Russian private military companies in Syria. Ghosts of war: how the Russian private army appeared in Syria

The Russian private army fought in Syria, which is unofficially called the "Wagner Group". This is evidenced by a journalistic investigation conducted by the Estonian Russian-language TV channel ETV+.

According to ETV+, mercenaries who have gone through many hot spots serve in the Wagner Group. They are given the toughest jobs. In particular, as one of the members of the group told the TV channel, 300 "Wagnerites" had to fight two thousand fighters of the Islamic State.

Portal Mixnews publishes this investigation with the permission of Estonian colleagues.

Oleg served in Syria in a military unit that did not officially exist on paper, but which was known as the "Wagner Group" or "musicians", fought on the side of the Syrian pro-government forces and was formed from experienced fighters by order of the Russian Defense Ministry. Oleg participated in the battles for the liberation of Palmyra. His salary was 4,500 euros per month plus bonuses.

Russia launched a military operation in civil war-torn Syria just over a year ago, on September 30, 2015. A lot has changed since then. If then the house of Assad held on by a thread of death, then after Russian intervention, the loyalists managed to recapture Palmyra from the Islamic State and win a crushing victory in Aleppo.

All these successes of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA), which was pretty battered in the heat of the war, would have been unthinkable without the support of Russia. It carries out air and missile strikes against government forces, supplies weapons and trains some units.

Officially, there are no fighters in the Russian contingent who do "dirty work" - people of the "Wagner group". No such unit or private military company formally exists. But this is on paper. In reality, the Russians managed to make war in different parts of Syria against both the Islamic State and the "greens" - various groups that are considered moderate opposition in the West.

When asked why Oleg went to Syria, he replies: “I was a hired worker, but I don’t give a damn about this war. I like this job, if I didn’t like it, I wouldn’t work there.”

Oleg is not worried that he can be called a hired killer: "So it is, I went for money. Maybe it's easier, really?" Meeting on the street, you do not recognize him as a soldier of fortune - Hollywood clichés do not work. A regular guy. A merry fellow whose eyes well up with tears as he remembers his fallen comrades.

New Slavic Corps

The Wagner Group is no ordinary private military company. This is a miniature army. “We had a complete kit: mortars, howitzers, tanks, infantry fighting vehicles and armored personnel carriers,” Oleg explains.

In some circles, the fighters of the unit are called musicians: the unit commander allegedly chose a call sign in honor of the German composer Richard Wagner. According to some reports, 47-year-old reserve lieutenant colonel Dmitry Utkin is hiding behind this call sign. He served in the special forces in Pechory. This is not the first time in Syria - before that, he quite officially worked as part of a private military company known as the Slavic Corps.

The company was hired by Syrian magnates to guard oil fields and convoys in Deir ez-Zor. However, in October 2013, in the city of Al-Sukhna, the guards got into serious trouble: they entered into an unequal battle with the jihadists of the Islamic State. “Participants told me, an enchanting battle, almost an oncoming battle for the city. Almost two thousand militants against two hundred or three hundred guards,” says Oleg.

After these events, the contract between the customer and the guards broke down. According to Oleg, they did not agree on payment: the "Syrian bigwigs" refused to pay extra for more dangerous work and began to threaten the Russians. "Slavic Corps" left Syria.

The Wagner Group has another, more serious customer - the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (MO RF). Before being transferred to Syria in the fall of 2015, the “musicians” underwent three months of training at the Molkino training ground in direct proximity to the base of a separate special forces brigade of the Main Intelligence Directorate.

The Wagner Group arrived in Syria by plane. And these were not Aeroflot liners, smiling, says Oleg. The fighters were transported on transport planes of the 76th airborne division, which is deployed in the Pskov region.

"The Pskov planes took us. From Molkino by bus to Moscow: they received international passports. From there to Chkalovsky, from Chkalovsky to Mozdok by plane. Two hours for refueling and maintenance. And another five hours flight: over the Caspian Sea, Iran, Iraq and landing on base Khmeimim. Turkey does not let through - directly it is impossible, "the fighter explains. After their arrival, they were settled in the sports complex of the city, which Oleg preferred not to name.

Equipment, including artillery and tanks, was transferred by sea using the so-called "Syrian Express" - on the ships of the Russian Navy from Novorossiysk to Tartus. From various sources it is known that the group was sent to Syria twice: on short term in the fall of 2015 and to participate in a longer operation in the winter-spring of the following year. Each trip is a separate contract.

As a rule, Wagner's men are experienced fighters who have gone through several conflicts. And although you will not see recruitment advertisements in the newspapers, the group did not experience problems with the recruitment of specialists.

Oleg admits that he didn’t go to Wagner the first time - he didn’t trust: “Practically, they get through an acquaintance and only. As such, there is no free admission. When recruiting, they conduct a couple of tests: for alcohol and drugs. ".

Among the Wagnerites there are many who fought in the Donbass on the side of the separatists. They undergo an additional polygraph test. They may even ask if they are agents of the FSB - the special services in Wagner do not favor. The group has its own security department that fights against information leaks. Finding photos of Russian condottiere on the net is a great success. This is a misdemeanor that entails serious sanctions for the guilty.

In Syria, fighters were paid 300,000 rubles (about 4,500 euros) a month plus bonuses. There was also a kind of insurance system: about 300,000 rubles for a wound and covering the cost of treatment in high-quality clinics. For death - five million rubles to the family. Although from a legal point of view, the contract with the Wagner group is an insignificant piece of paper, Oleg confirms that they paid everything to the last penny and even more. But there is no question of complete safety.

So, do you have any protection?

From what?

From the state.

From the state, I think not.

Gone through hell

The civil war in Syria is merciless - the interests of many countries are intertwined here. On both sides of the front, hundreds of factions are fighting with different motivations, but not a single one can be denied cruelty. Why does Russia need this stupid war, Oleg prefers not to think about it. “I haven’t seen smart wars yet,” he retorts.

According to Oleg, the government-controlled territories are dominated by a predominantly secular lifestyle. A woman in a veil is a rarity, although many wear a hijab. In the liberated areas of Latakia, the local population is more likely for Assad.

“In Latakia, there are portraits of Assad and Hafez Assad, the president’s fathers, all around. Otherwise, the locals don’t show relationships. This is a civil war – you are either for or against. If you try to be neutral, then you will most likely feel bad,” Oleg describes.

