Wagner's army in Syria. A year of radical change in Syria. New Slavic Corps

Correspondent Nakanune.RU managed to find a man who served in one of the most secret military units in Russia - the private military company "Wagner". The major defeat and death of the fifth company of the PMC on the banks of the Euphrates near the city of Hisham in Syria forced Russian mercenaries to speak out loud about betraying people for the sake of the interests and ambitions of the command and investors, and politicians about the legalization of PMCs and the urgent adoption of the relevant law. Who are they, the “soldiers of fortune” of the 21st century, what are these people ready for? Whether they do it for money or are driven by something else, read our exclusive interview.

Our hero does not agree to talk to us right away, asks for time to “think”, but still gives the go-ahead for dialogue through one of the Internet messengers and on the condition that we keep his name and biographical details incognito. This is understandable: the terms of the contract require deathly silence even after dismissal from the unit. The only thing we can add to the portrait is that our interlocutor, before his business trip to Syria, had previously gone through the war in Donbass as a volunteer, however, like many of those who serve with Wagner today.

Tell us how people get into the “Wagner group.” Who are these “soldiers of fortune” anyway?

It was quite difficult to get into Wagner's group up to a certain point. In 2017, the selection conditions were softened, and people with combat experience and past hot spot in Donbass they began to recruit. It was enough to pass the standards - running 3 km in 12.5 minutes and 15-20 pull-ups. In addition, a drug test is required (if the result is positive, the person is denied a device). And a security check. Only then the long-awaited device.

Money. How long can a person risk his life in the desert in what is essentially someone else’s war?

As for money, the answer is very simple - this is an amount from 150 to 240 thousand rubles. per month depending on the position. Plus, we were also paid bonuses from 30% to 100% of the salary, depending on the combat missions completed. But most often there was deception with bonuses. We didn't see them. That's what guys take risks for.

There are rumors that, despite all the promotion of PMCs, the weapons in the group, to put it mildly, are not very good.

Yes that's right. The weapons were varied: from old DR-46 machine guns to Mosin rifles and ending with quite normal weapons - PKM machine guns, AK-74 Kalashnikov assault rifles. From time to time there were also such exotics as AS "Val", PKP "Pecheneg". The snipers had more modern weapons: "Steyr Mannlicher" - these are Austrian sniper rifles.

But, basically, the predominance of the old Soviet weapons, which, however, is not inferior in reliability to modern ones.

From the stories of old employees of the Wagner group, when they participated in the fighting in Ukraine, everything was fine with weapons. Everyone was armed with new weapons. Even during the first missions to Syria in the fall of 2015, the tank company of the Wagner group had T-90 and T-72B3 tanks on its account.

After the first business trip, it all disappeared without a trace. And the quality of weapons began to deteriorate. KORD machine guns were replaced by DShK, T-72 and T-90 tanks were suddenly replaced by T-62 tanks. D-30 artillery guns were diluted with old Soviet M-30s. And so on.

What tasks are set for the personnel?

The tasks for the Wagner group as a whole were set to be very diverse. From assault operations and frontal attacks, to the defense of strong points, when there were slight lulls on the front line.

How do you interact with Syrian units? Their attitude towards PMCs from Russia?

Interaction with the Syrian troops was practically minimal; their units in those situations that I know about were mostly on hand. Most of the Syrian troops turned back after hearing the first explosions and shots. I will also note that, judging by my experience, all the work for the Syrian army was done by: Wagner, ISIS hunters (a terrorist organization banned in the Russian Federation) - ISIS-hunters, the Iranian Hezbollah special forces, and in some places the Islamic Revolutionary Guard units "there were, and one can note some units of the Syrian army (which can be counted on one hand). And all this was supported by the Russian Aerospace Forces, plus the forces also worked special operations MTR... The Syrian army was more than incapable of combat.

PMC commanders with Vladimir Putin

By the way, who are ISIS-hunters and how connected are they with PMCs?

The ISIS* hunters are not associated with PMCs; I know that they were trained by Wagner instructors as a unit for cleaning up and identifying individuals who were associated with ISIS*.

Life How is food organized? What are the difficulties in everyday life?

What difficulties did you have in everyday life? And it happened, there was not enough water, it happened, every drop counted: only 4.5 liters per day, considering that you are in the desert. After the battles near Deir ez-Zor, the norm was increased to 9 liters. Food was in the form of army dry rations (and quite fresh). And when there wasn’t enough, they could go to the store to buy something. Buy potatoes, watermelon and all those delights that were missing on the front line. By the way, everyone was allocated $150 a month for “cigarette expenses” - that’s about 80 thousand liras in local money.

Why did you go there yourself? What inspired you?

Why did I go there? It's simple: make money and get better financial situation. Which is what I did. On the plus side, I bought what I wanted; on the downside, I spoiled my health a little. Now the concussion is taking its toll.

How did you get there?

All flights were regular charters.

Was it scary there? How fighting Are Syria and Donbass different in character?

Yes, of course, it’s scary... only fools and crazy people aren’t afraid.

The first two weeks went crazy. Then I got used to it and in between fights I started reading the books that the guys had, and it became easier.

If we compare the war in Ukraine and Syria, then these two conflicts cannot be compared. In the event of an escalation of the conflict in Ukraine, it will be a combined arms battle with the use of tanks, artillery and, possibly, aviation (from the Ukrainian Armed Forces). In Syria, we can practically talk about the same thing, but on a reduced scale, except that ISIS * did not have aviation, artillery in sufficient quantities and did not have armored vehicles. However, it was replaced by “jihad mobiles” with a variety of weapons. Yes and climatic conditions incomparable.

