Russia's Private Armies - Acting in a Legal Vacuum

然而，尽管是最高调的存在，“瓦格纳”却不是唯一在乌克兰为俄罗斯作战的私人军事公司，它的崛起也并非“独一无二的现象”。事实上，俄乌冲突导致俄罗斯其他私人军事公司急速扩张，以及众多雇佣兵团的诞生。据统计，俄罗斯已有超过30个雇佣兵团。

此前不少分析称，这些大多由俄罗斯富豪、权贵资助的兵团实质就是私人军队，其背后引发的“权力游戏”注定将在俄罗斯产生“破坏性影响”。俄媒也在24日的报道中称，“瓦格纳”从“心腹变为心腹大患”的根源，是这些私人军事公司游走在俄罗斯法律的真空地带，再加之金钱、权力等一系列纠葛。

Wagner is not the only private military company fighting for Russia in Ukraine, nor is its rise a "unique phenomenon". In fact, the conflict between Russia and Ukraine led to the rapid expansion of other Russian private military companies and the birth of numerous mercenary regiments. According to statistics, Russia has more than 30 mercenary regiments.

Many previous analysts said that these corps, which are mostly funded by Russia's rich and powerful, are essentially private armies, and the "power game" behind them is destined to have a "destructive impact" in Russia. In a report on the 24th, Russian media also said that the root cause of "Wagner" from "henchman to henchman" is that these private military companies wander in the vacuum of Russian law, coupled with a series of entanglements such as money and power. ...........

美国战争研究所在去年10月的一份评估报告指出，普里戈任在“俄罗斯国家结构和信息空间中占据着独特的优势地位”，这使得他比俄军高级指挥官更容易在俄罗斯“扩大自己的选区”。不仅如此，普里戈任还可以自由地“提升”自己和他的部队，同时还能“批评俄政府官员或俄武装部队，而不必担心遭到反击”。

随着“瓦格纳”快速成长为一支俄罗斯政府军主力的结盟部队，其在俄乌冲突中扮演的角色也越来越重要，最好的例证可能就是今年初的一次法律改革。今年3月，一项禁止“诋毁或审查俄武装部队”的法律范围扩大到了包括“雇佣军和志愿军”。

An assessment report by the U.S. War Research Institute in October last year pointed out that Prigozhin occupies a "uniquely advantageous position in the Russian state structure and information space", which makes him more likely than a senior Russian military commander to conduct military operations in Russia and "expand his legal frame". Not only that, but Prigozhin is also free to "promote" himself and his troops, and at the same time "criticize Russian government officials or the Russian armed forces without fear of retaliation."

As Wagner has rapidly grown into a mainstay of the Russian government's allied force, its role in the Russia-Ukraine conflict has grown, perhaps best exemplified by a legal overhaul earlier this year. In March, a law prohibiting "defamation or censorship of the Russian armed forces" was expanded to include "mercenaries and volunteers". ..........

GAZPROM - Military Branch

俄最大能源巨头至少手握4支队伍。

去年11月被任命为乌克兰俄控区监狱管理员后，乌克兰亲俄商人阿尔缅·萨尔基斯扬便计划利用自己的职位，并借鉴“瓦格纳”集团的招募模式，成立一个私人军事公司。乌克兰方面声称，这家公司由俄罗斯富豪萨姆韦尔·卡拉佩提安资助。卡拉佩提安是塔希尔控股公司老板，该公司是俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司的分包商。

最为关键的是，俄最大能源巨头俄罗斯天然气工业股份公司（简称“俄气”）也组建了多个雇佣兵团。据报道，至少有三家与俄气公司有关联的私人军事公司一直在乌克兰境内与俄罗斯军队并肩作战，它们分别被称为“火炬”“洪流”和“堡垒”。

其中，“堡垒”是唯一一家规模和经验都与“瓦格纳”接近的。据悉，该组织已存在数年，此前为叙利亚的基础设施项目提供安全保障，最初规模很小，但在俄乌冲突爆发后一直在积极“招兵买马”。

Russia's largest energy giant holds at least 4 teams.

After being appointed as the administrator of the prison in the Russian-controlled area of Ukraine in November last year, Ukrainian pro-Russian businessman Armen Sarkisyan planned to use his position and learn from the recruitment model of the 'Wagner' group to set up a private military company. Ukraine claims the company was funded by Russian billionaire Samwell Karapetian. Karapetian is the owner of Tahir Holding, a subcontractor for Gazprom.

The most critical thing is that Russia's largest energy giant Gazprom has also formed a number of mercenary groups. At least three private military companies linked to Gazprom, known as 'Torch', 'Torrent' and 'Fortress', have been fighting alongside Russian forces inside Ukraine, according to reports.

Among them, 'Fortress' is the only company whose scale and experience are close to 'Wagner'. It is reported that the organization has existed for several years. It previously provided security for infrastructure projects in Syria. It was originally small in scale, but it has been actively "recruiting troops" after the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

A similar article, dealing with the same subject, was published
the same day by some other regional news center (above).

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It's about sabotage of the North Stream pipelines that should have provided Germany
with natural gas delivered by Russia's GAZPROM. After the beginning of Russia's full-
fledged attack on Ukraine, Germany froze the project and enforced the construction of
Liquid Natural Gas (LNG) terminals to ensure energy supply independent from Russia.