The locals treat the Russians well, and the Syrian military almost idolizes them. “We are Russians for them. You see, they are very glad that the Russians have arrived. Finally, they think, I can sit down and drink mate again, let the Russians fight,” says Oleg, smiling. “When we arrived in one city, they danced there all night in the squares, shot into the air for joy, but how upset they were later when we left!

The once prosperous Murek, after the departure of the Russian "musicians", was left by the Syrians. Years of war have depleted the manpower of the Syrian Arab Army. Coupled with a lack of fighting spirit and military training, only individual units remain combat-ready: “Firstly, they have no training: they don’t even know how to shoot. Secondly, they have a terrifying attitude towards weapons: they don’t even clean them.”

This is largely why, according to various sources, the Wagner Group was used as a fire brigade - it operated where it was most difficult and, with the exception of the operation near Palmyra, in small groups.

“We have always been where there were the most garbage, the very hell. All I saw was the worst hell,” Oleg does not hide his disdain for the Syrian militias and the military, which, according to him, cannot be distinguished. “God forbid, to have such allies. Because they always miss the mission. Always."

In Latakia, due to the inaction of the Syrians, the "Wagner group" suffered significant losses. Oleg retells the circumstances of that battle he heard from his colleagues with poorly concealed irritation. On that day, the Russians were supposed to cover the attack of the Syrians on the mountain and suppress enemy firing points on neighboring heights. After the end of the artillery preparation, the Syrians refused to go on the attack. The Wagner Group had to take over the job. The ascent to the mountain was uneventful, but at the top the Russians were under fire from three sides.

"The mountain is completely bare. If you're not in a trench, it's over. The wounded appear, they need to be evacuated. How many people drop out? At least two are dragged, others cover. The path along which the guys climbed turned out to be under fire - you can't go. I had to go down the mined slope" - says Oleg.

Wagner's men lost that day about twenty people wounded and not a single one killed.

The Russians tried to force the allies to attack by force - they jumped into the trenches and fired at their feet, but they did not budge. “And the Syrians did not stop firing at the height. It turns out that they shot our people in the ass. It was hell,” Oleg complains.

According to him, in the fall, the Wagner Group lost about 15 people killed. Half of them in one day: from a munition explosion in a campground. What it was, Oleg does not know, there were versions about a mortar mine or an American bomb. In winter-spring, the losses were greater, but he could not give exact numbers.

This is not the only reason why Oleg does not like government forces. “They steal everything that is not nailed down. They drag everything: pipes, wiring, even tiles were torn off. I saw how the toilet was dragged away,” he explains. Oleg did not hear about punishments for looting among the Syrians.

Fought for Palmyra

However, Oleg does not have a high opinion of the "babahs" - this is the name of the armed opposition, which is considered moderate in the West. According to him, the concept of the Free Syrian Army should be understood as hundreds of groups, including Islamist ones, that periodically fight each other for territory: "They need something to eat." Although he admits: "Greens are different."

"The Turkomans are good guys. Good guys, I respect them. They fight desperately because they are fighting for their villages. If they leave the village, everyone leaves. They are generally different people. It would be beneficial for the Syrians to oust them from Latakia completely. In fact, ethnic cleansing," he states.

In 2016, the Wagner Group was united and transferred to Palmyra to fight the Islamic State. If in the fall about 600 mercenaries operated in Syria, then in winter and spring their number doubled. “Near Palmyra it was easier, because we were all gathered together and we performed one integral task,” says Oleg.

According to him, as such, there were no battles in the city. In difficult battles, the “Wagner group” occupied all the important heights, after which the jihadists simply left the devastated city: “There is a highway behind the ridge. .

ISIS have proven themselves to be fanatical fighters, spreading terror among Iraqis and Syrians alike. Oleg, on the other hand, points out that Islamists from Europe are probably fighting well, but they have not encountered such people. Blacks are also different. They have local militias: the fighter has a machine gun and nothing else. Such a "black" also does not know how to fight. There was a case. The observers reported that unknown people drove up in cars, lined up in a wedge and were coming at us. They were covered with artillery, no one shot from a machine gun - they put everyone down, ”he recalls.

However, there are obvious advantages on the side of the Islamists: “They are very literate. Ours occupied the ridge, and they left Palmyra: they didn’t arrange Stalingrad.

Having completed the task, the Wagner group left the city. The laurels of the winners went to the Syrian troops, who had already entered the empty city. However, the government troops did not keep the victory won by the Russians: on December 11, 2016, the Islamists recaptured Palmyra.

The fall of this city is eloquent confirmation that despite all the recent successes, the war is still far from over. Assad's supporters are not able to act everywhere - there are not enough forces and specialists. And not only at the front: the "Wagner Group" was used, among other things, to repair equipment.

“There is a huge armored plant in Hama. Before our guys arrived, the Syrians were repairing two tanks a month. When our guys arrived, they immediately began to issue 30 tanks a month. They worked from morning to evening: they were not even allowed into the city, the poor. They worked hard like slaves - in the evening they fell without legs. Ours all left, but these repairmen remained there, "Oleg recalls laughing.

The Wagner Group was withdrawn from Syria at the end of this spring. Last operation Russians began to clean up the surroundings near the airport near Palmyra. "Among the palm trees and the labyrinth of stone fences," says the mercenary.

Since then, no signs of the participation of Russian condottieri in this war have been recorded. After the liberation of Palmyra, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation held a concert in the ancient amphitheater of the city. They played the music of Prokofiev. It is quite possible that the musicians may show up in this city again. Only it will be "musicians" with machine guns - the ghostly "Wagner group".

Oleg is ready: "Of course, I'll go. At least I'll go to Africa, God. It doesn't matter where, I really like this job."

The actions of private military companies from Russia (primarily the Wagner PMC most often featured in the press) in Syria are significantly different from how such units usually operate, security specialist Tyrus McQueen told the BBC.

"Russian Spring" cites the BBC material without abbreviations.

In February, there were reports in the media about a possible defeat in Syria of a detachment of Russians from the Wagner PMC. Various Russian and foreign publications wrote that from 11 to several hundred Russians could have died there.

Reports of the death of PMC employees from Russia in Syria appear regularly. As the BBC Russian Service managed to find out, at least 54 fighters of private military companies from Russia were killed there in September 2017 alone.

Then more and more PMCs began to appear. There were more people who wanted to earn money. As a result, wages began to fall.

I remember that in 2008, under one of the contracts, we were paid $400 a day. But then a company came that offered the customer the same services, but much cheaper.