Don't you think that you are "cannon fodder" there?

This thought sometimes comes to mind that we were cannon fodder there, because every attack on the enemy head-on resulted in losses, every third fighter was a load of “200” (killed, - editor’s note) and “300” (wounded, - editor's note).

Such big losses?

The losses are large, given the recent disaster with the “5th” (the same 5th company of Wagner, which was defeated on February 7, 2018 by a strike by coalition forces led by the United States - editor's note).

What do you think about "5"?

What do I think... I think if you followed all the news, it would become clear that the goal was to “squeeze” oil plants and oil fields from the Kurds. So they were destroyed because of the ambitions of the command and investors who planned to start extracting oil there.

It's a pity, of course, guys. You won't get them back. My friends were there too...

Why didn't Russia cover the guys? And could she?

Why weren't ours covered? Everything here is quite simple: the Wagner group is not part of the RF Armed Forces, but the RF Ministry of Defense, as far as I can tell, is subordinate. It’s easier for our guys to disown the guys than to stand up for them. The "ICHTHAMN" phenomenon is obvious. But they exist.

Tell us about a memorable fight.

Sorry, of course, I won’t say anything about combat. Where he participated, what detachment he was in, all this will remain under the veil of secrecy. I don't want problems. I can only say one thing, “Wagner” is cannon fodder, and they don’t really take losses into account when performing tasks.

What are the guarantees that you will not be tried in Russia for mercenarism?

There are no guarantees that all former employees of the Wagner Group will not be sent to prison for mercenarism. But for now I live in peace.

What are the terms of the contract?

The terms of the contract were written separately. As mentioned above, the salary amount is 240 thousand rubles. per month. Plus, in case of death, compensation in the amount of 5 million rubles was paid. relatives.

By the way, how many of you were there in Syria?

In general, there are 1.8 thousand soldiers on staff and there are also “catalog soldiers” - these are service personnel in the form of cooks, loaders, and so on. They receive much less, but they also take risks. But, you see, the salary is 100 thousand rubles. for a cook - very good.

Why did you quit? Don't you want to come back?

There are many reasons for dismissal, but I won’t say the main ones. After recent events, I lost my desire to return there. There are no guarantees that a similar catastrophe that happened to the “five” will not happen again.

To the hotheads, to those who want to go there to fight, what do you say?

And I’ll tell the hotheads one thing: it’s your life and your choice. Nobody forces you to go there. If you choose, then go, if you earn money and return home safe, then good. If you die, rest in peace. No one will judge you for this. Simple and subjective.

After the main part of the interview, our hero will add a few more nuances. In particular, he does not have any souvenir photographs from the Syrian “sands”, since before the departure the command confiscated all phones and gadgets with cameras and people were there without communication. "If you're caught with a phone, you'll be fined your entire month's salary, so your best gadgets are a compass and wrist watch" , - said our counterpart.

*ISIS is a terrorist organization banned in Russia

________________________________

Interviewed by Alexander the Syrian

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https://www.site/2018-03-05/kak_vyglyadit_lager_chvk_vagnera_v_krasnodare

“Everyone is lying, son, they are sharing the oil! They make money off the blood of the guys.”

What does the camp look like? PMC Wagner near Krasnodar

Igor Pushkarev

Krasnodar is quite far from the combat zones in south-eastern Ukraine or Syria. But here is probably the most famous private building in Russia now. military organization— Wagner PMC, whose fighters have made their mark in Crimea, Donbass and Syria in just a few years.

The fact that the camp of this PMC is based near the village of Molkino, which is 30 kilometers from Krasnodar to the south along the M-4 Don highway, was written by RBC magazine back in the summer of 2016. Journalists of the publication reached the village and talked with servicemen of the 10th brigade of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation at the first checkpoint. What is happening behind it, whether the Wagner PMC camp actually exists and what it looks like - all this remained unknown..

From Krasnodar you can get to Molkino by bus, which goes from the bus station towards the regional center of Goryachiy Klyuch, or by taxi. In one case the tariff is 80 rubles, in the other - “ruble”, that is, 1 thousand rubles. Actually, Molkino itself is a pair of two-story brick apartment buildings, several private ones, one street - Ofitserskaya and one grocery store with a very modest range of goods. The checkpoint of the 10th GRU brigade is located a hundred meters from the village, on the other side of the M-4 Don highway and railway, which runs parallel to the autobahn.

Traffic around the checkpoint is quite busy. Some cars are constantly driving in and out, people in civilian clothes and uniforms pass back and forth. For the most part, they rush to the left - to where the asphalt road goes and where the actual military unit Ministry of Defense. By the way, at the local training ground, judging by open sources, “ Tank biathlon", as well as games of reenactors.

The Wagner PMC camp, as far as is known from the RBC publication, is located in the opposite direction.

“You see, the dirt road goes to the right. Follow it, you will pass another checkpoint and further, they are standing there,” the soldiers admonished me at the first checkpoint. At first, I must admit, no one wanted to let the stranger in my person. But the phrase “to Syria” seems to have magical influence. At the “second checkpoint” there is another GRU serviceman guarding it. Just like his colleagues at the main checkpoint, he is armed with a bayonet and his equipment includes a bulletproof vest and a helmet. But he pays almost no attention to those passing by. He sits quietly on a chair in a booth, listens to the radio and drinks tea and cookies.

