After the adoption of the new portion of the anti-Russian sanctions extended “the black” a list of the US Treasury introduced, including the so-called private military company (PMC) Wagner and personally Dmitri Utkin, named its leader, says Eugene Krutikov in online newspaper “Sight”. Problem, but, in, that no real way to punish the PMC Wagner and Utkin Washington does not exist. Not least because, that there is not very “Wagner”.
so, let's start off with, that this organization, how PMCs Wagner, does not exist. Not quite clear, the American Ministry of Finance will comply with the necessary formalities, structure to impose sanctions, which does not have the legal entity, registration data and bank accounts. And the United States on the part of the legal formalities highly-bureaucratic country.
At the same time, a retired lieutenant colonel Dmitry Utkin real, and I received some fame after the publication of his photographs with Vladimir Putin, protocol made at the reception in honor of the Heroes of the Fatherland, where many Knights of the Order of Courage were invited.
A large part of “sensational” information about the so-called Wagner or PMCs, as they say in the West, “Wagner group” drawn from the Russian opposition press, and then disseminated by the western media. No real evidence of any “the fact”, associated with “group Wagner” as there was, or not. In response to such refinements apologists demonization “Wagner group” and the myth of the bloody Russian PMCs usually respond in the spirit of “smoke without fire”.
Yes, can not be, especially if the wood regularly toss. There is such Moran security group - an international group of companies, specializing in maritime protection. Her guide has two former Russian officers submariners (representative of the company in ships, Igor nicks and director of the first marine department Sergei Emelin company), but MSG services are used by ships worldwide, not only Sovcomflot. for example, United cargo fleet и даже Norgas.
Maritime piracy is not yet defeated, and the coast of Somalia and Yemen, only the most untwisted point with such specificity. As many problems, eg, off the coast of Malaysia, Indonesia, Taiwan, and in the Indian Ocean and even in Zanzibar. In this case, the international maritime legislation is extremely conservative and strictly forbids the presence of active military personnel on board civilian ships. This can be interpreted as “landing” or “demonstrating the presence of”. Ultimately, international trade transport protected by private companies, which are gaining retirees or other professionals with relevant experience. Moran security - among them. It is on this company cited anonymous “team members Wagner” as their former employer. Upon MSG as the most famous of such companies just got a hand in creating propaganda and myth may suffer for nothing.
A number of media claims, that the alleged leader “Wagner group” Dmitri Utkin after transfer to the reserve worked for Moran security and sailed on “and”"courts. no evidence of, yet again, No - they are in this case there is no evidence at all, only the fog. initially, eg, as team leader of some journalists called Eugenia Wagner, and only then switched to 47-year-old retired lieutenant colonel of the 700-th separate group of special purpose GRU, that was stationed in the city of Pechora Pskov region.
This is indirectly confirmed by press-secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov. Commenting on the already mentioned with the photo reception, he said, that really Utkin from the Pskov region, but he was born there or registered there - it is not clear. Then the question, for that Utkin Order of Courage, Peskov said, logically, what “it is usually given for courage”. In this constructive dialogue and ended.
In addition to the protection of shipping, there are several specific areas of business, where do without private security. First one is not particularly interested in, Who were these people dressed in black and carrying automatic weapons “Uzi” on the dashboard fuel tankers, snovavših in Iraq, Jordan and Syria in the 2000s, when a number of Russian oil and gas companies have received contracts for the development of the local fields. The same applies to oil production in Nigeria and - especially - the diamond, and other rare earth development in other African countries, the complex, where Russian presence over the years only increases.
Purely criminal component in these contracts is excluded - they concluded a formal, or so officially, as much as possible, let us say, in Liberia and Sierra Leone. A separate article here are Russian individuals with military background or even the whole organized group of persons, led mostly former soldiers still Soviet troops in Africa, that actually participated in the cover-up weapon or diamond trade.
But all this is by and large trivia and children's games, if we take as a starting point the actions of US PMCs around the world. And – especially the outstanding achievements of the French arms dealers, including representatives of families across the country's most senior names.
