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The Wagner Group: An Analysis of the Russian Mercenary Group


Wagner Group
May 5, 2023. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALE. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT.

Well, if I believed in conspiracy theories, when this text comes out, I will be spied on… Wix, Google beware!!!!


I see a lot of postings of positive actions carried out around the world and I think this is relevant for the social network, but given the global scenario that is presented, I found it interesting to bring a somewhat controversial subject to this network, to bring a little bit of reality, so to speak. The Wagner Mercenary Group.


In recent years, the world has seen the rise of the Wagner Group, a Russian-based mercenary group that gained prominence for its military activities in Syria, Ukraine and Africa.


Origin of the Wagner Group


The group's name honors Nazi Party leader Adolf Hitler's favorite composer: Richard Wagner (1813-1883). One of the founders of the mercenary organization, Dmitry Utkin, is a Nazi, with several tattoos about the ideology. Today, the group is headed only by Yevgeny Prigozhin who accused, on June 24, 2023, the Russian military leadership of attacking one of its military camps and killing a “large amount” of its mercenary forces.


Private military companies or companies providing security services (in English, private military company, acronym #PMC or private military and security company, acronym #PMSC) are those who offer advice or services of a military nature, and are also classified or defined as mercenaries (“soldiers for hire”). Many of these companies are also known as private security companies, private military companies, private military companies, military service providers, and more generally, private military industry.


The services and expertise offered by PMCs are typically similar to those of government military or police forces, most often on a smaller scale. Private military companies often provide services to train or supplement official armed forces in government service. They may also be hired by other private companies to provide bodyguards for key officials or to protect these companies' facilities, especially in hostile territories.


Hiring mercenaries is prohibited by international conventions, which is why the PMC try to differentiate their activities from pure mercenarism. However, when using offensive force in a war zone, these companies can effectively be considered illegal combatants (mercenaries), since, according to the International Convention against the Recruitment, Use, Financing and Training of Mercenaries (1989), a mercenary is one who directly participates in hostilities or concerted acts of violence.


Performance of the Wagner Group


The Wagner Group is known for its activities in conflicts around the world, particularly in Syria. The group is attractive to governments and companies looking to hire mercenaries to act in conflicts. The group is believed to have been responsible for operations in Syria and also for providing private security for Russian companies in African countries.


The group is known for its brutality and lack of restrictions on violence. In February 2018, a group of Wagner mercenaries were reportedly killed in a clash with US forces in #Syria.


Other mercenary groups and companies


In addition to the Wagner Group, other mercenary groups and companies provide similar services. Blackwater, an American company, is one of the best known. In 2007, its employees killed 17 Iraqi civilians during an operation.


By the way, there's a book about Blackwater that I've read, and it's great. Title: Blackwater: The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army. Released in May 2008.



Blackwater book cover. Similar to the Wagner Group

The synopsis of the book is: The use of mercenaries in war conflicts is nothing new. Different in the scenario of the war in Iraq is the meteoric rise of a company that, under the command of an extreme right-wing Christian radical, transformed itself from a mere private military training camp into a colossus with 600 million dollars in official contracts alone. with the United States government. Blackwater USA has assumed this privileged position in less than a decade.


Its formidable growth coincided with the rise to power of the Christian right, and its business gained considerable momentum with the attacks of September 11, 2001 and the so-called “war on terror”. But Blackwater does not only operate in Iraqi territory, today it operates in nine countries. Its agents are neither civilian nor military. In this kind of legal limbo, the company cannot be prosecuted for possible crimes, either by common law or by the military: it is above the law.


With enough resources and equipment to overthrow governments, companies like Blackwater pose a real threat to American and world democracy.

Private security companies also offer similar services, often contracted by companies operating in high-risk countries. G4S is one of the largest private security companies in the world and has a presence in over 90 countries.


A parenthesis here, the game GTA V (Grand Theft Auto V), in its history, mentions a private security company that operates in "correct" or "honest" wars: Merrywheather. Merryweather is a fictional private security company that appears in the game Grand Theft Auto V. They provide security services, air and sea transportation, and supply weapons and ammunition to players. But any resemblance to reality is coincidental.


About GTA:

Management and profitability

Companies like Blackwater and G4S are privately owned companies, managed like any other company. The issue of mercenary groups, however, is more complex.


Groups like Wagner are considered illegal in many countries. Furthermore, the activities of these groups are unregulated and often there is no accountability for crimes committed by their members.


As for the profitability of the activity, it is difficult to make a precise estimate. However, it is known that these companies charge high values for the services provided. In addition, they often act in armed conflicts, which can generate financial gains from the sale of weapons and other military equipment.


In short, the Wagner Group is an example of how unregulated mercenary groups can pose a threat to global security. The lack of accountability for their crimes and the brutality with which they act are of concern to the international community.


To prevent criminal activities like this from continuing, it is important that laws and regulations are in place to ensure that private security companies operate responsibly and ethically. If you want to learn more about the role of mercenary groups and private security companies, check out credible sources of information, such as government reports and respected news agencies.

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