It takes about 10 minutes to walk to the Wagner camp, about a kilometer. I came across a young man in civilian clothes with a camouflage backpack over his shoulders and wearing headphones, a couple of cars with people in uniform, but without insignia. About 200 meters before the camp the road makes a sharp turn to the left. From here, two-story houses lined with light green siding, with green roofs, a lattice fence around the perimeter and a parking lot with a dozen parked cars in front of the gate become clearly visible.

- Is this the Wagner brigade? — I ask the man who is getting behind the wheel of a car.

- Yes, here. “There’s a checkpoint,” he pointed to the gate in the fence.

By the way, there are video cameras installed along the perimeter, but they all face the lenses inward, not outward. Apparently, no one here is afraid of any actions from outside and it is much more important to control what is happening inside the camp.

There are three houses. As it turned out a little later, these are barracks. Judging by appearance, the buildings are quite new. A little further away you can see stacks of boards made of fresh, whitish-yellow wood. It seems that despite the Syrian province of Deir ez-Zor, no one is going to curtail their activities here. On the contrary, the camp is planned to be further developed.

Near the barracks, about two dozen men are clustered in several groups. Their affiliation is difficult to establish. Everyone is wearing a mixture of military and civilian clothing. There are several cars - two UAZ and Toyota pickups, as well as one painted in Blue colour all-wheel drive KamAZ “shift vehicle”. There are signs on the fence warning that the facility is secure and there is video surveillance.

I open the gate and go up to the green trailer where the guard is sitting. In front of me is a man in green clothing and again without insignia. Once again I try to make sure I got there: “Is the Wagner brigade here?” In response, there was only a nod and a counter question: “What did you want?” I catch a tenacious, searching gaze on myself.

Initially, it was clear that I, a journalist, would not be welcome here. Pretending to be someone who wants to serve under a contract is also problematic: I don’t look too much like a military man.

But since I got here, I’m trying to find out at least the fate of those whose names were on the list of those killed on February 7. After all, it is still unknown whether these people are alive, missing or dead. My interlocutor, with the words “tell me who we need to know, bro,” writes down the names on a simple piece of paper. A second later another Wagnerian appears behind me. I can’t hear any steps, I guess the second one only from the facial expressions of the first one, the one in the booth. I leave contact number and retreat. I assume that immediately after I left, the sheet of paper with the list of names ended up in the trash bin.

On the way back I meet another one with a duffel bag over his shoulders. I’m trying to get him to talk, but I only managed to find out that tomorrow we’ll be sent out, so today it’s like a day at the camp. They give you the opportunity to rest a little and get yourself in order. However, very quickly this interlocutor figures out that this is by no means a potential colleague. The look becomes cold, the conversation ends abruptly. I’m returning to Molkino.

Google Maps

The street is deserted. After some time, we managed to talk with one of the residents of the village, an elderly man. The interlocutor introduced himself as Alexander (his name has been changed for his safety. - Website note). He is a former military man, now lives permanently in the village, is in contact and even continues to “work” (he did not specify how exactly) with servicemen of the military unit. Regularly interacts with the Wagnerites. According to him, they appeared in Molkino about 5 years ago, “even before Ukraine.” In the first year, none of the locals even suspected the existence of this special detachment. Only then did information begin to somehow leak out.

— Why can’t the “Wagnerites” say anything to their relatives, at least send some news?

- They won't say anything. This is such a company that there is complete *** (end), you can’t find out anything there. Even I live here and work with them, but I still know little. They have everything organized in such a way that no one should tell anything. You talk to them, and they pretend that they don’t know anything, that they don’t understand anything about what you’re talking about. Although open the Internet and everything is shown: how they were covered, how many cars, how much of what. And I even know the guys who were right there at the epicenter.

Website of the Ryazan diocese

- What they're saying?

“You can’t tell this, especially to mothers.” They will only rip your heart out. It’s better to hope and wait than to do this. There is no need for them to know all this, you understand?! It’s only in Moscow that they say that ours weren’t there. 87 guys died there and many more disappeared - more than 100 people.

- Missing?

- Without a trace. They were torn into pieces right there, the meat was collected across the field and sent here.

-Where were they sent?

- To Rostov (meaning Rostov-on-Don. - Note.. They will now restore who is who using tokens and DNA.

- How long will it take?

- ABOUT! For a long time. If no one from home is interested, then they will remain silent. It’s beneficial for them - they don’t have to pay.

Jaromir Romanov

- How much do they pay?

— At first they paid 5 million for the deceased, but now they have reduced it. I heard that they are already giving 3 million.

— Were the wounded brought here too?

— This time also to Rostov and St. Petersburg. Half there, half here.

— Haven’t you heard of such people, what’s wrong with them: Alexey Shikhov, Ruslan Gavrilov, Kirill Ananyev, Igor Kosoturov, Alexey Lodygin, Stanislav Matveev? (all of them appeared on various lists of the dead previously published by the media. - Approx. website).

“No one here knows anyone by last name.” Only nicknames, call signs. They are all either “Fox”, or “Boar”, or who knows who else.

— They hand over all the documents there when they arrive?

- Everyone gives up. Passports, IDs - everything in full. They are given tokens, and only by these are they identified later. There are now up to *** (many) of these tokens collected this time. Now they will analyze all this. But the fact is that no one was captured. (Says with pride.)

“They were hit from the air.”

“We were the first to start.” There, first their artillery, ours that is, *** (hit) the Kurds. And the Kurds walk under the Americans. They also warned me to stop. But ours - no, ***! They need to take away this oil refinery. So we got it. At first American artillery completely covered our artillery, completely destroyed it. And then their drones arrived and started bombing. First, this entire area was cleared and leveled with bombs. Then we started with helicopters. Anyone who moved was immediately finished off. That's the whole story. How many young boys have died, where are they going, *** where?!

