Vladislav Surkov after Prigozhin’s rebellion urged to stop “playing PMCs”

Former Russian presidential aide Vladislav Surkov interview political strategist Alexei Chesnakov called private military companies a borrowing from Western practice, which in Russian realities is considered “anti-constitutional”. This is how he commented on the initiative to regulate the activities of private military companies in Russia after the armed rebellion organized by the founder of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin.

“Why do we need private military companies at all? As you know, I consider Russian democracy to be sovereign. In this approach, the main thing is not to blindly copy other people’s institutions. Some things need to be adopted and some things don’t. It is critically important to take into account the peculiarities of national culture and psychology when building a political system,” said Vladislav Surkov.

According to him, the legitimization of PMCs as an institution may lead to the emergence of a “string of enthusiasts” who will later propose the creation of a private army. The former aide to the Russian president believes that the private detachment is contrary to “Russian political, managerial and military culture.”

“If the law on PMCs is adopted, then no matter how good and thoughtful it is, no matter how clearly it is stated that PMCs are subordinate to the army command, are part of the army, etc., such a law will still create a dangerous prospect of our country turning into what kind of country in the future. something like a Eurasian ”zone of tribes”,” says Mr. Surkov.

He believes that private military companies were created “to participate in proxy wars”, and Russia does not need them, since it “openly participates in the battle for Ukraine.” “We don’t need this. Our Armed Forces have a contract system. Make it more complex, make it more flexible if necessary, but don’t play PMC anymore,” he concluded.

On June 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin accused the Ministry of Defense of striking the positions of Wagner PMC fighters and announced a “justice march” on Moscow. By the morning of June 24, PMC fighters took control of military facilities in Rostov-on-Don. By the evening of the same day, it became known about the departure of Wagner PMC to field camps.

Against this background, the discussion about the need to legally regulate the activities of PMCs in Russia resumed. The State Duma Committee reported on the preparation of the relevant bill, and the Federation Council suggested prohibit the activities of PMCs in Russia. Senator Andrei Klishas counted a separate law on the legal status of private military companies is irrelevant.

Details about the rebellion of PMC “Wagner” – in the material “Kommersant” “Disarmed rebellion”.

Lusine Balasyan