Russia’s Private Military Enterprises as a Multipurpose Tool of Hybrid Warfare

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Authors

POTOČŇÁK Adam MAREŠ Miroslav

Year of publication 2022
Type Article in Periodical
Magazine / Source The Journal of Slavic Military Studies
MU Faculty or unit

Faculty of Social Studies

Citation
Web https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/13518046.2022.2132608
Doi http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13518046.2022.2132608
Keywords Private Military Enterprises; Hybrid Economy; Hybrid Warfare; Russia; Wagner Group; Geopolitical Confrontation
Attached files
Description This article covers the emergence, evolution and use of private military enterprises in Russia. Although formally illegal, there exist a diverse private military enterprises market in Russia with several providers more or less intertwined with state authorities. Building on previous research, the authors conclude that Russian private military enterprises gradually evolved from grassroots origins into a suitable tool for a wide range of hybrid warfare and counter-hybrid warfare operations. Moreover, the authors found that Russian private military providers recently underwent a transformation that turned them into a multipurpose tool usable in Russia’s geopolitical confrontation with the West. Russian PMCs have recently been seen in many African countries, where their activities contribute to two purposes — first, the commercial interests of their owners and donors. Second, the advance of Moscow’s geopolitical and economic interests. This modus vivendi is made possible by a peculiar, non-transparent relationship between the Russian state or specific state authorities (especially armed forces and intelligence services) and the owners of allegedly private military enterprises – the so-called hybrid model of the economy. Its essence is the leverage the state has over the privateers – an ability to summon them at any time in support of the state’s strategic goals in exchange for privateers’ impunity and tolerance of their de facto illegal business activities.
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