— Well, Assad called Russia for help?

- We need this *** (bad) Kurdistan, or what? For whom did they win this oil refinery, for Putin? These *** are completely lying to us! What the TV says is a complete lie! Bastards! No one is hitting any Russians anywhere, son, they are sharing the oil. These *** people make money from the blood of these guys! Who are these oil rigs for - for me, for you, maybe?

— Why is there such a mess in Ukraine?

— What do you think Donbass is? This is coal, the entire main industry of Ukraine is there. Now we are sitting deep in the ass and getting even further into it! The whole world is already up in arms against us, who are they relying on in this Kremlin? Okay, Chechnya was - it was our territory, and we cannot allow this to happen to us. Putin was right about this, I don’t mind. With Ukraine, it could have turned out either way. It is still possible to understand. But why now? They stuck their head in *** knows where! Across nine seas and ten lands, ***. And these guys, the ones who go twice, are already completely sick. They can’t live without it anymore, they’re already crazy.

Jaromir Romanov

- Like this?

— Just recently one of these people came, who was there in February. I barely escaped, ***. A shell exploded right next to him, and he was thrown back by the blast wave. He says that the guys who were nearby, about 15 of them, were immediately torn to pieces, only the shreds flew away. And he was only caught a little, but that was enough. All legs are in a sieve! He was barely repaired, he already came here on crutches, fir-trees and sticks, to receive money. I received the money, but he said: “Just let my legs heal, I want it back, to get even for my own people!” Yes, motherfucker, I say, God saved you! He, along with those who were scattered in pieces, could have remained there. Stay home and eat your bread! No, they are already sick. I'm telling you exactly! The psyche is everything.

- Money, maybe?

- Yes, ***. Well, how much will they get there, 200? Just work at home, don’t drink too much and don’t be lazy - a man will earn 40-50 a month. If it runs, then you can earn 3 million here in a year. I will never send my children to such *** in my life. I won’t allow it, I’d rather kill him with my own hands than this! Who did they do well? They left for nothing, and that’s all!

Interview with the wife of a Ural PMC Wagner fighter who died in Syria

— They say that a new batch is being prepared for shipment?

- They should send it today or tomorrow.

— Do they send them from the port in Novorossiysk?

— From a military airfield. From here by bus to Rostov and from Rostov by plane there. Those who came this time will go half to Syria, half to another.

— Donbass?

- No, they haven’t sent anyone from here to Donbass for a long time. These will go to Africa. (It was previously reported that Wagner PMC will be involved in South Sudan. - Approx. website).

- What about in Africa?

- ***, everyone is silent here, but they do such *** that *** (end)! They will not fight in Africa. There won't even be any weapons.

- What will they do then?

— They will be instructors, they will teach.

- Whom?

“Everything is being done against America again, we are undermining their interests.” They are against us, we are against them. All over again. At least they were paid better before.

— How much is better?

- 400 thousand a month with combat ones and even more. Little by little, little by little, and now we’ve made 200. They cut it in half, count it. Although now they are fighting even more bitterly than before. This is no longer Donbass, where they stood still and shot here and there. There with ISIS (a terrorist organization banned on the territory of the Russian Federation. - Website note). These are no longer crests, seasoned guys, ***. It’s a pity, of course, for these our guys. I knew many of them.

Jaromir Romanov

“There are about 20 of them in the camp on the street right now.”

- It's only on the street. As long as there are 150 people there, the team does not gather, they are not sent anywhere. 150 people is the smallest party. This time they recruited up to *** (many) recruits. They almost put all the old people there in February. Four days ago, five buses left - the first batch. Now four more buses will be sent. Five or six buses leave, two or three buses return. As long as this Wagner has been there, everything has been going on like this. Two or three buses will return, and then the wounded, who are being discharged from hospitals, begin to appear in groups of five or six people, up to ten people, for money. So it goes.

- How long do they last?

- For six months. This time some were detained for seven months. Not everyone, just specialists, snipers for example. Today they only have junior commanders there. You can't get half a word out of them. Their security service works very well, you shouldn’t joke with them. They can kill themselves if you do something wrong. They will later say that you died in battle, or they will put you in such a place that you will never return.

— They say that they used to have one base near the village of Veselaya in Rostov.

- No, they always trained and sent from here. But Rostov only received them, they were paid money there. Now everything has changed, they send money here and receive money. What is this money? There are no arms or legs - and this is a disability for life. What will he do now? If I could before, then why the f*** went there?! What to do now without legs - stand on a wheelchair in the middle of the road and beg for money? If you, as expected, give your life or health for the country, then this is understandable. A military pension is assigned, leaving is mandatory. And who needs these? This is all an illegal company, and if they even find out that he visited there, this will be a criminal sentence. Nobody tells them that abroad those who were in PMCs are considered murderers and are tried as murderers. They don’t look abroad whether you shot there or not! He worked in a private military company, was there - that's it, a killer.

I'm returning to Krasnodar. It's plus 15 outside, it's spring. Green grass is growing everywhere on the lawns, and people are getting ready to plant potatoes in the fields. No hint that somewhere there is a war going on. What catches your eye, however, are dozens of police officers and Cossack vigilantes who have taken the railway and bus stations under tight control. “The homeless are probably being chased away again. “A lot of them have multiplied again,” suggested a saleswoman at a kiosk on the station square, from whom I take a bottle of water.

