Private military companies in Russia: list. Law on Private Military Companies in Russia

Private military companies in Russia are commercial organizations that enter the market with specialized services. They, first of all, are related to the protection, protection of a particular person or object. In the world practice, such organizations, including those involved in military conflicts, are engaged in the collection of intelligence information. Provide advisory services to the regular troops.

Background

Private military companies in Russia appeared relatively recently - in the 90s, while in the world they have been operating for several decades.

This concept first appeared in the UK in 1967. A private military company was founded by the famous British colonel David Sterling.

Already by the mid-1970s, there were a large number of contract workers in the world who wanted to earn money in the near-military structures. One of the first major agreements in this field was signed in 1974. It was concluded between a private military company and the US government. The mission is to train the national guard of Saudi Arabia and the physical protection of oil deposits in this state.

Because of the increased number of mercenaries in the world in 1979, the UN General Assembly adopted a resolution on the development of an appropriate convention. It was necessary to prohibit the recruitment, training and financing of mercenaries.

If during the Cold War such companies were created in many states to take part in hostilities in third countries, in the 2000s a new trend appeared. Large international corporations began to resort to the services of private military companies, whose interests are in countries with an unstable political situation.

Volumes of the market

To date, the market volume of these companies is about 20 billion dollars. Private military companies in Russia make their contribution.

According to experts, in the 21st century this narrow and specialized market turned into a global economy with a multibillion-dollar turnover. This opinion is shared by economists around the world.

Most often, the services of such organizations are used by Western governments to represent their interests in third countries. Some of the largest missions are in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Services of companies

Private military companies in Russia provide a wide range of various services. A similar list is provided by other international companies around the world. This is the protection of objects of strategic importance. More often than not, mercenaries are used to protect oil fields and oil bases, energy systems.

Also these organizations offer their services as private security companies in foreign countries. For example, they can protect embassies, accompany humanitarian convoys and representatives of the United Nations.

In the third world countries in which the fighting is conducted, the specialists of these companies often train local officers and soldiers of the government armed forces, train policemen, as well as other representatives of security services.

Private military companies sometimes guard prisons, such precedents were in Iraq and Afghanistan. Participate in demining operations, perform the functions of military translators. They conduct aerial reconnaissance, carry out armed escorts of ships to protect them from pirates. This type of service has become extremely popular after the activation of sea robbers in Somalia.

Benefits

Almost every private military company in Russia offers financial stability. How to get settled there? This question is now of interest to many of those who have behind them the experience of the army service. First, let's look at its advantages.

First, the use of mercenaries in place of the regular army does not cause discontent among the population. In addition, in states with weak political institutions, they represent a real antagonistic force to local law enforcement agencies, and sometimes to regular troops. They are mobile, the management of these units is very flexible, there is no bureaucracy at all. Compared with regular troops, which are served by many conscripts who have recently learned about the hardships of military service, these companies are only professionals. People who have devoted military affairs to more than one year.

disadvantages

Despite the large number of positive moments, there are also shortcomings.

The most serious of them is that employees of such companies work exclusively to earn money. They have no other motivation - ideological or ideological. And this is very important in critical and extreme situations.

In addition, the contracts do not provide for all the conditions that may arise in the course of hostilities. Therefore, it is not always possible to foresee how the mercenary contractors will behave. After all, they do not directly obey the military authorities. These factors significantly reduce their flexibility and efficiency.

Also, there is no clear relationship between the troops and military companies, there is no single command center and universal coordination of all available forces.

Legal status

The legal and legal status of contractors is often not defined. Even though their activities are governed by a large number of norms of international and national law.

It should be noted that all employees of these companies can not be called mercenaries. Most often they do not take direct part in hostilities. In addition, they are not included in the official statistics of the armed formations of the state involved in the conflict.

In Russia, mercenarism is officially prohibited. The Criminal Code has a corresponding article, which provides for punishment for this from three to seven years.

The law on private military companies in Russia was actively discussed in the federal parliament in 2015. It was supposed to adopt a special bill that would allow the Russian Federation to protect its economic interests in the Middle East and the Arctic. However, it was never adopted.

"Russian security systems"

Private military companies in Russia, whose list is headed by the most famous - the "RSB-Group", today offers a wide range of services.

"RSB-Group" is a serious organization that is the official partner of the UN in Russia. Works within the framework of Security Council resolutions, the UN Charter, the Code of the Red Cross.

The company provides support on land and sea, technical protection, conducts training and consulting. It is engaged in mine clearing of territories, protection of objects within the Russian Federation.

"RSB-Group" can offer and very exotic services. For example, conducting intelligence and analysis. In the interests of the customer, information is obtained about customers, competitors or suppliers. The only exception is industrial espionage and information, which is a state secret.

All these services can be offered by many private military companies in Russia. How to get into them? For example, in the "RSB-Group" to date, a vacancy manager for active sales of security and maritime security services, the project development manager.

IDA

Another serious organization engaged in such activities is the IDA. It is based in St. Petersburg.

Specializes in organizing legal investigations and ensuring security. Carries out protection of individuals, automobile columns, oil and gas pipelines, escort of goods of special importance.

And this is not all the services that private military companies in Russia can provide. Training of employees, protection of sea vessels, military and business consulting, protection of mass events, as well as the preparation and exchange of information on such events - all this is within their competence.

Let's list some other private military companies operating in the Russian Federation:

• Cossaks.
• "Ferax".
• "Redoubt-Antiterror"
• "Antiterror-Eagle" and others.

Creation of a military company

In Russia, this type of business is developing relatively short time. Undoubtedly, the private military company in Russia brings a good profit. How to create such a structure, and most importantly, what will be its advantages? Today many questions reflect on these questions.

It is important in the creation of such an organization to comply with all the requirements of the law, as well as in the future activities not to provide services, due to which there may be problems with law enforcement.

The factor in favor of creating such firms is the reduction in the number of Russian armed forces. Now the army can not perform the functions assigned to it earlier, during the Soviet era. As a consequence, the reduction of a large number of officers, which negatively affected the overall level of army training.

All this makes the creation of private military companies in Russia a successful and profitable business.