As a result, the director told us that the salary was reduced to 270 dollars a day. Anyone who disagrees can leave. But we stayed. I heard that the Russians fight for 5 thousand dollars a month. I wouldn't go to war for that kind of money.

“There are no rights, but there is no need to report”

BBC BBC: What is the difference between a soldier and a PMC fighter in the context of their status, rights in the conflict zone? Is it possible to say that a soldier is higher in the hierarchy or lower?

T.M.: The military is more tied to its infrastructure and hierarchy. Overall, this gives them more protection and more rights. But there are also reservations.

Look, soldiers and officers obey the army laws of their country, as well as the orders of their command. If you were ambushed or engaged in a firefight with someone, being a military man, you are obliged to report this to your commanders.

PMC employees have more freedom. You got, for example, into an ambush. He fired and moved on. You can't report anything to anyone.

BBC BBC: The military can not do this?

T.M.: No. First, the military usually works as part of a group with a clear hierarchy. Ordinary, junior commanders, officers. Almost everyone has a walkie-talkie, someone usually has a video camera on his helmet. Not reporting on fire contact will not work.

Everything is different in PMC. We worked in groups of 5-10 people. There was no official hierarchy within the group.

Yes, there was one senior in the group. But this was just a guy who was paid more to make decisions on the battlefield. And that's it. He did not have to report to the top about every step or shot.

Guys from PMCs are most often outlaws. For example, in Iraq, Blackwater employees were not subject to Iraqi law based on an order from the Iraqi transitional government.

At home, in the USA, no one touched them for a long time either. There were several courts. But these were more show trials.

But this medal also has back side. PMC employees have practically no rights. Protection in case of problems too. The exception is when you work under a government contract.

McQueen also worked in the conflict zone in eastern Ukraine. But already as a bodyguard.

BBC BBC: What happens if a PMC employee is killed or injured?

T.M.: Let's go in order. All PMC employees are insured. If a person is killed, his body is delivered to the PMC base in the conflict zone. And then the deceased is brought home by a PMC plane or an insurance company plane.

The family is paid compensation, as prescribed in the contract of the deceased. The insurance company pays the compensation.

Dead PMC employees are not counted as military casualties. This is partly why different states use the services of PMCs.

Now about the wounded. Usually PMCs have their own doctors or orderlies on the battlefield. They provide the first medical care, stabilize the condition of the wounded.

Then they take him home by plane. In my case, London. And here a person is already being treated in a regular hospital.

If the PMC worked under a government contract, then representatives of the army can provide assistance. For example, when we worked for the US Army, our guys were treated in military hospitals.

BBC BBC: What is the relationship of the guys from PMCs with the military?

T.M.: Usually very good. Most PMC employees are former soldiers of the regular armies, they know very well what life is like in uniform.

In turn, many active military men look with interest at the employees of PMCs. After all, it could be a continuation of their career.

There are no interaction protocols. But the military and private traders often help each other. When I worked for a PMC in Iraq, american soldiers several times they helped us get out of the ambush.

BBC BBC: Did you ask them for help or was it an initiative of the Americans?

T.M.: It happened that they were just lucky - the group was passing by. And sometimes they asked. We knew how to contact them. But help did not always come. Such a decision is always made by the head of the group, based on their tasks.

Sometimes it happened that no one responded to our requests for help. The guys in uniform had to solve their problems or it was impossible to reveal themselves.

We also sometimes helped the military. But it was purely our initiative. They never asked for help, and we never did any joint operations with the army.

“We behaved no better than the Russians”

BBC BBC: PMC fighters can get any awards for their work? I mean medals and orders.

T.M.: No. What other orders? We received money. Even bonuses are not given for the good performance of the task - only the previously agreed salary.

It seems that a few years after the end of hostilities in Iraq, a commemorative medal "For the Reconstruction of Iraq" was established. And several guys got it.

But this is not a military award. This medal was handed out to the right and to the left. And PMC employees never receive combat awards.

BBC BBC: You have already made several remarks about the Wagner PMC. How do you evaluate the actions of this company?

T.M.: To be honest, I don't really follow them because I'm busy with my work. But when I worked under contracts in the east of Ukraine, many people often mentioned the Wagnerites in their conversations.

I personally have nothing against their work. Our PMCs worked in Iraq and Afghanistan. We came to Iraq and smashed the country. We certainly did not behave better there than the Russians do now in Syria.

Yes, the Wagnerites are now openly fighting in Syria. Usually PMC employees do not do this. But this development of the situation does not surprise me. For sure, PMCs from other countries will follow or are already following their example.

The war in Syria is increasingly turning from conventional to hybrid. This raises many questions about the future of Damascus and the future of the region as a whole. And, perhaps, this is not the last turn in the history of the development of private military companies.

Olga Ivshina

Tyrus McQueen is a security specialist. For about 20 years he served in the infantry of the British army, took part in the fighting in Iraq. Since 2004, he began working for private military companies. Under the contract, the PMC worked on the territory of Iraq and Afghanistan. As a bodyguard, he provided security for clients in Libya and in the conflict zone in southeastern Ukraine.

PMC Wagner is a Russian private military company whose employees took part in the fighting in the south-east of Ukraine on the side of the supporters of the republics of Donbass, as well as in Syria. In June 2017, the Wagner PMC was included in the US sanctions list. The PMC is not officially registered anywhere, the Russian authorities deny any connection with it. Mercenary in Russia is considered a criminal offense, but attempts to legitimize the activities of PMCs are made regularly.

Among themselves, they call Syria a "sandbox". Because sand. Lots of sand. And the heat is plus fifty. They know: if something happens - no one will save. And their bones will forever rot under this burning sun, and the jackals will do the rest. The contract states: non-return of cargo-200 home. Too expensive.

On Sergey's phone, instead of ringing, there is a cheerful melody:

“Our armored personnel carrier is all wrinkled, but quite so on the move, it beats the damned ISIS, knocks out the spirit of the bastards. Behind the plain there are immediately mountains, through the mountains there is a pass, and behind it stands Palmyra, I have been her all my life ... "

The ending is quite in the style of Cord, so I will not bring it here.

Sergei is in his early thirties, a former lawyer from Donetsk, but he hasn't worked in his specialty for four years because of the war. First - the one in Ukraine. Then here - in Syria. War without rules. So it is unlikely that he will need beautiful legal terms: they will not save you in battle.

