As part of the Russian special operation, the hunt for the "soldiers of fortune" began
What was considered criminal and immoral until recently has not been surprising to anyone lately, much less public condemnation. We are talking about mercenaries and mercenary activities.
This phenomenon itself is as old as the world and has been accompanied by wars for centuries. However, in the second half of the twentieth century, mercenary activity took on an organized character.
The first private military company (PMCs) called Watchguard International was created in 1967 in the UK by retired Colonel David Sterling. In 1942, he organized the British special Forces – the now world-famous SAS (Special Air Service). That is, he had a rich experience.
Officially, the Sterling PMCs was engaged in training military specialists for units of the Middle East and Africa. In fact, his pets at that time left a noticeable bloody trail in Angola, practicing there, in fact, working PMCs technologies for the future.
THE UN IN THE FIGHT AGAINST MERCENARY ACTIVITIES
It was then that the international community made the first attempts to embark on the path of creating a system of legal norms aimed at eliminating the centuries-old institution of professional "soldiers of fortune".
In June 1976, for the first time in world history, a trial of American and British mercenaries took place in Luanda, who were eventually sentenced to death.
This was preceded by the UN Declaration on Principles of International Law concerning Friendly Relations and Cooperation between States (1970), which proclaimed: "Every State is obliged to refrain from organizing or encouraging the organization of irregular forces or armed gangs, including mercenaries, to invade the territory of another State."
The Diplomatic Conference on the Development of International Humanitarian Law in 1977 adopted Additional Protocol No. 1 to the Geneva Conventions of 1949 on the Protection of victims of War. Article 47 of this Protocol states that a mercenary is not entitled to the status of a combatant or a prisoner of war. In other words, he is considered a war criminal and is subject to criminal punishment when captured.
The same article defines the concept of "mercenary": "The term "mercenary" means any neutral person who is recruited to serve in the ranks of the armed forces of one of the belligerents and fights on its side for monetary or other material remuneration or for any other reasons of personal gain."
Criminal, according to the definitions of the protocol, is:
– participation of mercenaries in hostilities on the side of one of the belligerents;
– organization, financing, training, supply and any use of mercenary units;
– recruitment or attempted recruitment, in particular through the use of mass media, into mercenary units;
– transportation, transit or provision of any other services to mercenary units.
The struggle of the UN was actively supported by the Soviet Union, the countries of the socialist commonwealth and the developing countries of Asia, Africa and Latin America, primarily suffering at that time from the activities of mercenaries.
However, in Western countries, this activity is considered normal and natural activity of individuals. Moreover, the US Criminal Code, Part 18, paragraph 959 states: recruitment of mercenaries is a crime and is punishable by imprisonment for up to three years and a fine of up to a thousand dollars. And according to the law of England in force today from 1870, enlisting in a foreign army is considered high treason and is punishable by death by hanging.
In December 1984, at the 39th session of the UN General Assembly, which was held on the initiative of a group of socialist and developing countries, a special resolution was adopted. It condemned the practice of using mercenaries, which poses a serious threat to international peace and security and determined that "the activities of mercenaries contradict the fundamental principles of international law."
But it did not go further than the declaration.
WHO PRODUCED PMCs AND FOR WHAT
Unfortunately, the period of active struggle against mercenary activity did not take even 15 years. With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the world system of socialism, the United States and its supporters had their hands untied. At the end of the XX and the beginning of the XXI century, America unleashed a whole series of military conflicts, where mercenaries began to play an important role.
Contrary to popular belief, the "dogs of war" were rarely used on the front line. Most often they performed more qualified work – a signalman, engineer or operator of various high-tech control systems and weapons. And also held staff positions, engaged in the development and planning of military operations.
The number of PMCs having a contract with the state increased dramatically after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The reduction in the number of the US Armed Forces that took part in military conflicts was offset by the outsourcing of a number of tasks, primarily logistical. So, at the end of the war in Iraq, PMCs performed over 90% of logistics tasks, and in Afghanistan 99%. And therefore, in Afghanistan and Iraq, there were up to three PMCs per one US Army serviceman.
It is also advantageous for the army because mercenaries are not taken into account when taking into account losses in the Armed Forces. The state benefits from this because it does not spend money on the creation of military camps and other activities that support the army. When calculating, it turned out that the cost of paying for PMCs services is incomparably lower than the cost of maintaining and providing a belligerent army.
