"Remove from the streets of psychopaths." Why does Ukraine want to legalize mercenaries
Vladimir Zelensky invited the veterans of the conflict in the Donbass to participate in the drafting of a law on private military companies. Changes to the legislation want to make in the near future. Ukraine has acted "volunteer" battalions of the same fact private armies. Why in Kiev in such a hurry to legalize PMC, understood to RIA Novosti.
Speaking to the Advisory Council on the status of war veterans, the Ukrainian President said that there are two draft law, but in Parliament they are not yet registered. "In one of them, there are no restrictions, said Zelensky. — It's about one or the other business group could officially make for themselves a private army. And it is very dangerous."
However, the head of state is waiting for proposals from the Council as soon as possible to the Verkhovna Rada managed to pass a law before the end of the current session.
In the modern history of Ukraine has a similar experience. In the spring of 2014 the acting President Oleksandr Turchynov ordered to establish territorial defense battalions in each region. They had to obey the General staff of the armed forces. In addition, Turchynov has revived the National guard of the Ministry of internal Affairs. At first these units were completed on a voluntary basis.
Special popularity was gained by one of them — the regiment "Azov". Over time, on its basis arose the political party "national body." These fighters and activists are now the guards of the Minister of internal Affairs Arsen Avakov.
Was still special battalions and companies of the Ministry of interior. Continue to operate paramilitary formation of the nationalists with an unclear legal status. For example, the so-called Ukrainian volunteer army "Right sector"*. In 2018, the authorities literally had to push her soldiers from the combat zone in the Donbass.
All these disparate units were considered volunteer battalions, although, for example, part of the territorial defence and later the National guard have been on appeal. The General rule was not. So, in the battalion "Aydar", formed by former commandant of the "Maidan self-Defense" Sergey Melnichuk, the fighters were recruited personally by the battalion commander.
Funded these troops as from the budget and private individuals, including those who are called oligarchs. In particular, the businessman Igor Kolomoisky has created the "Fund for the defense of the country." With him was associated battalions "Dnepr", "Donbass", "Storm".
The media often complained about the discipline and to the low combat skills of the soldiers dobrobatov, noted that those prone to looting and act in their own interests. For example, the battalion "Carpathian" was accused of desertion from under Ilovaisk, where militia attacked the Ukrainian army. And soldiers fled to the city of Ivano-Frankivsk region.
The notoriety earned the company MIA "Tornado" — the successor of the "fighting tradition" of the battalion "Shakhtersk" disbanded by the Minister of internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, for "looting in Volnovaha and in other situations."
After moving from "miner" to "Tornado", "volunteers" engaged in more serious matters. For example, stopped the train with cast iron, EN route from Alchevsk, Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. According to the source RIA Novosti in one of power structures of Ukraine, tornadovtsa tried "holding" contraband flows.
Company men were convicted of kidnapping, rape, illegal entry to the home and other crimes. According to the prosecution, every fourth division had a criminal record. At school, where he was assigned to the company, found the instruments of torture, rape fighters filmed on mobile phones.
To disband a company with sadists was not immediately apparent. Tornadovtsa circled the wagons and promised to shoot. Still, the unit brought to a different area and disbanded.
Veterans of the war in the Donbass do use military experience in civilian life. In 2017 a George Turchak said in social networks about how two dozen of his colleagues to "cooperate" with the farmers: to discourage or hold the field, and in return take half of the harvest. This "business", according to Turchak, gives 200-400 thousand dollars a year.
In the same 2017 in the Kirovohrad region police detained several dozen fighters of "Donbass" and "Aydar", who arrived on "arrow" with the staff of a private security company. There was a dispute of managing subjects — someone "runs" a farmer, someone defended. Turchak described the "business-model": "Veterans are divided into two groups, one creating problems. Immediately there is a second group and solves them — for a fee. And everyone is happy: the farmer-the Loch has kept the crop and the ground, and the raiders have earned."
Sometimes the soldiers did not act for money but "for the love of art". Recently, the court in Kharkiv was sentenced to fifteen years imprisonment, a veteran of the anti-terrorist operation and his son who killed and ate companion — for the "wrong" words about the war in the Donbass. In January, in Kyiv region, two former dobrobatovets argue who is better: Petro Poroshenko and Vladimir Zelensky. The result — murder. In may, Zhytomyr region tenant of the pond they shot seven people who came for fishing — did not match opinions about military service. And that's just the recent cases.
By the way, in 2017, former chief of the office for combating organized crime interior Ministry of Ukraine Valeriy Chickens warned that veterans of the so-called ATO equipped "millions of caches of weapons".
Interlocutor RIA Novosti, Igor is one of power structures of Ukraine, earlier it was listed as a volunteer fighter formation. In his opinion, the law on PMCs need to legalize actual mercenary and earn. "The government will kill two birds with one stone. First of all, you will fuse thousands of schizoid who come to Ukraine armed and dangerous. In Kiev think it will reduce crime, clean the streets veterans, psychopaths, he says. — Well, money. On the shelves of the special operations Forces go to the recruiters and said, "How much do you get? A thousand dollars? And you ten." And that's all. Trained military in the army are not delayed. But before this whole area was outside the law, and now the government will be able to get the income from it".
According to him, the international market is ready to accept Ukrainian "mercenaries". "The instructors taught our contact with American weapons. From the army out people who know how to kill. They find work anywhere in the world", — concluded Igor.
Oleksiy Zhuravko, member of Parliament of V and VI convocations, believes that private military companies want "to enter into the legislative field cannon fodder to send to other theaters of war — in Syria, Afghanistan, somewhere else".
He believes that the new regulation will also allow Kiev to officially hire mercenaries from other countries for operations in the Donbass. "They will be able to legally come to shoot in the civil war. And finally it is good business. In this work all: and officials and oligarchs. The PMC will be based on the already formed Turbat Avakov, Yarosh and Kolomoisky."
All this leads to the fact that anarchy will only intensify because of the business interests will fight with the military, says the former MP. And the fact that Ukraine will become a battlefield of competing private armies, and dangerous for the neighbours — Russia and Belarus.