Andrei Kartapolov: we need a law that would regulate the activities of PMCs

Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Andrey Kartapolov (United Russia) believes that Russia needs a law that would regulate the activities of private military companies. He said this in an interview with Vedomosti.

When asked if it could be prepared and accepted in the near future, Kartapolov replied: “We are working on it.” According to him, now the State Duma as a whole and the Defense Committee in particular continue to work in all areas of activity of the armed structure of the state, and PMCs are one of its components.

Kartapolov also stated that those members of the Wagner PMC who were in Rostov-on-Don “did not do anything reprehensible”: “They followed the orders of their command.”

“They didn’t offend anyone, they didn’t break anything. No one has the slightest claim to them – neither the residents of Rostov, nor the military personnel of the Southern Military District, nor the law enforcement agencies. So what are their questions? There are no complaints about them. If they want to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense, they will sign it. If they don’t want to, then every person is free to choose his own destiny, he will do something else,” Kartapolov believes. Moreover, according to him, in case of signing contracts with the Ministry of Defense, they can continue to serve as part of other units, or if they sign a contract with the whole staff, then continue to serve as part of their units.

The deputy emphasizes that today the fate of Wagner PMC itself has not been fully determined. “First you need to decide on this. What will happen to her? What divisions will remain? Will they stay at all? What will they be called? To whom will they obey? After all, in addition to those units that are in the special operation zone, there are many employees of this PMC in other places,” says Kartapolov.

When asked if the Wagner PMC could be banned, Kartapolov said: “Why should it be banned? Here, after all, all questions are for the head of the PMC. Joseph Vissarionovich [Сталин] He said that children are not responsible for their parents. The one who raised the rebellion must answer. We are used to chopping everything under the root. According to the deputy, the Wagner PMC is now the most combat-ready unit in Russia, and this is recognized by everyone, including representatives of the Armed Forces. “And to take them and disarm and disperse them – you can’t imagine a better gift for NATO and Ukrainians. You don’t have to do it,” he says.

According to Kartapolov, now the Ministry of Defense, the General Staff need to think about how to make sure that the potential of the Wagner PMC is used “to the maximum, but for peaceful purposes.” “We need to change leadership. Putting someone there who will be more loyal, more specific, but whom the participants will respect and perceive is a difficult job, of course, ”says Kartapolov.

On June 23, the founder of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Ministry of Defense of shelling the organization’s camp. The Ministry of Defense denied this information. After that, “Wagner” blocked Rostov-on-Don and took control of the city’s military facilities, moved towards Voronezh, etc. A criminal case was opened against the businessman for organizing an armed rebellion.

On the evening of June 24, the Kremlin reported that Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko had held talks with Prigozhin, the latter agreed to take measures to de-escalate the situation. He announced the return of fighters and equipment to field camps. It was decided to stop the criminal case against the businessman.