysts say that the PMC Wagner has intensified in Syria. And she participates in the fighting, both independently and as part of the Syrian army. In addition, they write about the interaction of PMCs with the Russian army. But there is no official confirmation of this. And, of course, will not.
At the beginning of this year, the question of PMCs was raised again in the Duma. January 28 began to discuss it. However, this discussion did not bring any results. Deputies again were afraid of responsibility, found a bunch of reasons. Until now, the law of private security committees has been debated at various levels.
The appearance of publications on this issue is clearly the result of the beginning of the election campaign. Now you can find those who "push through" the law in the new Duma. You can include this issue in the list of problems that need to be addressed in the near future. Candidates today are much more sensitive to the problems of the country than deputies tomorrow.
Naturally, the question arises: do we need this law?
The answer is unequivocal. Is needed. And really urgent. The existence of small companies, such as PMCs Wagner, is not always legal. And not only according to Russian laws, but also according to international ones. Direct participation in the fighting is an example. The classic "nothing personal is just business." Need to earn. And the money does not smell.
Large companies are more controlled by the state. They have something to lose. Even the image of such companies is expensive. But for small companies the opposite. The "muddier", the more profitable. The same PMC Wagner, I repeat, was created on the basis of the disbanded "Slavic Corps". For a small company, losses in case of liquidation are minimal. There are fighters, that's all. Material loss is not very much. Although armored vehicles and heavy weapons cost a lot, the company's revenues can quickly compensate for the losses.
The law is also needed because today Russia is forced to spend huge amounts of money on re-equipment of the army and navy. And this, in turn, leads to a decrease in costs for other areas of life. Private security contractors, according to the draft law, will work not only abroad, but also in Russia. This means solving the tasks of guarding facilities (many simply forgot that the majority of "state-owned" companies are in fact LLC, CJSC, etc.), to escort important cargo, to ensure the safety of citizens.
That is, to do what the Soviet Union did in such an organization as VOKhR - the militarized guard that existed as a unit of the service of private security police, as well as departmental security of enterprises and institutions.
Thus, the costs incurred by the state today will be transferred to the private sector.
The events in Ukraine have shown that volunteers who are involved in the conflict (on both sides) are more politically advantageous to the state. Yes, and we, too. You can always disown them. Let's go, they themselves participate. Themselves responsible for their lives and death.
But after all, the task of the state, including, is to protect the interests of its citizens. Not only in the punishment for mercenary, but also in defense. Those who, at the call of the heart, went to war, are the same citizens as the rest. So why shouldn't the state protect them?
PMCs are a regular business project. And, like any business, will pay taxes to the treasury of the country. After all, injuries and illnesses of fighters today are treated in the same way as illnesses of workers in other spheres. So let companies pay for their risk.
In general, the problem of PMCs must be addressed today. It is shameful to hide our eyes and talk about the absence of these companies among us is already indecent. The decision is overdue. Or we clearly regulate the activities of PMCs, and then establish control over this business, or “drive them” into a large “shadow” - and then any volunteer can be recognized as a mercenary with all further “charms”, any fighter - too.
Blurring in existing laws plays today against the state. It is necessary to bring complete clarity to the concepts and formulations. The existence of loopholes is the way to create big problems in the future.
Information