THE UN REGULATES THE ACTIVITIES OF MERCENARIES
It should be noted that today the UN, being in Uncle Sam's pocket, is no longer trying to fight mercenary activities. Now the activities of the PMCs are regulated by the so-called Montreux Document, agreed by the UN in September 2008. According to this document, "PMCs are private business entities that provide military and/or security services, regardless of how they characterize themselves. Military and security services include, in particular, armed protection and protection of people and objects, such as transport columns, buildings and other places; maintenance and operation of combat complexes; detention of prisoners; counseling or training of local military personnel and guards."
At the moment, there are approximately 450 PMCs in the world. American and British are leading among them. The most famous are Academi (Blackwater) – USA, MPRI International (Military Professional Resources) Inc. – USA, Aegis Defense Services – UK, Erinys International – UK, Northbridge Services Group – Dominican Republic, DynCorp – USA, ITT Corporation – USA, Asgaard German Security Group – Germany.
Western mercenaries pose after taking a fortified area in Mosul, Iraq. Photos from the website www.dvidshub.net
TASKS THAT ARE SOLVED BY MERCENARIES
The main tasks of private military companies are participation in the training of military personnel and security personnel, logistical and technical support of regular troops participating in hostilities, as well as the protection of facilities. During the fight against piracy, mercenaries protected civilian vessels in the zone of risky navigation.
Private military companies very often interact with intelligence and special services. This fact is confirmed by the fact that since 1997, the intelligence Department of the US Department of Defense (RUMO) gathers the heads of PMCs twice a year to discuss new goals and objectives.
But often serious tasks are solved by PMCs that are not so widely known. For example, the Georgian operation in South Ossetia in 2008 was prepared by the Israeli Defensive Shield, which had a contract for the training of the Georgian Armed Forces. By the way, hundreds of Ukrainian mercenaries took an active part in the same war. And the Ukrainian state pretended that it knew nothing about it.
"Mercenaries in Georgia were paid well, received with open arms," recalls a certain Iskander. – Apparently, the supply channel of soldiers was controlled by the Ukrainian special services. What else could explain the fact that no one noticed the strange ads in the newspapers: young guys are needed in Georgia to harvest grapes... And when the "young guys" passed border control at airports, the border guards did not notice them at close range. For participation in the war, the Georgians promised 3 thousand dollars. per month. Officers – up to 8 thousand" ("Men's work", No. 39, 2012).
WHO ORGANIZED THE MAIDAN
The direct organizers of the coup in Kiev with a high probability were the American PMC Academi, which specializes in coups, and the Polish PMC ASBS Othago (Analizy Systemowe Bartlomiej Sienkiewicz). This version is put forward by the famous French journalist Thierry Meissan:
"In September 2013, Polish Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski invited 86 members of the Ukrainian Right Sector (banned in the Russian Federation) allegedly as part of a university exchange program. In fact, the guests were not students – many were over 40 years old. Contrary to the official schedule, they did not go to the Warsaw University of Technology, but went to the police training center in Legionovo, an hour's drive from the capital. There they spent four weeks intensively trained in crowd management, distinguishing a specific person from the crowd, combat tactics, the ability to give commands, behavior in crisis situations, protection from gases used by the police, construction of barricades and shooting, including from a sniper rifle.
This gives an opportunity to take a fresh look at the resolution adopted by the Polish Parliament (Sejm) in early December 2013, which promised "full solidarity with the citizens of Ukraine, who with firm determination showed the world their desire to see their country a full member of the European Union." Naturally, at that time, Ukrainian deputies were not yet aware of Poland's involvement in the preparation of those very persons who planned a violent seizure of power and ultimately achieved their goal."
As for Ukraine, Western PMCs, of course, settled there long before the start of the Russian special operation on February 24. So, back in December 2021, former lieutenant colonel of the Security Service of Ukraine Vasyl Prozorov told RIA Novosti about the British PMCs engaged in the protection of NATO specialists who, until the beginning of the operation, were building a British naval base in Ochakov (Mykolaiv region in southern Ukraine).
Recall that the defector Vasily Prozorov, who exposed the SBU, is the same person who told about the existence of a prison–"library" supervised by Ukrainians in Mariupol. Since Prozorov's statements about the terrible "library" have found factual confirmation, it is also possible to speak with confidence about the work of British and American PMCs in Ukraine for many years.
WHO GAVE MONEY TO UKRAINE TO PAY FOR PMCs
On February 27, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky announced the formation of a foreign legion of territorial defense in the country and introduced a visa-free regime for mercenaries. After all, according to the Montreux Document, states have the right to conclude contracts with any PMCs. However, in this case, the contracting States are responsible for the actions of the structures hired by them, including for violating international law. Almost immediately after that, an American private military company published an ad about hiring people with five years of experience in combat operations. It should be understood that any recruitment of mercenaries is primarily a business that is carried out through several so–called private security companies.