“The deed is done, only a few hours to get ready, we helped to break the shackles of the Syrian falcons. Let the tourists come - Damascus, Palmyra, it doesn't matter. Money, women and wine are waiting for us at home ”- the bad boys in the homemade songs of the current“ luck hunters ”tend to seem even worse than they are.

I ask Sergey to let me listen to other hits of this Syrian war - he throws Viktor Tsoi's Cuckoo to me through the messenger. The chorus is almost unchanged. "My hand turned into a fist..."

I can imagine what Sergey might look like in real life: short, wiry, in a shabby green camouflage, on the index finger of his right hand there is an unhealed callus - from the trigger. And on the shoulder, too, a bruise - from a machine gun. That's just rewards for mercenaries are not provided.

We are not given awards. This is among the Cossacks - titles, orders, they love this. And they don't know how to fight. The guys ask one newcomer: “Do you even understand where you got to?” He looks like a fool: "What's wrong - you saw the car of the Islamists and throw a grenade at it." Damn, but I saw the car - tick away from it as soon as possible. She carries a ton of explosives.

Jihad mobile?

There are two types. Jihad Mobile and Inghimasi are such suicide squads that at first fight like ordinary soldiers, and when they run out of ammunition, they activate the martyr's belt. They explode, dying and taking everyone near them with them. Well this is Hiroshima and Nagasaki, how much TNT is hung on them! Their task, these crazy fanatics, is to die on the battlefield. They go for this.

Our purpose of the trip is to earn money. No patriotism. True, the Cossacks come up with some beautiful fairy tales for themselves - for example, that they go to study Orthodoxy in extreme conditions, Syria is the cradle of Christianity, but this is also an excuse. Mostly people go to earn money. It's just that not everyone admits it openly and honestly. This is fine. We also went to earn money, not to kill. We, as recruiters, were told: you will protect communications, checkpoints, oil rigs, restore factories, and you will arrive at the place - both! - and in the assault battalion.

Did you make a contract?

If you can call it that. Let's just say: I signed the agreement. There is a list of what we must do, there are duties, but no rights. If you violate some point, for example, you drink on the front line, then you get money. Fine all the division. Although they drink little - in such heat. But vodka in Syria is good.

Where do recruiters find their potential "clients"?

Recruiters have been working in Donbas since the age of 14. But in the early years, few left. Firstly, no one even knew about Syria, and secondly, in the DPR they fought for the idea, for the salvation of the Russian world. It was then vulgarized by everyone. Now there is not clear that - whether the world, or war. Many Russian volunteers returned home. The militias dispersed too. And what we can do is nothing but to fight. If you serve in Donetsk now, you get 15,000 rubles. Here I was offered 150,000 a month, plus combat, plus for going out, and so on. I have a wife on maternity leave, two children, a son and a daughter, my parents are old. I don't make that much in a year. Even if you imagine that they will cheat and pay less, it is still better than nothing.

Do they often cheat?

- Who will behave. In general, there are two large private military companies on the market today - these are Dmitry Utkin's Wagner PMC and Turan PMC, a Muslim battalion. The very first was the "Slavic Corps", but now it is no more. There are also subcontractors, intermediaries who also recruit people. They have nothing to do with the official Russian military structures. How legal they are is also none of my business; in my opinion, they are issued through left-wing states, where they are registered and licensed - in South Africa, For example. I know that there were such organizations that offered 240 thousand rubles a month, but in reality they all get about the same - 150.

I won’t say that they just threw someone so hard: we have word of mouth, today they will throw it - tomorrow no one will go. We are all the same in this circle, everyone, in principle, knows everyone. When I was in the camp where I was trained, they paid an additional 2-3 thousand daily allowances, you can also raise a thousand bucks a month.

And not go anywhere at all?

Personally, I didn't know them. But the preparation is so-so, to be honest. shooting range, training ground, educational and material part ... Among other things, they talk about the traditions of the Syrian people, such as not to accidentally violate them ... Personally, knowing how to survive in the desert helped me: there are a lot of creeping reptiles, so you take four pegs, drive them into sand, you tie them with a woolen square thread - not a single scorpion will crawl through this woolen thread. They feel them and are afraid for some reason.

How did you get to Syria - by military aircraft? Civil?

Charter. To Latakia. We had a legend that we were peaceful builders, or something. There the sea is warm, good, but they didn’t let them go for walks separately. Although many a couple of times ran away to swim.

Disobeyed orders?

Yes, what kind of order is there ... You still don’t really know who, for the most part, goes there. It is in the Ministry of Defense that they will not sign a contract with a person with a tarnished biography. And we also had previous convictions, and those who did not find work at home, roamed around without money, former volunteers who came to Rostov for military training, militias, even ethnic Ukrainians were, including those who fought against the Donbass. Sometimes you see such a person in front of you - and you just go nuts.

Nothing sacred?

Not at all. Everything is fine. It's amazing how life can turn. When the very first fighters were sent there, there was a strict selection, they say, even a competition. Now everyone is being taken. Personally, I saw an amputee, a man without an arm, he is a machine gunner by profession. How can he shoot? .. It seems to me that recently recruiters are paid for the number of recruits, and not for the quality. That's why there are so many stupid losses.

Those Cossacks whom the ISIS executed - they were from the May group. 150 people then arrived - in the first battle they received 19 "cargo-200" ... It's just that the numbers are hiding, the minimum information is leaking to the media about what is happening. Those who were the last to arrive, they had such preparation that it is immediately clear: the suicide bombers arrived.

How much are relatives of the dead and wounded paid? Is it in the contract?

Three million - for the dead, 900 thousand - for the wound. But in fact, we have such insurance that if you get hurt, and you don’t have a bulletproof vest or a helmet, then they may not pay anything. A bronik with equipment weighs 18 kg. Who will carry him around in such heat?! This is also fined. But the relatives of those two whose heads were cut off will make all the due payments for sure, because the press made a fuss.

They are heroes! They did not swear allegiance to ISIS (banned in Russia - E.K.) ...

Don't make me swear. They freaked out. Because normal boys would not have surrendered alive.

What a nightmare - with this cutting off heads!

Ours are also cut off. And what about dragging the dead in the desert on yourself? At first, 5,000 rubles were paid for one head of an ISIS member. The guys dragged a whole bunch of them ... Therefore, they dropped the price - we need to stop terrifying the local population - lately they have been paying like a thousand. I'm definitely not interested, because I don't do it myself.

And these were definitely Islamist fanatics, and not civilians?

