Russia’s Wagner Troop is the best-known, but not the only, private army in Ukraine. Western secret services see a “paramilitarization”. Is Putin threatening to lose his monopoly on the use of force?
Yevgeny Prigozhin wants to give himself and his Wagner mercenaries a break after the extremely costly battle for the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut. After a helicopter flight, the head of Wagner’s private army proudly shows a video of an underground field camp in a forest with sandy soil: shared accommodation, a kitchen, a dining room and a sauna. Everything built from wood. Somewhere in Russia. There the mercenaries are supposed to prepare for new combat missions in the Ukraine. But the force is by no means the only paramilitary organization in the war in Ukraine, even though private armies are not allowed in Russia.
It is true that Wagner has by far the greatest resources with tens of thousands of fighters, tanks, aircraft and heavy artillery – and is also active in Africa, for example. But Prigozhin himself confirmed that he is not fighting alone in Ukraine. The state energy giant Gazprom is therefore active with private military companies and is said to have founded three: current, flame and torch.
There are a variety of other organizations that not only question the role of the regular Russian army. It is now openly discussed whether Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin is slipping away from the state’s monopoly on the use of force. Western intelligence services are already talking about “paramilitarization” in Russia.
Who finances the military private companies in Russia?
The private military companies are called Patriot, Storm, Redut and Jenot and, according to experts, are financed by oligarchs and large commodity groups. Officially, they often appear as security companies for strategically important objects, although state security authorities would be responsible for this.
But Russian media are now openly reporting that private companies are thriving in the wake of the war against Ukraine. “The private military companies are state outsourcing – a new technology in the field of warfare,” analyst Sergei Ermakov from the Russian Institute for Strategic Research told Moscow’s glossy Expert magazine.
These paramilitary companies operate in a legal gray area. Legislative projects to legalize them have not progressed for years. Opponents of the Kremlin see the private armies as mafia-like structures designed to help Putin win victory in Ukraine or, in the event of defeat, at least provide him and his people with security and, at best, power. The critics complain that these companies do not serve state interests, but individual oligarchs, groups and corporations who pay them.
What other groups are there besides Wagner?
Above all, Wagner’s model has long since set a precedent. Ramzan Kadyrov, head of the Russian republic of Chechnya in the North Caucasus, who is himself active with his fighters in the Ukraine, was enthusiastic about how “iron” Wagner was acting. He wants to set up such an army himself after leaving the civil service – and compete with “our dear brother Yevgeny Prigozhin”.
Media close to the Kremlin keep raving about how well organized, efficient and successful Wagner is. For a long time, the power apparatus in Moscow acted as if Wagner were a phantom and had nothing to do with the Russian state. Meanwhile, Prigozhin is omnipresent. The 61-year-old criticizes corruption, vanity and bureaucracy in the army. He holds Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and his chief of staff Valeri Gerasimov personally responsible for abuses and defeats.
While ordinary citizens would find themselves in prison for years for such failures, Prigozhin rumbles as if he were untouchable. The Russian ultra-nationalist and former intelligence officer Igor Girkin, also known by the alias Strelkov, accused Prigozhin of having declared “war” on a section of the army and elite – and of planning a coup.
What criticism is there?
Girkin criticized Prigozhin’s unacceptable “insults” against the Russian army as a crime and called for action by the Kremlin against the Putin confidant. “We don’t have any other army and we have to make it a fighting tool,” he stressed. Should Moscow suffer a defeat in the counter-offensive planned by Kiev, Russia is threatened with chaos by the end of the summer.
The Russian political scientist Tatyana Stanovaja still considers Putin to be relatively strong enough to maintain the balance of power. “For the president, a private military company is an attribute that belongs to a great power with geopolitical ambitions,” she says. However, Wagner has long since developed a life of its own – and Prigozhin himself has revolutionary views, she agrees. “War breeds monsters whose ruthlessness and desperation can pose a challenge to the state.” Even with the smallest weakness, the system could tip over.
Last but not least, partisans and saboteurs are on the move in Russia, working against Russia’s war machine. The fact that the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine has been under attack for days has also caused great uncertainty. Governor Vyacheslav Gladkov also reported that he came under fire. After complaints from fleeing and horrified citizens as to why the Russian state was waging war in Ukraine but not protecting its own territory from attack, he said he had many more questions for the Defense Ministry himself.
What is happening in the Belgorod region?
Minister Shoigu promised to take tough action. The ministry also reported that more than 70 militants were “killed” in the Belgorod region. But there – as in other border regions that have been repeatedly attacked – vigilante groups have long been formed, according to the authorities. Meanwhile, calls are being made to equip these volunteer groups with weapons. In addition, private military companies are forming on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia – probably because the regular army is not trusted enough.
With regard to the attacks in Belgorod, the political scientist Abbas Galliamov recalled that for decades the power apparatus had been boldly declaring that Russia was surrounded by enemies and was therefore expanding and strengthening its defenses. “Now that things are getting down to business, people are suddenly supposed to defend themselves against the enemy,” says Putin’s former speechwriter. In view of the difficult situation in the war and because of the large number of armed groups, he now even sees the country on the brink of a revolution.
Source: Stern

I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.