A flood of negativity surged after the Ministry of Defense reported on the liquidation of the leaders of ISIS banned in the Russian Federation and announced the final defeat terrorist organization. As recently as August 13, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, speaking on the Rossiya 24 TV channel, said that the liberation of the city of Deir ez-Zor from terrorists is a key event in the fight against terrorists: “This is such a main point on the Euphrates, after its capture it will be possible talk about ending the fight against ISIS.”

On August 25, the commander of the Group of Russian Armed Forces in Syria, Colonel-General Sergei Surovikin from the Khmeimim airbase, made a report via teleconference and stated that after the unblockade of the city of Deir ez-Zor, “the defeat of the main forces of ISIS terrorists and the liquidation of their last stronghold in the Syrian earth."

According to operational reports, the situation of the terrorist international apparently looked so dire that on September 12, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu flew to Damascus and met with Syrian President Bashar Assad. The Russian military department reported on the meeting by distributing a press release, the essence of which was that the conversation between the Russian minister and the Syrian president took place “in the context of the successful actions of Syrian government troops with the support of the Russian Aerospace Forces upon completion of the destruction of the ISIS terrorist group in Syria.”

Deir ez-Zor was indeed unblocked and liberated. The construction of crossings began to cross the Euphrates River in order to launch an offensive on the left bank - in the direction of the ISIS-controlled Umar and Tanak oil fields. At the same time, concentration began personnel and armored vehicles to attack the city of Mayadin, located on the right bank of the Euphrates, declared the new capital of the Islamic State.

ISIS counterattacks

But from mid-September the operational situation deteriorated sharply. The terrorists managed to mobilize resources for a counteroffensive. ISIS received fresh reinforcements. From the territory of Jordan, in the area of ​​al-Tanf, several large detachments militants.

On September 18, terrorists launched an offensive in the direction of the city of Hama, which is located in the Idlib de-escalation zone. Even tanks were thrown into the battle, and the offensive was preceded by powerful fire preparation. As the Russian Ministry of Defense later reported, in just one day, “the militants managed to penetrate the defenses of government troops to a depth of 12 kilometers, and up to 20 kilometers at the front.”

The result is an environment Russian platoon military police. To save 29 Russians, it was necessary to scramble almost all the aircraft from the Khmeimim airbase and urgently transfer mobile groups of Special Operations Forces plus a reconnaissance and assault company of the Wagner PMC from Deir ez-Zor to Idlib.

Before they had time to catch their breath, on September 28, ISIS launched a new offensive operation, almost simultaneously attacking many checkpoints on the Palmyra-Deir ez-Zor highway.

That's when the bad news came out of Syria.

The commander of the Far Eastern 5th Army, Lieutenant General Valery Asapov, and the commander of the 61st Brigade were killed Marine Corps Northern Fleet Valery Fedyanin.

Terrorists captured “Wagnerites” Roman Zabolotny and Grigory Tsurkana (this was reported by “ New Newspaper"and other media).

How many Russians died in Syria

Radio Liberty spoke about twelve Russians killed in Syria, presumably fighters from the Wagner PMC, with reference to a woman familiar with Roman Zabolotny, captured by ISIS.

There is no official confirmation of this information. But the experts we interviewed, including officers of the Ministry of Defense who returned from a special mission to Syria, and the “Wagnerites” who participated in the first liberation of Palmyra, and then Aleppo, were not at all surprised by the twelve “200 loads.”

“It’s not the number of deaths that is surprising, but the fact that information about this was leaked,” one of our interlocutors shared his thoughts. “Taking into account the intensity of the fighting in the area of ​​Idlib and Deir ez-Zor, as well as the suddenness of militant attacks on checkpoints, the death toll may be an order of magnitude higher...

“This is an axiom of military operations,” added another interlocutor. — Ratio of losses in offensive operations- one in three. If the Ministry of Defense reports on thousands of eliminated militants, then the losses of Assad’s army and our “attached” forces are comparable to the losses of terrorists. Even most of casualties are on the Syrians, then our guys are also not bulletproof...

The commander of the Group of Russian Armed Forces in Syria, Colonel General Sergei Surovikin, reported that in three months, from May to August 2017, enemy losses “amounted to more than 8 thousand militants, 1.5 thousand units of weapons, military and other equipment, and this amount is increasing every day."

If in three months the militants lost 8 thousand killed, and in September their losses continued to increase, how many did Assad’s army and Wagner PMC lose in killed and wounded? However, the Ministry of Defense bears no formal responsibility for the “Wagnerites”, and therefore, apparently, it is not disingenuous about the absence of major losses in its ranks. And this means only one thing: the exact number dead Russians(even for last month) we are unlikely to know. But these are clearly not twelve people whose bodies were brought to Rostov.

Another of my interlocutors, a “Wagnerian” who participated in the first liberation of Palmyra, said that in the battles for the liberation ancient city Two air assault companies, a tank company and an artillery battalion participated:

— The tank company was commanded by a legless man about 50 years old. He has been in Syria since 2015. After being blown up by a mine, his leg was amputated, but he recovered and returned. On a prosthesis. It was rumored that he was a retired lieutenant colonel, who had commanded a tank battalion before leaving the army. In the tank company there were some former tank officers - even drivers and gunners. Of course, they didn’t climb into the tanks very quickly, but already in the tanks they performed such miracles, you can admire them. The “goblins” also had many officers...

- What kind of “goblins” are they? — I interrupt the “Wagnerian.”

“That’s what we called the artillerymen.”

— Why “goblins”?

- Well, they dug in so deeply that we started joking: they say, don’t dig caves instead of trenches and start living there... The “goblins” also performed miracles. We practically didn’t miss... But there were still a lot of losses among ours. Twenty people died, only three in my platoon. Moreover, two are Ukrainians.