I'm telling you exactly. Syria is now divided into zones. Pink - Damascus, Latakia and surroundings. You can't touch anyone there. There is also a gray zone - back and forth, and the most terrible - black, where we stand. There peaceful people No. All enemies.

I don’t understand why it’s impossible to launch air strikes on these countless ISIS villages without using infantry, since such crazy human losses?

This is just very clear. The use of infantry, soldiers, is much cheaper than aviation. It's always been that way. Soldiers are meat.

IN old times there were rules in the armies of all countries: for the first three days, the city, captured by the troops, is given at the mercy of the winners. Is there such a thing now?

I guess, yes. Everything you find in the liberated villages is yours. You only need to pay money. These fanatics have their own - gold dinars, silver dirhams, copper fakes ... Although they are made of pure gold, you cannot take them with you. They bear the symbols of ISIS - the "Islamic State" (banned in Russia), their possession and distribution is equated with a criminal offense and support for terrorism. Who needs such a headache?

What about after the fight? How are you resting? You are not an official army, so concerts of famous guest performers from Moscow are not supposed to be for you? ..

Yes, it gets boring too. But you can buy a wife. A virgin from a good family costs 100 bucks. For a year. Kalyma type. If you take forever, then it is 1500-2000 dollars. It's easier to buy there than to look here. I know guys who straightened documents for such brides and then took them with them to Russia. In general, women in the war are very helpful - at least by brightening up our life. But basically only officers can afford them.

Are they well fed?

They are fed to death. But water is tight. There is technical and there is drinking. But technical drink is not allowed. And drinking is not enough.

How about weapons?

That's the problem with weapons. The equipment is old, dead, shaggy years ... They also give out Chinese machine guns. It is clear that people chip in and buy weapons themselves - it’s a pleasure to live, and since cash is not very good, many spend so-called cigarette money on this: about 100-200 dollars a month.

Is the salary transferred to the card?

As you wish. Usually on a card to your wife or someone you say yes.

After the death, does the non-disclosure agreement also apply to relatives?

In fact yes. They are warned that it is better not to exaggerate this topic if they want to be paid for everything. In the end, the man went there voluntarily, no one forced him. It is clear that no one will drag his corpse back to his homeland, because it is expensive, and there is no special point. But the three million that will be given for the dead, the living will earn in two years only ...

Do you consider yourself a mercenary?

No. I was placed in such conditions. In the Donbass in the ranks from the very beginning of hostilities and almost to the very end. I had convictions. And I personally know those who would never agree to die for money - only for the Motherland and the idea. But gradually nothing remained of the ideas, and the war turned into business as usual. Ordinary people also have to adapt. But I did not betray myself.

And who was betrayed?

There was a case. Our guys were on fire. It happened. And they burned for a long time. It was terrible to watch them suffer. It was necessary to shoot them, and it would have been merciful, but I could not ... Perhaps this can be considered a betrayal.

Do you believe in God?

- Don't know. I must believe in something. In good, in bad. Don't know. All I know is that killing is wrong. And I do not like it.

Simple bookkeeping

One of the leaders of a private military company gave us a comment on condition of anonymity.

“I believe that in fact there is no criminal offense here. Yes, an article hangs over all PMC members - participation in illegal armed formations, or even the leadership of an illegal armed formation, up to 20 years in prison, but let's think about the fact that now a new type of war is being waged all over the world. Recall the experience of the same Americans, all their operations in Iraq or Afghanistan are mainly carried out by PMCs. The French Foreign Legion is generally supported by the government. So it's stupid to pretend to be naive young ladies and say that we shouldn't have this, because it's bad.

This is business. We will not capture the market, others will take our place. But while Russian PMCs are beginning to gradually push the Western ones: because ours are undemanding and take on everything, yes, they are deceived. But cheating is also a life experience.

According to the rates, we get about 5 thousand dollars per person per month. According to the contract, you pay 2000 plus 500 for related expenses. There remains a net profit - 2500, multiplied by the number of fighters.

US counterstrike reportedly killed hundreds of Russian mercenaries

An attempt to capture Khashsham in the province of Deir ez-Zor on the night of February 7-8 by several companies of the Russian PMC Wagner ended in their almost complete defeat.

This information has already been confirmed by many sources, and on this moment the only question is the number of deaths as a result of the US counterattack.

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Hashsham is under the control of the Syrian opposition, supported by US special forces.

According to reports, a column of Russian mercenaries, reinforced with armored vehicles and divisional artillery, advanced towards the city to take control of the oil plant.

However, when the Wagnerites were discovered, US special forces entered into battle with them, while calling in artillery and aircraft.

The exact number of Russian casualties is not yet known, however, according to available information, the number is in the hundreds.

At the same time, the Americans suffered no losses during the battle.

"Reports about losses during the defeat of the Wagner group come in a variety of ways. But there is one trend - they are constantly changing upwards. At the moment, it is clear that there are really hundreds of dead and wounded. Several hundred," the Russian terrorist said on his Facebook Igor Girkin.

As it became known from the stories of the surviving mercenaries, at first they were fired upon by American artillery and aircraft for about four hours, after which ground forces entered the battle.

After a brief clash, American special forces and Syrian opposition fighters withdrew, and US helicopters began to work on the Russians.

In addition, combat drones destroyed divisional artillery of the Russian forces.

At the same time, according to the head of the Pentagon, James Mattis, when the United States notified the Russian Armed Forces about the start of the battle, they said they had nothing to do with it.

"They were notified when the shelling began. Then we were told that there were no Russians there," he said.

It is worth noting that officially Moscow denies the participation of its mercenaries in the Syrian conflict, and Damascus issues PMC Wagner as a "Syrian militia."

Recall that with the help of PMC Wagner, the Russian Ministry of Defense and also hides various kinds of war crimes on the territory of other states.

The commander of the group, created from the remnants of the so-called Slavic corps, is Dmitry Utkin, nicknamed Wagner.

In the compartment of the Quiet Don branded train, which departed in early November 2017 from Rostov-on-Don to Moscow, they washed a strange-looking medal. In this award, the symbols of eras hostile to each other were clearly visible - the Prussian Iron Cross, the Soviet five-pointed star and the White Guard Order of the Ice Campaign. Three men of different ages, approximately 20, 35 and 45 years old, did not fall into drunken courage afterwards; the awards imperceptibly disappeared somewhere so quickly that I did not have time to ask about the origin of the strange medal. However, the path was not short, and little by little, at first from fragments of phrases, then, when common tastes and memories were found, a whole picture began to take shape from frank conversations.