Now the main points of the accusations against “Wagner group” reduced to unprovable participation of the semi-mythical structure in conflicts in New Russia and Syria. Allegedly some private army participated in the disarmament of Ukrainian troops in Crimea (“polite people”), and then it was relocated to the Donets Basin and named “Slavic battalion”. There it was on the direction and Luhansk, rumored (the sources of which still are Russian opposition figures and highly specific Ukrainian resources) He participated in “sweep” forces, does not support the candidacy of Igor Plotnitsky. Subsequently, this group (a little more 200 human) allegedly he moved to Syria, Where (has according to Western and all the same Ukrainian sources) suffered heavy losses. In this group the number increased to 400 human, she participated in the liberation of Palmyra, and at the beginning of this year, once again suffered losses.
Meanwhile,, even the fact of mortar shelling of the Russian military base in Syria, during which the participants allegedly killed “Wagner group”, It has not been confirmed. As Ukrainian statements undermining truck landmine, which at the same time killing 14 human. properly, the only source of this information is still a well-known Ukrainian propaganda site, operating within “Information of Russian aggression resistance”.
Meanwhile,, Russian army no PMCs are not needed, a reference to the conduct of certain military operations, requiring the use upon civilians, beautiful for the uninitiated, but meaningless in practice.
The US Army really create a critical situation, when the real battle of the just ended. The US Army was not originally designed for the massive presence abroad, besides numerous personnel database, which rotates, but in actual combat is not involved. The need for the physical occupation of several large on territory, complicated relief and significant populations of countries has led to the crisis of complete Marine Corps and the Army Corps. Some soldiers carried out continuously by 5 to 10 trips to Iraq and Afghanistan, It is leading to dangerous consequences for the psyche and combat training. That is, at some point the US Army just over physically, and large-scale involvement of PMCs was cunning political move, but a necessity.
Russia has no such need. And it's not even in the recruiting and mobilization resources, and in the absence of “squandering” forces in the remote database and the successful formation of the Special Operations Forces (WCS), whose participation in the fighting in Syria, no one thought to conceal. Exceptions are advisors, Syrian officers who teach the new technique - the majority of them are actually civilian retirees. But for this function, and for the formation of some units MTR, It was invented by a system of short-term contracts, carrying out the law of which through the State Duma also caused particular excitement among Western experts.
As long as such PMCs are in Russia outlawed, and the interpretation of the term may be different. for example, former military, by fate and order themselves in the 90s in the so-called “hot spots” outside the Russian Federation and get real positions in the military and special services of Tajikistan, Nagorno-Karabakh, Abkhazia, South Ossetia, Yugoslavia, followed by Serbia, Serbian Bosnia and Serbian Krajina under pressure criminal articles on mercenaries.
A similar story is emerging in New Russia. In Syria, as no “private armies” no, and all relations with the military specifically governed by public contracts, instead of labor contracts with PMCs. Although the possibility of covert funding has not been canceled.
In this way, whom and for what the Americans have decided to impose sanctions, absolutely incomprehensible. Claims to the so-called “Wagner group” from the US Treasury seem not only far-fetched, but absurd from a legal point of view.
It's not even, to find such an entity the US Treasury and its specialized division - the Secret Service will not be able. But that, that the violation of any international law on the part of the Russian armed forces in Syria can not be. All Russian military presence is determined by agreement with the legitimate government in Damascus, and it is made very favorably in relation to the Russian military. Ukrainian same charges (rather, even “produce”) It does not matter, as well as links to Ukrainian “information sources”. If the American Ministry of Finance considers the Kiev propaganda sites worthy of respect - that's their problem. The fate of Dmitri Utkin, which they define as “Wagner”, it is not fundamentally affect. As well as on the lives of all the other guys, associated with “group Wagner” or “Slavic battalion”.
Much more important is the prospect of their future is in Russia, not mythical limit US Treasury. Russian legislation does It needs some adjustment, and with the US surge of emotion somehow will understand.