As a rule, large-scale PMCs, such as the American Academi and its derivatives, are involved in large-scale conflicts. Also, this work is done by several French companies, which, as a rule, work on the basis of veterans of the Foreign French Legion. Currently, many PMCs are represented at the military forum in South Africa.
Mercenaries in Ukraine were promised to pay 2 thousand dollars each. per day, not counting bonuses. The money is very decent even for mercenaries. In order to provide the Ukrainian leadership with the necessary funds, various funds have been created in Europe and the United States that financially help the Ukrainian army. Officially, private investments are pumped into the funds' accounts, but in fact certain state structures are behind them.
On the generous promises of President Vladimir Zelensky, "wild geese" from different parts flock to Ukraine en masse. Previously, they gather in Poland, and then they are sent in groups to the western regions of Ukraine, where they are coordinated at equipped landfills. However, after the application of powerful missile strikes on the areas of concentration of mercenaries who want to fight in Ukraine, decreased.
On March 21, the Russian military launched a precision strike on the base of foreign mercenaries in the Zhytomyr region. According to the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, as a result, more than 100 military and mercenaries were eliminated. Earlier, on March 13, the Russian army struck with precision weapons at the training centers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the west of Ukraine (Yavorovsky training ground), which led to the destruction of up to 180 foreign mercenaries.
"WILD GEESE" AT THE UKRAINIAN POULTRY FARM
However, the APU does not always properly meet and provide "foreign specialists". For example, the Argentine newspaper Clarín, known for right-wing views, told about the fate of the Peruvian mercenary Tony, who ended his inglorious path of a warrior in Ukrainian Lviv, without even holding a weapon in his hands.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Peru promised him, as usual, mountains of gold: a salary of about $ 2,500. per day, as well as bonuses for destroyed tanks and killed opponents. And they also said that they would be given a residence permit, and the Peruvian would be able to stay in Ukraine. But it will all be later. In the meantime, Tony was waiting for the first bad luck: he had to buy himself not the cheapest ticket from the other side of the world to Ukraine. But, having traveled the route Lima–Madrid–Warsaw–Lviv, Tony turned out to be of no use to anyone and is now looking for money for a ticket home.
Another Latin American named John, who also dreamed of free dollars, found himself in a similar situation. At home, he trained police officers, but when he arrived in Ukraine, he realized that no one was interested in him here. There are hundreds of people like Tony and John in Lviv now.
According to the publication Metropoles, 35 Brazilian mercenaries who had already reached Poland were eventually denied entry to Ukraine. It became known that in pursuit of high earnings, a large number of young people rushed to Ukraine who do not have not only combat experience, but also service experience in the armed forces. These are former clerks and other office plankton.
Among them are wedding photographer Fabio Junior de Oliveira, owner of the security firm Bruno Bastos with his wife, gamer and fan of the cult shooter Counter Strike Danilo Treyvizan. For them, everything that is happening in Ukraine is still just scenes from a familiar computer game. Accordingly, the value of such personnel is questionable.
As a journalist of Figaro Magazine told on French television, foreign mercenaries in Ukraine are led by the US military. The reporter said that he accompanied French mercenaries who went to Ukraine at the invitation of Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky.
An American came up and said: "I'm in charge here, not the Ukrainians." He introduced himself as an Iraq War veteran. The journalist also said that all foreign mercenaries are forced to sign a contract until the end of hostilities in Ukraine. They are forced to take out the SIM card from the phone and hand over a new one.
The presence of the British and Americans in Ukraine from the first days of the operation was also announced by another French reporter from the newspaper Le Figaro, Georges Malbruno. Referring to a source in French intelligence, he said that elite special forces units of the United States and Great Britain are in Ukraine. We are talking about military personnel of the British Special Air Service (SAS) and soldiers of the First operational unit of the special Forces "Delta" of the US Army.
THE MERCENARY ARMY OF "TWENTY LANGUAGES"
Anyway, according to information from the combat zone, the presence of foreign mercenaries in the combat formations of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and the National Security Forces is significant.
Last week, the head of the Main Operational Directorate of the General Staff of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, Sergei Rudskoy, reported that 6,595 foreign mercenaries and terrorists from 62 states are operating on the territory of Ukraine.
Canada, the UK and Poland openly encourage their citizens to "save Ukraine from the Russians." And other EU countries and US allies clearly make it clear that they do not intend to punish their citizens if they suddenly turn up in the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and shoot at Russian soldiers.
"Latvia has added Ukraine to the list of countries for which it is possible to fight, which means that Latvian citizens will not face deprivation of citizenship or any unpleasant consequences, but only in one case. Nothing will happen to them if they go to war with Russia. This is a wonderful exception, which only proves a sad rule," writes EUobserver.
