This is not the first year that politicians have been attracted by the topic of a private army. However, not only them: you can regularly hear questions a la "How to get into the private army of Russia?" This area should be regulated by the law proposed for consideration by the country's governing bodies under the title “On Private Military and Security Activities”. If sooner or later they accept it, then the activities of organizations planning private campaigns will be finally legalized, legal, official - in a word, finally there will be a final clear answer to the question that excites many: “Are there private armies in Russia?”
What about now?
Currently, the current legal standards are such that the private military army in the country is in an illegal situation. And yet there are companies that find loopholes, using the laws governing the activities of security, detective enterprises. True, the said law imposes rather serious restrictions that do not allow the creation of full-fledged Russian private armies.
Is the current order bad or good? For example, if you pay attention to the military practice of other states, it will become clear that private armies are not a novelty. Such are in America, were in Austria and some other countries. At the same time, private armies are business in war, which sounds (to put it mildly) inhuman. Recent trends (at least official ones) are such that conflicts must be stopped, regardless of the reasons that force the parties to fight. This means that the very idea of ​​a private military company (PMC) is contrary to the development trends of society. But in practice, everything is not as rosy as we would like.
Money rules the world
One can say for a long time that war is not needed, money is not needed, and weapons must be destroyed. In practice, it was military conflicts that often became activators of progress, as they forced countries to exert all their efforts to the development of technology. After some time, the developed novelties became available to the civilian population. Thanks to this, today we have good jackets and shoes, telescopes, machine tools that make a variety of machines, household items. It is extremely difficult to imagine everything that was originally developed for the army, and then became an indispensable element of civilian life.
In addition, the law on a private army in Russia would make it possible to legalize participation in military conflicts not only at the state level. And it will attract a lot of money. Traditionally, war is where the most money goes, but it is also a method of making huge profits. Of course, pockets fill up units, and thousands die for it - but it's just hard to change the order that was established in human society millennia ago. So, the question of how to create a private army will be raised again and again.
Laws: what to reduce, what to add
An update to the legislation is proposed, since work in the field of military security is quite specific. On the one hand, this is a commercial activity, on the other hand, the tasks are still in interaction with the goals formulated by the government. This means that recruiting into the private army of Russia will allow us to gather those who will serve the private trader, but at the same time for the good of the Fatherland. The resulting formation will be used to protect the interests of the nation. The authors of the draft law insist on this position.
What will be the salary in a private military company in Russia? While it is impossible to make accurate forecasts, it can be assumed that the amounts will pay quite large. First, working with private traders is always more profitable than serving the state, and in our army and the state pays good money. Secondly, you need to attract the best of the best? And in such a dangerous area this can only be done with decent money.
And how to do it?
From the draft law that describes the prospects of private armies in Russia, it follows that the Ministry of Industry and Trade should license if the action of a military formation takes place abroad. But for those who have to serve in the private army within their native state, they will have to obtain a license from the Ministry of Defense. Of course, such PMCs will be created in Russia, whose activities will affect state secrets. According to the proposed version of the law, licenses for the activities of such organizations must be entrusted to the FSB. The system is frankly complex and confusing, therefore, already at the stage of the initial draft law, it caused the disagreement of a large number of officials.
Another controversial point that does not fit into the current laws of the state is the customers. Who can order a military campaign? From the documentation it follows that such rights should be granted to the executive branch, to state bodies with which agreements have been concluded allowing such a practice.
Facts and Fiction
However, while officials are arguing about unresolved issues, rumors about the Wagner PMC are running among the townsfolk. It is believed that this is the first private military company in our country and you can enter it, receive a good salary and serve the Fatherland. Is it true? Official information, publicly available, says that this is nothing more than a fiction.
Why did the Wagner PMC myth become so popular? It is generally accepted that this is a place where truly huge money is paid. Of course, ordinary people want to believe that it is so. Others suggest that the company is in fact a private army, and according to the documents it is written differently until they have passed the law. Others even talk about how the CIA hunts for Wagner’s army soldiers. But all the information available to the common man is unverified rumors that are not trustworthy.
