Guns for hire are not a new phenomenon. The origins of mercenaries date back to the times of the ancient world. Over time, however, the essence of mercenary groups has changed substantially.
Today, private military and security companies PMSCs from the West rarely directly participate in military hostilities akin to regular armed forces see Guardians of the Belt and Road , October 14, Their main roles include rendering services related to training, providing logistical support, performing auxiliary functions, providing physical security and protection to individuals and groups, and conducting valuable projects, such as developing infrastructure see Guardians of the Belt and Road , March 20, During the Soviet times, irregular formations, usually military on active service working covertly, would be employed by Moscow for various operations and different capacities, including solving important geopolitical issues in countries of the developing world, especially during the decolonization process see War by Other Means , April 12, Russian PMCs are designed for complex military missions and are fully state-dependent but operate illegally in Russia.
A person who acts for the purpose of receiving material compensation and is not a citizen of a state participating in an armed conflict or military operations, who does not reside permanently in its territory, or who is not a person sent to perform official duties Legalacts. This loose definition demonstrates the ambiguities of how Russian mercenaries and mercenary formations operate within Russia, particularly pertaining to the distinction between a mercenary as an individual and a PMC.
Major transformations in the Russian PMC industry started to take shape in the period between and due to a combination of the following factors:. The Wagner Group is a prime example of this utilization. Since , Wagner has influenced the Russian state both externally and domestically. The successes of Russian mercenaries have almost never resulted from individual actions or the presence of any exclusive or unique competencies showcased by Russian mercenaries.
Victories on the battlefield in Syria and Ukraine between โ and and intermediary successes in Libya were secured due to:. From an operational point of view, Russian mercenary formations inherited a Soviet operational weakness. For instance, since succeeding in Ukraine in โ, Russian mercenaries have suffered notable defeats in Mozambique and, most recently, Mali, where their main task was to confront local militarized rebel groups conducting guerilla-style operations see EDM , July 31, Russian mercenaries have demonstrated multiple weaknesses when confronting technologically more developed opponents.