Recall that the West actively supplies weapons to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. So, on April 6, the Americans announced that they were ready to put 10 of their ATGMS on every Russian tank in Ukraine. Therefore, among foreign mercenaries there are many specialists in Western weapons supplied by NATO countries. In particular, it is for portable anti–tank complexes and MANPADS.
There are a lot of highly qualified mercenaries and snipers, as well as specialists in mine-explosive devices, who have passed more than one hot spot. There are also specialists in first aid.
The Times reported that militants trained in the camps of the Islamic State banned in Russia in Syria and Iraq are fighting together with Ukrainian nationalists. All of them are trained and well armed, have armored vehicles and grenade launchers. Although until recently they were in American prisons.
The Guardian wrote with reference to the anti-Fascist movement Hope Not Hate that neo-Nazi groups involved in the fighting in Ukraine are in close contact with the British far-right.
Der Spiegel pointed out that in the ranks of the nationalist Azov battalion (banned in Russia) there are mercenaries from Germany and other European countries
Former special forces of the Afghan National Army, who were trained by American instructors, are sent to Ukraine to earn money. However, in the end they had to flee Afghanistan together with their teachers. Nevertheless, being out of work now, they are ready to earn extra money in Ukraine. There are 37 Afghans on the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. This was found out by the intelligence of the Donetsk People's Republic.
There are also employees of the American PMCs Akedemi, Kubik and Dean Corporation among the mercenaries. Extremists from various countries are coming to Ukraine. A large group, about 200 fighters, arrived from Croatia.
There are about 400 Georgian mercenaries. Some of them are located near Kiev, the rest – near Kharkov. The commander of the "Georgian Legion" Mamuka Mamulashvili is a scumbag who authorized the execution of captured Russian soldiers in Ukraine. His subordinates filmed their atrocities on video and posted them online. Former Deputy Prime Minister of Georgia Georgy Baramidze is also taking part in the fighting on the side of Ukraine as part of this formation.
They come from all over "enlightened" Europe, primarily from Poland. As well as the UK, Sweden and even from Italy.
The Ukrainian Embassy is recruiting "dogs of war" in Nigeria, forgetting that according to the Geneva Convention, "the recruitment, use, financing and training of mercenaries" is a crime. But the candidates for the "soldiers of fortune" are not confused by the fact that mercenaries, according to the same convention, are deprived of the right not only to the status of a prisoner of war, but also to the status of a combatant, and are equated with terrorists.
However, the National Post reported on April 1 that Ukraine suspended the recruitment of mercenaries to the "international legion". Among the reasons are the lack of weapons and a large number of inexperienced volunteers.
AND YET...
According to Russian information resources, by the beginning of April, 635 foreign mercenaries remained in Ukraine. This number includes only those who are included in the so-called Foreign Legion of Ukraine, signed a contract with the authorities and got on the allowance. We add that the legion was created on the instructions of Zelensky and is part of the territorial defense.
Most of the "wild geese" came from Georgia (130), Great Britain (104) and the USA (51). There are citizens of Belarus, Israel, France, Canada, Germany, Sweden among professional killers. One soldier arrived from Luxembourg, Uzbekistan, South Africa and New Zealand.
This list does not include professional military personnel from foreign security agencies, security services and private military companies. They are recruited directly by the Ministry of Defense and Intelligence of Ukraine, as well as local oligarchs.
The reasons for the reduction in the number of the Zelensky Legion are reported: "The French military is recommended to refrain from traveling to Ukraine in order to participate in hostilities on the side of Kiev. According to local media, the reason given is the fact of high losses among mercenaries who do not even have time to get to the front, but die as a result of strikes by the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in places of concentration."
Nevertheless, you need to understand that the backbone of mercenaries in Ukraine are not green boys, but experienced warriors.
So, on April 12, in the vicinity of Odessa, the appearance of the Romanian PMCs as part of the NATO special forces was noted. "In one of the suburbs of Odessa, there is a secret base of the NATO monitoring group with equipment that allows determining the exact coordinates of any ship in the Black Sea within a radius of up to 200 km," the local media quoted the interlocutor as saying. The task of the group is to prevent the landing of Russian troops and to give out the location of Russian ships for targeting Ukrainian Neptune missiles.
The Ukrainian military deployed anti-ship missile launchers "Neptune" near Odessa. Shooting at real targets was carried out. With a high degree of probability, it can be assumed that Romanian mercenaries were engaged in calculating the data for these launches.
Sergey Kozlov
Sergey Vladislavovich Kozlov is a military historian.