- By nationality?

— No, citizens of Ukraine. Wagner actually has a lot of them. Yes, there is no one there. In our company there was also a “citizen of the world” who served in French Legion. By the way, he met a fellow soldier there near Palmyra.

— And they served together in the French Legion. We climbed the hill, which had previously been thoroughly cultivated by the “goblins”. And we see about ten corpses of “blacks”. And then our “Frenchman” suddenly pulls out a bayonet and begins to rip apart the camouflage on one of the dead. And shows us the tattoo on right hand corpse. “That’s right,” he says. "Who?" - we ask. “Yes, complete scum, they “worked” together in the legion...”

Help "Novaya"

“PMC Wagner” is the informal name of a private military company led by Dmitry Valerievich Utkin, a retired lieutenant colonel, former commander 700th separate special forces detachment 2nd separate brigade special purpose GRU stationed in Pechory.

“Wagner PMC” came to light during the disarmament of Ukrainian units in Crimea in 2014 and in the fighting in the Donbass.

The first evidence of the appearance of Wagner PMCs in Syria dates back to October 2015, when the Wagnerites suffered losses.

Wagner PMC took part in the liberation of Palmyra and Aleppo.

The total number of Wagner PMCs is about 6,000 people, of which this moment about 2,500 are located in Syria.

Prospects for the legalization of “Wagnerians”

Three sources independent from each other - a Syrian officer military intelligence, General Staff officer Russian army and one of the staff officers of the “Wagner PMC” - named the approximate number of “Slavic volunteers” fighting on the side of Bashar al-Assad. There are several thousand of them. The main backbone of the PMC consists of four reconnaissance and assault brigades. Each has three companies of up to one hundred people.

In addition to reconnaissance and assault brigades, the Wagner PMC has formed:

• artillery division (about three hundred soldiers in three fire batteries of one hundred people each);
• tank company (about fifty people in three platoons, each with four tanks);
• sabotage and reconnaissance company (about one hundred and fifty people);
• engineering company (about one hundred people);
• communications company (about one hundred people);
• headquarters and support units, numbering about two hundred people.

It is quite obvious that in its structure “Wagner PMC” is a deployed military unit. But at the same time, it is not formally connected in any way with the Ministry of Defense. Although they train “Wagnerites”, refreshing their skills acquired during service in the Russian army, at a base located near the Molkino farm Krasnodar region, and they use the same training grounds, tank tracks, and shooting ranges where military unit 51532, known as the “10th GRU Special Forces Brigade,” conducts combat training. And they are transferred to Syria by Russian Aerospace Forces aircraft and large landing ships of the Navy (it was the landing ships that delivered “Wagner’s” “goblins” to Syria along with howitzers, anti-aircraft guns, and mortars received from army warehouses in Russia).

Discussions about the legalization of Wagner PMC have been going on almost from the very beginning of its deployment Russian group in Syria - from September 30, 2015. By the way, the Wagner PMC apparently learned about the plans of the military-political leadership of Russia several months before the transfer to the Khmeimim airbase. In any case, according to Novaya, already at the end of July 2015, a large group contract soldiers, who began purposefully preparing for a business trip to the Middle East.

And in August 2015, discussions began on amendments to the law “On Military Duty and military service”, allowing the conclusion of so-called “short-term contracts”. As Novaya reported in Ministry of Defense,

“On November 18, 2015, the text of the bill was published in open access on the federal portal of draft regulatory legal acts on the website regulation.gov.ru. Based on the results of examinations and public discussion, the bill did not receive negative feedback. Besides, legal norm, which provides for the possibility of concluding “short-term” contracts, exists in Russian legislation since 1996. The draft law only clarifies the conditions determining the right to conclude contracts for a period of up to one year. For example, if the amendments are adopted, conscripted military personnel participating in long-distance voyages of Navy ships will have the right to voluntarily enter into a short-term contract until the completion of the ship’s voyage.”

Despite the vagueness of the wording, it was obvious that the amendments were being adopted specifically for the “Wagnerites.”

But the passage of the bill has stalled. The State Duma adopted it only on December 14, 2016 - in three readings at once. The promptness of the State Duma was preceded by a clear signal received from the Kremlin. Five days before the adoption of the amendments on “short-term” contracts,” on December 9, 2015, a gala reception dedicated to honoring the Heroes of Russia was held in the St. George Hall of the Kremlin. Among the invitees was Dmitry Valerievich Utkin, the head of Wagner PMC. And with him - at least three of his closest associates.

However, enough time has passed since the adoption of amendments to the law “On Military Duty and Military Service”, which made it possible to legalize the “Wagnerites,” but not a single contract with the fighters of the “Wagner PMC” has yet been signed.

According to Novaya, two opposing groups have now formed. Among the opponents of the legalization of Chevek soldiers, for example, is the Secretary of State and Deputy Minister of Defense of Russia, Army General Nikolai Pankov. In addition, legalization is strongly opposed by military counterintelligence FSB. Among the supporters is the head of the Main intelligence agency General Staff Colonel General Igor Korobov.

The “pool” of supporters of the legalization of Chevekists managed to lobby for the participation of the “Wagnerites” in the Kremlin gala reception and forcing the adoption of a law on “short-term contracts.”

"Wagnerites" with President Putin after the ceremony in the St. George's Hall of the Kremlin. December 9, 2016.
Left - Dmitry Utkin (Wagner) at a reception in the Kremlin
December 9, 2016. Andrey Troshev, deputy commander of Wagner PMC at a reception in the Kremlin

The “pool” of opponents has so far managed to block the application of the law on “Wagnerites.” Two main arguments are being used - the budget of the Ministry of Defense does not provide for the costs of paying for the contracts of the Chevek soldiers, and secondly, the Ministry of Defense will have to recognize the losses of the Wagnerites as their own...

