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France's largest newspaper wrote about the Russian PMCs in Syria

Forces loyal to Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad walk at a military complex as one of them holds up a Syrian national flag, after they recaptured areas in southwestern Aleppo on Sunday that rebels had seized last month, Syria, in this handout picture provided by SANA on September 5, 2016. SANA/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo ATTENTION EDITORS – THIS PICTURE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. REUTERS IS UNABLE TO INDEPENDENTLY VERIFY THE AUTHENTICITY, CONTENT, LOCATION OR DATE OF THIS IMAGE. FOR EDITORIAL USE ONLY. – RTX2OUJW

Two leading French newspapers, Le Monde and Le Figaro, published materials on the eve of the anniversary of the start of the Russian military operation in Syria., dedicated “to Putin's phantom soldiers”. We are talking about employees of private Russian paramilitaries, who participate in the battles on Syrian soil on the side of Assad's army.

In their materials, correspondents of French newspapers mainly use data from two investigations, previously published by Russian media -“Fontanka” and РБК-Daily.

Le Figaro correspondent, however, also personally spoke with some experts and fighters. “Russian mercenaries emerge from the shadows in Syria” - with such a headline newspaper publishes my research. “For months” these “dogs of war” involved “in military operations on Syrian soil in close cooperation with the Russian army”, - writes Le Figaro and suggests, what “several dozen of them have already died in battles”.

The newspaper tells, that professional mercenaries, of which there are at least several thousand in Russia, sent to Syria (and to other parts of the world) so-called PMCs - private military companies.

The world recalls, that mercenaries from private companies were used and used in military operations abroad and other countries - in particular, the americans did it, who hired fighters from the country's largest private military company Blackwater for the war in Iraq (now renamed Academi). Le Figaro adds, that the Americans used private mercenaries in Afghanistan.

Only here in Russia, Unlike the United States, private military "activity" is prohibited. The Russian Criminal Code provides for punishment for her from 4 to 7 years in prison. The newspaper gives an example of a case, when two PMC commanders “Slavic housing” /at the end 2014 years / received three years in prison “for mercenary” - in this case, for participating in battles on the side of the Syrian government army. The term of the commanders was knocked off for “cooperation with the investigation” (in this case - with the FSB).

However, this verdict was passed even before the official start of the Russian military operation in Syria.

Experience has shown, nothing prevents the Russian authorities from using hired fighters from PMCs, when she thinks it is necessary. In particular, fighters of Russian PMCs are fighting on the side of separatists in Donbass and Syria, where they fight on the side of Bashar al-Assad.

Le Figaro claims, that the salary of a former Russian colonel, sent to “hot spot” by PMCs, can reach 80 thousands of dollars per month. for comparison: colonel of the Russian army receives from 1500 dollars.

“This is a very advantageous configuration”, - military expert Alexander Khramchikhin told Le Figaro. Beneficial not only for PMC fighters, but also for the Russian authorities. “Officially, Russia can claim, that does not conduct ground operations in Syria. And if PMC fighters die, this is not a problem of the army and it has no resonance in the media”, - says Khramchikhin.

One of these fighters - Sergey Chupov - “was killed in Syria in February” this year, although he officially retired from military service four years before his death, like a newspaper. “Along with the, photographs of killed Russian soldiers, published on the Internet by the terrorist group IS (banned in Russia) at the beginning of this year, demonstrated, that they did not belong to army units” - these dead fighters had a different uniform and different weapons.

“Officially, only Russian military intelligence agents are fighting on the side of Bashar al-Assad's regime in Syria, instructors and pilots, - writes Le Figaro. - However, for several months, in an atmosphere of complete secrecy, the soldiers of PMC Wagner ("Wagner", about which "Fontanka" previously wrote - this is the pseudonym of the former GRU officer Dmitry Utkin) conducted / in Syria / ground operations, this time in close cooperation with the Russian army”.

“This formation is funded by one Russian oligarch, it participated in the liberation of Palmyra, as well as the return of one of the Russian pilots”, whose plane was shot down by Turkish aircraft. “It is assumed, that several dozen fighters” “Wagner PMCs” already killed in Syria, пишет Le Figaro.

However, the Russian Ministry of Defense still denies cooperation with mercenaries and, in general, the fact of conducting ground operations in Syria. The ministry did not respond to requests from Le Figaro and Le Monde.

The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation wishes to present its mission in Syria as “peacekeeping”, writes Le Monde and cites the example of a photo of Russian soldiers published by the ministry on the official Twitter account, surrounded by Syrian children, receiving humanitarian aid packages.

“A year after the invasion of Syria, started by the decision of Vladimir Putin to support Bashar al-Assad, the Russian army diligently cares about its image. Non-stop bombing of jihadist and insurgent positions, during which hundreds of civilians are killed, alternate with PR campaigns, image-creating” participants in the peacekeeping mission, пишет The World.

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