The three men were returning from a six-month business trip to Syria. We went under a contract concluded with the well-known private military company (PMC) "Wagner", although the document, of course, does not contain either this pseudonym call sign or the name of its owner - Dmitry Utkin, who, by the way, in the same November headed Evgeny's restaurant holding Prigozhin, also known as the "Chief Chef of the Kremlin". They flatly refused to give the official name of the organization that hired them, saying only that this name is constantly changing. The legal address is located in Krasnogorsk, near Moscow, on Ilyinsky Highway, near the military town of Pavshino. The term of the contract is from three to six months. The contract is signed on the basis of the PMC in Molkino. The future fighter reads a multi-page document, signs, and he remains in the company's office. It is strictly forbidden to communicate with representatives of the media, so in this collective interview they appear as Sergey Ts., Gennady F. and Stepan M. These men were among those who put an end to the long war in the ancient lands of Syria.

On December 6, 2017, the Interfax news agency will officially report, citing the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation, that “Syria has been completely liberated from terrorists, all ISIS gangs have been destroyed, more than a thousand settlements have been liberated and the main communications have been released.” But only in these victorious reports not a word is said about the contribution that ordinary soldiers of private military companies made to the victory.

PLACE OF COLLECTION: MOLKINO BASE

The 10th separate brigade is located in the area of ​​​​the Molkino farm in the Krasnodar Territory special purpose GRU (military unit 51532). The base of PMC "Wagner" closely adjoins it. Soldiers came here from all over the country. First, they had to pass a medical commission and various admission tests.

– There was a medical board, but the selection was more visual: arms and legs in place – and forward, – says Sergey. - They took everyone in a row, because PMCs suffered heavy losses in Syria. It was also required to run 3 km, wring out 40–50 times (this was rated as “good” and “excellent”). Many did not pass these standards, but were enrolled.

A much more serious test was considered a lie detector. Each candidate passes a polygraph. For example, out of eight people in the group in which Gennady was, only two successfully passed the lie detector, including himself. On what others were cut off, what kind of lie the PMC psychologists were looking for, Gennady still does not imagine. But, in his opinion, this selection definitely did not concern the criminal past of the candidates.

The personnel accepted under the contract were distributed among the "brigades". These were not army brigades in their traditional form, the PMC brigades consisted of only 300 to 400 people, depending on the tasks they faced.

FLIGHT ROSTOV-ON-DON - DAMASK

They departed from Rostov-on-Don International Airport on April 25, 2017, on a regular charter flight. They didn’t put a visa in the passport, the border guards stamped only the departure mark (and upon return, another arrival mark). The Syrian border service does not appear in the documents at all. In total, one and a half hundred PMC fighters flew in the Boeing, in a day or two the second half of the “brigade” arrived in the same way. They flew to Damascus in civilian clothes, changed clothes already at the Syrian base, that is, in the middle of the desert. They brought military uniforms with them, everyone dressed according to their taste. The desert uniform of the British special forces SAS is considered the most comfortable, the best in strength and color, then comes the uniform of the American special forces. So in appearance, the Russian fighters did not differ from the detachment of the Anglo-Saxon special forces. The Syrian uniform, according to the unanimous opinion of the interlocutors, is of very poor quality.

OIL FIELDS OF ASH-SHAIR

PMC fighters did not pass control at the Damascus airport, they immediately sat on the buses - and forward. Where?

“The rank and file are never told where, how long to go and what they will do,” says Stepan. – We were brought to the area of ​​the oil fields of Ash-Shair, where we stayed for three months and only after three months did they learn the name of this place. 40 kilometers northwest of Palmyra.

Landed right in the mountain desert. Some did not have tents, in particular Sergei, and for the first month and a half he lived "in the fresh air", although in the mountainous area at that time it was raining and cold. Only later were state-owned tents issued. In total, three brigades of PMCs were assembled in that place, that is, about a thousand people. What did you do?

“Mountains guarded,” says Gennady. - On the opposite mountain range, the ISIS spirits were sitting. They were bombarded all the time by aircraft. Armored vehicles were transported past us every day - tanks, armored personnel carriers, infantry fighting vehicles, about 60 units in total. Apparently, there was a preparation for the offensive.

At the end of August, the offensive began, and the fighters went through the mountains to the city of Akerbat. They descended into the valley, one by one they took the adjacent villages.

"STORMS" AND STORM OF AKERBAT

The strike force of a PMC brigade in Syria is usually called “assaults” among themselves (with an emphasis on the last syllable). In addition to "assaults", there is also a platoon of heavy weapons, at its disposal are mortars, ATGMs (anti-tank guided missiles), heavy machine guns, AGS (automatic grenade launchers). Fire Support Squad. An armored group with an indefinite amount of equipment - from one infantry fighting vehicle to several armored personnel carriers and tanks, whoever is lucky. The combat strength of the brigade is about 200 people, those who have at least some combat experience. The remaining 100-150 are the so-called staff guys, servants, personal drivers of commanders. The brigades are commanded by retired special forces officers (not a single regular officer), there are practically no army officers.

- For example, the commander of our brigade, - says Gennady, - the Syrian chief turned and offered several tanks for nothing, since the Arabs did not have crews for them.

The “assault” is the first to go on the attack, followed by a platoon of heavy weapons - mortars, heavy machine guns, anti-tank guided missiles, etc. The enemy set traps, let them take several suburban villages almost without hindrance, and in front of the city of Akerbat, the brigade came across an iron defense, where dozens died. There were specific battles here, for each house. Documents of ISIS members were found (they were handed over to special officers of PMCs), notebooks with prayers in Russian came across, there were many Uzbek names on the lists.

“Akerbat was taken only by Russian brigades of PMCs,” says Sergey, the other two nod their heads in agreement. - The Syrians came up at the final stage to film for the TV news. We even hid so as not to get into the frame when the Syrians posed with a heroic look.

OFFICIAL SUMMARY ON THE CAPTURE OF AKERBAT

So, the fighters of the Wagner PMC claim that they captured Akerbat on their own, the Syrian government troops did not take part in the assault. The official version claims exactly the opposite, the role of PMCs is not marked by a word. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, “On September 2, 2017, units of the 4th tank division Syrian government troops, in cooperation with units of the 5th Volunteer Assault Corps and detachments of the military Mukhabarat, with the active support of the Russian Aerospace Forces, liberated the strategically important city of Akerbat, where the “last major center of resistance” of the terrorists of the IS organization banned in Russia (“Islamic State” is an international terrorist organization) was located. organization banned in the Russian Federation).