Meanwhile, people are dying. They are, as it were, nobody’s, which means no one needs them.

Dozens of mercenaries from a Russian private military company. There is no official data about this, as well as about the number of dead and wounded: the figures cited in the media vary from “dozens of dead” to 200 people. If so, then these are Russia’s largest one-time losses during the Syrian campaign. Who carried them?

What is Wagner PMC

For the first time about Wagner's private military company (PMC) and its participation in Syrian war in October 2015 she wrote “Fontanka”. According to the publication's sources, in 2013 Russian managers private military company Moran Security Group, Vadim Gusev and Evgeny Sidorov formed a detachment of 267 “contractors” to “protect fields and oil pipelines” in warring Syria. The detachment was named “Slavic Corps”. Its participants subsequently formed the “Wagner Group,” which, according to the publication, took part in hostilities on the territory of Ukraine on the side of the LPR and DPR and participated in the disarmament of Ukrainian military bases in Crimea. Investigations by several media reported that the training of fighters of this PMC takes place in Krasnodar, at the Molkino training ground - this camp began functioning around mid-2015.

On the participation of the “Wagner Group” in battles on the side of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, also citing sources, wrote The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) at the end of 2015. In the same article, WSJ journalists reported on the death of nine people from the Wagner Group in Syria.

In 2016, there were from 1 thousand to 1.6 thousand PMC employees in Syria at the same time, depending on the tension of the situation, RBC magazine wrote, citing a source familiar with the course of the operation.

Who runs the PMC

The founder of the “Wagner group,” as various media outlets wrote, is Dmitry Utkin with the call sign “Wagner.” A reserve officer, until 2013 he commanded the 700th separate special forces detachment of the 2nd separate brigade of the Special Forces of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense. After being transferred to the reserve, he worked at the Moran Security Group and participated in the Syrian expedition of the “Slavic Corps” in 2013. Since 2014, Utkin has been the commander of his own unit, which, based on his call sign, received the code name “Wagner PMC.” Since the fall of 2015, its activities have been transferred to Syria. There, as RBC magazine wrote, the “Wagner group” was secretly supervised by the GRU (now called the Main Directorate General Staff Armed Forces of the Russian Federation).

What are Russia's losses in Syria?

In December, during a surprise visit to the Khmeimim base, Vladimir Putin solemnly announced the start of the withdrawal Russian wars from Syria. By that time, there were official losses of the Russian army in Syria. But, according to Reuters, in just 9 months of 2017, at least 131 people died in Syria (officially - 16 people).

Where did this figure come from? Reuters obtained a certificate of death of Russian citizen Sergei Poddubny, issued by the consular department of the Russian Embassy in Syria on October 4. The certificate number is 131. The numbering of such certificates is updated annually, the consulate told the agency. This means that the number of each certificate corresponds to the number of deaths registered by the consulate up to that point since the beginning of the year. The consulate also stated that it does not register deaths of military personnel. The members of the “Wagner Group” are not military personnel. The Ministry of Defense never comments on her losses.

Are PMCs legal in Russia?

Mercenary activity is prohibited in Russia; military personnel can only work for the state. For participation in armed conflicts on the territory of another country, the Criminal Code provides for up to seven years in prison (Article 359), for recruiting, training and financing a mercenary - up to 15 years.

But they have been trying to legitimize the activities of PMCs in Russia for many years. The latest initiative is quite recent - in mid-January, the first deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on State Construction and Legislation, Mikhail Emelyanov, said that the bill on PMCs would be submitted to the lower house within a month. A little earlier creation legislative framework Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov supported the protection of the interests of Russian mercenaries.

It is assumed that the law will allow PMC fighters to be involved in participation in counter-terrorism operations abroad, as well as in the protection of various objects such as oil and gas fields. Develop, purchase or store weapons mass destruction PMCs will be banned. But the law was going to provide social guarantees for Russians who work for PMCs - now they officially do not have any rights and benefits provided for contract workers.

Anastasia Yakoreva, Svetlana Reiter

Wagner's private military company is illegal in Russia. They don’t talk about her on state channels. But its fighters, apparently, died in the Donbass and now in Syria.

The names of eight Russians already killed in Syria were found out and published by activists of the organization Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), as well as the Mediazona publication. They died presumably on February 7, 2018 under attacks by international coalition forces on Syrian army positions in the vicinity settlement Hisham.

The Russian Foreign Ministry confirmed the death of five Russian citizens in Syria, noting that they are not members of the Russian army. The dead were most likely fighters from the so-called private military company (PMC) Wagner. Journalists and activists have collected much information about her bit by bit over the past years.

What is Wagner PMC

The Wagner Private Military Company or Wagner Group is an unofficial military organization that is not part of the regular Russian armed forces and has no legal status. The military units of Wagner PMC numbered - in different time and according to various sources - from 1350 to 2000 people. According to sources in the German newspaper Bild in the Bundeswehr, the total number of mercenaries reaches 2,500 people. Officials in Russia deny the existence of the Wagner PMC. The Kremlin only acknowledges that Russians may privately participate in military operations abroad. Mercenary is prohibited by Article 359 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, however, proposals have been made in the State Duma and the Russian Foreign Ministry to legalize private military companies in Russia.

Where did Wagner's mercenaries fight?