What else excites politicians?
There will be no private armies in Russia until officials find a way out of all the bureaucratic traps associated with such an initiative. Current projects are extremely raw. They have no foundations from which to create a provision on PMCs in the country, it is not clear how it is possible to work with similar organizations in other countries - in other words, how to send private soldiers to other places? But it is precisely such activity that is supposedly predominantly.
Many officials agree that for actions on the territory of our country, already existing legislation is more than enough, where there is a description of the private security company and the standards by which private security guards work. Many are convinced that building up military force in the country is not required, which means that private armies in Russia are not needed.
Consent and doubt
However, if we talk about those deputies whose votes have real weight when adopting bills, they agree that PMCs are necessary in Russia. The doubts that can be heard are mostly opposition opinions, which are rather weak. And yet, like-minded people do not agree on all aspects of the issue. Why do we need private armies in Russia, who should be given the right to create such organizations and why to create them - these aspects cause an abundance of conflicts.
Some activists, for example, are convinced that the law should be adopted in such a way that the activity of new entities was an instrument for the state to accurately, pointwise influence specific regions. For example, there are many territories where regular troops are not needed, but from time to time there is a need to restore order by force. Here, according to activists, private armies in Russia will be useful.
What else do they say?
According to other experts in the field of legal literacy and legal relations, the law can be adopted in the case when the standards allow voluntary actions abroad.
According to critics of the bill, the background of the initiative is quite obvious, that is, it is not so much about making legal actions within the country legal, but about the possibility of waging military campaigns outside of Russia. And in this case, it is rather difficult to guarantee the safety of the rights of all Russian citizens who find themselves parties to the conflict. Everyone will want to protect themselves, because in war the question is about survival, and everyone seeks to ensure safety for themselves and their relatives. By position, the protection of third parties also becomes mandatory. If the process is not organized very precisely, it will soon turn into chaos and lawlessness.
Opinions do not agree
While some believe that it is necessary to introduce a clear legal status of what is now being held under the name “volunteer detachment,” others strongly disagree with the initiative. Others are convinced that such units will actually be used only within the state.
Experts argue their position with the experience of military operations in recent years, starting from the events of 1905, ending with the modern Ukrainian conflict. It is believed that practically during mass demonstrations, military units serving the state are ineffective. This is due to the problems of ideology, when you need to go "brother to brother."
There are also such opinions: abroad, the activities of private military units do not need to be regulated at all; it is enough to introduce regulation within the country by laws. This is argued by the fact that PMCs will not encounter counteractions abroad. At the same time, it is necessary to introduce protection mechanisms for those who find themselves outside the borders of their native country. As you know, in our laws there is still a chapter “Mercenary”, responsibility for which is assigned according to the norms of the Criminal Code. The new law on private armies should regulate the situation so that the defenders of the motherland, with a different view of the situation, would not suddenly become criminals.
And what did the deputies come to?
In fact, the law, as it was at the project stage several years ago, remained in the same place. This is due, for example, to the following definition: inside Russia, power actions are available exclusively to the supreme authority. That is, the creation of PMCs in theory is possible, but only what will the military involved in the service do, except how to fight outside the country? After all, inside is impossible! Or abolish state monopoly? But this issue is even more controversial, as it may be the beginning of a chaotic situation. Well, you can protect, guided by the laws of detective work. Total, it becomes logical to doubt the need for a private army in the country.
And some confidently assure that the law, even when introduced, will still have no effect. They argue that there are too many blanket norms in it, that is, those formulations that can be interpreted within too broad a framework. So, you have to introduce by-laws, otherwise the result will be exactly the opposite of what you want.
Or is it necessary?