Government " Russian newspaper”in those days, transmitted a message from the commander of the Russian military group in Syria, Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, who, in particular, noted that “to support the offensive of the Syrian army in the Akerbat area, Russian aviation launched 329 bombing and missile strikes, as a result of which 27 militant armored vehicles, 48 ​​pickup trucks with large-caliber weapons and more than 1,000 militants.” The general also said that ISIS in Akerbat used an unprecedented number of suicide bombers. According to him, “from 15 to 25 militants with martyrs' belts and four to five jihad-mobiles were destroyed daily. But the general kept silent about the fact that this work of destruction was done by the guys from the Wagner PMC.

PERFUME

“Almost all ISIS members wear a martyr’s belt,” says Stepan. - Such a beautiful thing, neat, light weight. Plastic box, filled with a transparent gel, in which there are many, many metal balls. Because of this, we did not take a single spirit prisoner. One night, the ISIS foolishly stuck in our village. Most, of course, we immediately killed, and a few were driven around the village for some time. One spirit, apparently seriously wounded, called for help for a long time, and then an explosion rumbled. An adjacent wall collapsed from the explosion. It turns out that he was twenty meters away from us. In the morning they cleaned, pits and cellars were thrown with grenades.

“The tactics of the spirits are simple: when there is a night skirmish, two or three martyrs get close and explode,” added Gennady. – It happened once or twice a week: an ISIS member would approach the wall of our shelter and explode. Quite a few died from such night sorties: eight in one battle, fifteen in another, ten in a third.

All the locals had left the village by that time. In general, we didn’t encounter civilians,” Sergei assured.

DAIR EZ-ZOR: SYRIAN STALINGRAD

They took Akerbat and the PMC fighters were told: it's time to go home. We were already changing into civilian clothes, and suddenly an order: to the cars in full gear. We drove through the desert for about seven hours, drove three hundred kilometers to the east and found ourselves not far from the city of Deir ez-Zor. There were two Russian brigades of PMCs that had already crossed the Euphrates on pontoons when the operation to unblock Deir ez-Zor was underway. We were given the task of freeing the adjacent island from the ISIS. For about two months they carried out this task, the main losses were suffered in this place, mainly undermined by mines.

The RIA Novosti reports then said: “On September 5, the forward detachments of the Syrian army broke through the three-year blockade of Deir ez-Zor and went on the offensive against eastern outskirts cities. Having broken through the encirclement of the air force base, and after knocking out the terrorists from strategic heights in the southwest, government troops reached the western bank of the Euphrates River and crossed it, thereby forcing out terrorist detachments in the direction of the Iraqi border and creating a ring around the residential areas captured by the Islamic State terrorist group. quarters of Deir ez-Zor.

Military expert Viktor Baranets commented on the lifting of the blockade from Deir ez-Zor: “The city of Deir ez-Zor is of strategic importance for the further actions of terrorists in Syria. If it is taken, it will be a strategic defeat for the militants, and it will be about the same for them as in 1945 for Nazi Germany. Deir ez-Zor has the same meaning for ISIS. The defeat in Deir ez-Zor will mean that the terrorists will no longer provide active combat resistance. It will be for them not only a military, but also a moral defeat, and in front of the whole world.

- What is the blockade of Deir ez-Zor - this must be understood again in an oriental way, - said Sergey. - All those three years that the blockade lasted, cars with food and consumer goods passed unhindered. Nobody suffered from hunger. They even joked that the Syrians say: we fought here for three years, fought, the Russians came - and the war began.

“And chaos began,” Gennady laughed.

In the meantime, according to Sergey, while the spirits held the defense in Ash-Shair, the Kurds sent here by the Americans captured the oil fields. At the end of September, the ISIS retreated in flank directions, and again the Russian PMC brigades had to return to "squeeze out the oil fields."

– At the top, apparently, they agreed, and the Kurds moved a little, – says Sergey. – Judging by the inscriptions on the oil rigs, some of them belonged to Europeans, some to Canadians. Canadians have lost the most.

At the end of October, the term of the business trip of the fighters of the Wagner PMC ended. In those days, ISIS cut one of the two main roads connecting the east and west of Syria. They drove along a longer one - about 800 kilometers. There were no adventures.

LOSSES

During the six months of the trip, the casualties of one brigade amounted to about 40 dead (“two hundredths”) and about 100 wounded (“three hundredths”). The other brigade was more “lucky”: their losses amounted to about 20 killed and 70 wounded. And in the third brigade, in the first two weeks alone, they lost about 50 killed. Most died during the lifting of the blockade of Deir ez-Zor. Thus, a tenth of the personnel died, a fifth were wounded.

MILITARY EQUIPMENT

“The losses would have been much less,” says Sergey, “if the supply of the PMC group had not been so bad, just plain bad. Broken armored cars, lost five trucks in three days, there was nothing even to transport personnel. And the losses from this are high ... and that's it - we got up! Collapse. No one is going anywhere, God forbid to take out the wounded. And experience says that it is high time to transfer fighters to armored vehicles designed for no more than 10 people. Although a year ago the equipment was decent - both weapons and equipment.

“It's just a beautiful television picture: tanks are moving in a row across the desert, infantry fighting vehicles are following them, helicopters are circling above them,” says Stepan. - In fact, there was very little technology. Our “armada” moved partly on foot, and partly in KamAZ and Ural trucks. If an ATGM hits a truck, then the losses are, of course, huge. And this saving of our military plushies turned into huge losses. Some of the leaders responsible for the military supply of the brigades, apparently, reported to the top how much was saved. And now, for three brigades, that is, one and a half thousand people, only five night sights were issued!

- What about the spirits? Stepan says. - For example, 30-40 people usually sit in positions, and so they are given two or three night sights. When the spirits go on a night attack, five “assaults” see them with sin in half, the rest do not see a damn thing. Fathers-commanders say: you shoot at flashes. And for this you need to stick your head out of hiding. And to get into the night sight of an ISIS man, who definitely won’t play the fool, he will immediately shoot - and you won’t have time to notice the flashes. So it turns out: the spirits see everything, and most of the “assaults” are blind. And so the losses are huge.