Wagner PMC is believed to have grown out of the Slavic Corps military company, which carried out combat missions in Syria back in 2013. The future head of the PMC, Dmitry Utkin, call sign “Wagner,” was also a member of the “Slavic Corps.” The first evidence of the activities of the Wagner PMC was recorded Ukrainian special services in May 2014 in Donbass. In October 2017, the head of the SBU of Ukraine Vasily Gritsak announced the involvement of “Wagnerites” in the destruction of the military transport Il-76 in eastern Ukraine in June 2014, the storming of Donetsk airport and the fighting near Debaltsevo. There is no independent confirmation of this information.

Since the second half of 2015, evidence of the activity of Wagner PMCs has appeared only in Syria. It is believed that its fighters, in particular, actively participated in the first and second assault on Palmyra in 2016 and 2017. Since June 2017, mercenary targets have been reported Russian media RBC and Fontanka have changed. Fontanka wrote that Russian Ministry of Defense sharply reduced the supply of weapons to PMCs, transferring only outdated models.

Allegedly, PMCs offered to receive funding in Syria itself, including through the seizure and protection of oil and gas fields. In this regard, it is noteworthy that the attack in the area Syrian village Husham, allegedly with the participation of the Wagnerites, was carried out in the area of ​​the oil field and, according to some sources, had the goal of capturing it.
According to the British BBC, since the end of 2017, traces of Wagner PMCs have been seen in Sudan.

Private army fighters: who are they?

The recruitment of mercenaries, judging by the information about the dead, was taking place throughout Russia. Many of those killed in Syria previously had experience of fighting in eastern Ukraine. This is confirmed by both relatives and acquaintances of the dead mercenaries. According to the Ukrainian SBU, there are 277 people who fought in both “hot spots”.

Recruitment of private army personnel appears to have not been limited to Russia, but also to residents of parts of eastern Ukraine under separatist control. According to the SBU, as of October 2017, 40 soldiers with Ukrainian passports served in the Wagner PMC. Several Russian media outlets previously provided similar information without specifying exact figures.

How are mercenaries accepted and how much are they paid?

Mercenaries hired by PMCs sign a non-disclosure agreement. The St. Petersburg publication Fontanka reported the most details about the work of the Wagner PMC, which claims to have part of the company’s internal documentation. Referring to published copies of documents, Fontanka claims, in particular, that all applicants fill out forms with personal information, photographs, undergo a polygraph test and receive from 160 to 240 thousand rubles per month for their work.

Ruslan Leviev, founder of the activist group Conflict Intelligence Team (CIT), which monitors the actions of the Russian military in Syria, clarifies that salaries depend on skills, goals and location of the operation. During training in Russia, according to CIT, the salary ranges from 50 to 80 thousand, during foreign operations - 100-120 thousand, in case of military operations - 150-200 thousand, in case of special campaigns or major battles- up to 300 thousand.

Where do mercenaries train?

The "Wagner Group", according to numerous testimonies, trains at a military base near the Molkino farm in Krasnodar region, directly adjacent to the 10th separate special forces brigade of the GRU of the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation (military unit 51532). There is no information about other training points.

Where did “Wagner” come from and what are Prigozhin’s interests?

Dmitry Valerievich Utkin “Wagner”, born in 1970, is considered the head of the private military company of the same name. He apparently took up this activity after his dismissal from the post of commander of the 700th separate special forces detachment of the 2nd separate special forces brigade of the GRU, stationed in Pechory, Pskov region. A copy of the report on his dismissal is available on the Internet. Nothing is known about its authenticity, but there have been no denials either. In 2016, Utkin was spotted at a special reception in the Kremlin for military personnel who distinguished themselves by their special heroism. Since June 2017, Utkin has been under US sanctions; the US Treasury list states: “Connected with the private military company Wagner.”

Some of the sources of funding for PMCs in the media are the secret items of expenditure of the Russian Ministry of Defense, as well as businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, close to Russian President Vladimir Putin. He is also called “Putin’s chef.” As RBC found out, Yevgeny Prigozhin participated in several tenders to maintain the base of the Wagner group. Prigozhin himself, who is also under US sanctions, denies any connection with Wagner PMC. There is only indirect evidence of his involvement. Since the winter of 2016-2017, the Russian company Euro Policy LLC has become interested in developing gas and oil fields in Syria. According to the publications RBC and Fontanka, she is affiliated with Prigozhin.

In the summer of 2017, Euro Policy entered into an agreement with the Syrian state concern that it would be engaged in the protection and production of energy resources in local fields and would receive at its disposal a quarter of the volume produced from the towers that it recaptured from ISIS militants, AP reported with reference to for a copy of the agreement. It is believed that security functions should be taken over by Wagner PMC fighters.

Losses among mercenaries

Counting losses among the “soldiers of fortune” is complicated for a number of reasons: the illegal status of the PMC and its fighters, the company’s lack of accountability to government agencies, and a non-disclosure agreement. As a result, relatives of the victims often find out about what happened only several weeks later. The Russian Ministry of Defense refuses to record losses among mercenaries.

In October 2017, the SBU provided data on 67 victims who had experience of combat in both the Donbass and Syria. As of December 2017 total number Fontanka journalists estimated the established losses since the beginning of the participation of mercenaries in hostilities in Syria at 73, and the CIT team at 101 people. There is still no information about the fate of the alleged Wagner PMC fighters Roman Zabolotny and Grigory Turcanu, who were captured by ISIS.

Data on losses after the shelling of pro-Assad units by international coalition forces in the vicinity of Hisham on February 7, 2018 also vary: figures range from 11 dead and above.