Nowadays, private armies are one of the most effective and efficient tools that allow you to control the political situation in various regions of the world without introducing the country's official troops there. Such a point effect can be quite mild, but it will have a great effect. This is precisely what those who insist on the introduction of private companies argue their position. Russia is a rather ambitious country, a regional, global subject, in need of the most effective means of influencing the world, since there are plenty of resources for this. You can’t miss the situation?
Incidentally, some companies are already known that have worked quite successfully on a private basis in different states, providing security and military services there. Of course, the place of activity is complex regions, such as Sri Lanka, Iraq and others.
Business in the world
Private companies specializing in security and military operations have been around the world for quite some time. Private services in this area are in great demand; huge sums are invested in them. For example, in America alone this year is 350 billion - and not just some rubles, but full-bodied green dollars. It’s scary even to imagine how huge this value is. Companies that offer their services in the military sphere really take this issue seriously - they train staff by teaching all sorts of honest and not very fighting methods. Often, foreigners are also attracted there.
What do American PMCs do? They protect state-owned property, important infrastructure, and other similar services in countries where there is a military conflict, and America is participating in it. At the same time, such a company inside the country should not only have training grounds for conducting quality training for soldiers and senior personnel. It is necessary to have well-developed agreements, fully legalized, carefully executed with enterprises working in the field of weapons. These are very serious things.
PMC: yesterday, today, tomorrow
Private military companies are very profitable commercial organizations that employ top-level specialists. The country's authorities monitor the work of the company very carefully, and the company itself must be guided primarily by the interests of the state, and only then by commercial gain. That is why PMCs are permissible from the point of view of the law, and mercenaries, terrorists are outside legal norms and are prosecuted. Private PMCs are rather arbitrary, since the goals, interests, plans of companies are fully regulated by the authorities. However, there is still some freedom - each company has the right to choose for itself which methods to achieve results that must be achieved in an unconditional manner.
In our world, in recent years, so-called "peacekeeping" operations have become very widespread. It is in them that PMCs participate. Such companies are legal entities that have the same capabilities and responsibilities as the armed forces of the state. Experts from America came to the conclusion that in the future PMCs will build up their strengths and play even greater importance in battles and conflicts of an international level. This is partially confirmed by the financial results of international organizations related to such activities.
In numbers and trends
Statistics show: some time ago, in the early 90's, private soldiers met, compared with state, 50 times less. And now for one private trader there are only 10 military state forces. And this does not mean that countries are reducing their armies, but reflects how actively the area of ​​private services in the conduct of armed conflicts is developing. They suggest that in the future the difference will decrease even faster. Hundreds of private firms operate in troubled countries and hot spots. Some time ago, the total number of private soldiers was only to Iraq, Afghanistan, 265 thousand people.
There is nothing surprising in this. It was immediately clear that private military services would be a source of great profit, and this was soon confirmed. Today, this is rightfully considered to be perhaps the most profitable business of all legal ones. In addition, it is also a tool to solve various problems within the country and beyond. Conflicts outside the home state imply the conclusion of interstate contracts, and this greatly affects the incomes of private owners, increasing them. For example, even before the start of the war in Iraq, one well-known PMC of America had an annual income of $ 1 million, and barely entered into a contract with the state for activities in Iraq, as the revenue component grew to a billion.
We work, we work
A few years ago, 450 private military companies were officially registered. When this whole business was just beginning, firms tactically supported the armed forces of a particular country, participated in battles. After some time, activity ceased until the “orange” revolutions began, after which everything started a new way. There are many objects now, but there are even more potential ones.
Mostly firms operate as “military consulting”. This means that they are planning a combat strategy, reforming the forces available to the state, training soldiers, training officers and technical personnel. In addition to them, there are also organizations involved in logistics. They provide all the necessary rear services, erect objects that are significant for warfare, including outside the home country, and also service information systems and other complex devices and mechanisms.
Finally, there are security firms. Such people work as crisis managers, they can give a correct assessment of risks for the situation, and advise on safety. They also offer security services, including professional bodyguards, can clear the site. Of course, there are departments responsible for the transfer of experience. , .