- So how should it be? Sergei says. - Like in special forces: each fighter has a night sight and one of the three has a thermal imaging sight. And so - lead people to slaughter. But the PMC bosses may have a lot of money, but to buy new technology is not going to. With my own eyes I saw a unit armed with three-rulers, revolvers, Degtyarev machine guns, even Maxim machine guns really were. And for the first time I had a three-ruler. Bulletproof vests from the time of the capture of Kabul. The tanks are all "prize", that is, captured from the Arabs, some resemble a colander. When he was indignant with his superiors, he heard: “Darling, why are you in a fairy tale? Whatever you give, fight with it."

MILITARY TRAINING

My interlocutors divided the forces that fought on the side of Assad into three categories according to their fighting qualities. The lowest place is occupied by the Syrians, the middle place is occupied by the Fatimids (as the militants from Afghanistan were called in PMCs) and the Palestinians, the top one – by the Russians.

“Once a detachment of the Fatimids captured a bridgehead, then redeployed, and government troops took their place, immediately raising their flag,” Sergey said. – And our experienced fighter, who visited Syria five times, predicted: if the Syrian flag appears over the positions in the evening, then the ISIS flag will be here in the morning. We took it as a joke. And in the morning we woke up from a frantic clatter: 300-400 Syrian soldiers fled shouting: “The ISIS tank has arrived!” And indeed: a black banner has already been raised over the positions of government troops.

“Russians are unsurpassed fighters, especially in defense,” says Stepan. “No one withstood our attacks, no one. For six months, not a single enemy withstood the attacks of the "assaults". Neither in Akerbat nor in the Deir ez-Zor area.

“Even the Fatimids are well-equipped,” Gennady said. - I myself saw how they drove “jihads” on their motorcycles across the desert (this is the name of the Igilov pickup truck with weapons; it differs from the “shahidka” - the same car, but stuffed with explosives). They filled up this "jihad" as if there was nothing to do. But is it possible to fight like that with our equipment ?! Our pturschiki go on foot, together with the infantry, there are three of them: one drags the installation, two - one rocket each (each of them weighs 25 kilograms). ISIS also has three pilots, but they are on two motorcycles. On one motorcycle - installation and two people, on the other - the third with two missiles. They made a fuss and disappeared in a minute.

“I personally saw how a Dukhov ATGM knocked out three vehicles within 10 minutes – an armored personnel carrier and two trucks,” says Sergey.

- The level of training of the Syrian troops is not only zero, but, one might say, minus, - Gennady picked up. - For example, out of 60 armored vehicles brought, as already mentioned, to the combat area, about 20 ended up in the hands of the ISIS spirits who were in Akerbat. In general, tanks in Syria are a challenge prize. There is even a joke on this topic: Russia supplies tanks to the Syrians, the Syrians hand them over to ISIS, the Russians come, take the tanks from the ISIS and receive a bonus for this. We hand it over to the Syrians again - and everything starts all over again, the tank circulates around Syria until it is burned.

- Personally, I saw how the Syrian special forces went into reconnaissance, Sergei recalls. “We walked about seven kilometers and started yelling on the radio that they had run out of water, several people were hit (and these are the indigenous people of Syria). And they returned without completing the task. The Russians even had to bear the sun-struck Arabs on their backs. I agree with Gennady: zero level of preparation.

“The whole of Syria is about two Moscow regions, most of it is desert,” Stepan concludes. - It is enough to free a few enclaves and a valley - and that's it! And let the spirits of the steppe hares ride through the desert as much as they like. Work - for a month or two, but no one needs it. Generals earn money in the war, tanks and weapons are decommissioned, ISIS trades with everyone almost officially.

PERSONNEL OF PMC "WAGNER"

“Despite the fact that many PMC fighters served in the army and special forces, I won’t be mistaken if I say that 90% do not understand where they are going,” says Sergey. - The desire to make money knocks off the brain completely. Therefore, having got into a real trouble, they declare that they came here not to die, but to earn. These are called "five hundred", that is, deserters and refuseniks. They are immediately sent to rigging teams, that is, to loaders of shells, etc.

- And in life, those who came to Syria are mostly losers, - says Gennady. - As a rule, former cops, convicts and military men. About 40% of the personnel served time for serious crimes - murders, robberies, etc. PMC fighters even greet each other like this: “Hi, losers!” It is noticeable that for many months before a business trip, or even years, they thumped without drying out. In Syria, it is forbidden to drink, the heads are a little enlightened, they give a vow to tie for the rest of their lives. They return to Russia with a million in their pockets and break into such a peak, a month later they crawl to the base without pants.

EARNINGS OF THE "GENTLEMEN OF LUCK"

A year or two ago, according to Sergei, the fighters of the PMC "Wagner" earned 310-350 thousand rubles a month (240 thousand - salary plus 3 thousand a day - fighting). In the spring of this year, they had 300 thousand each (with a salary of 220 thousand), and those who arrived in the autumn earned an average of 200-210 thousand (the salary dropped to 150 thousand).

- What is the reason for the drop in earnings? Stepan asked. - I think with the fact that they steal everything, they steal everything. At some point, people lose their heads and begin to steal without a twinge of conscience. We suspect that the top pays are still decent, but a little lower they come up with various restrictions that are associated with the salary. For example, there is a clause in the contract that says that a business trip starting from the fourth month is considered a long one and an additional thousand rubles are paid for each day. When someone reminded the boss about this point, he received the following answer in a greatly softened form: “Are you crazy? You get so much already!”

- What about insurance? I ask. How much is paid in case of death?

“You see,” Sergei says, “according to some rumors, three and a half million, according to others, five million. Personally, I did not see anything about this in my contract. Although I could have looked: the contract is multi-page, and besides, the principle of time trouble works. It says that you agree that you may not be taken out as a corpse. Also, according to rumors, 50 thousand are paid for a minor injury, up to 300 thousand plus treatment for a more severe one. They say that the treatment is good - in the military hospitals of Rostov-on-Don, Kislovodsk, St. Petersburg, Moscow, etc. Good conditions highly qualified doctors. But there is one principle: no disabilities.

“I am ambivalent about these private military companies,” adds Stepan. - On the one hand, they deceive, and it's a shame. And on the other hand, if you look at the situation as if from the outside, the PMC removes unnecessary elements from civilian life (literally, the fighter spoke about his comrades, and therefore about himself. - A.Ch.).

As it turned out later, Sergey brought one and a half million rubles from Syria. Distributed debts, bought a night sight, binoculars, warm clothes, other equipment on trifles. I was running out of money, just to get from Moscow to Krasnodar.

– What work is left in Syria? Protect oil fields, factories. Throwing attacks will no longer be.