President Vladimir Putin has stressed that his government has nothing to do with the Russian mercenary company Private Military Group, better known as the Wagner Group.
These mercenaries are mainly active in Africa, where they protect companies or extraction areas for minerals and participate in the struggle, such as in Mali, Libya, and the Central African Republic.
After a conversation with his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron in Moscow, Putin said that countries themselves approach mercenaries, conclude contracts, and Wagner pursues commercial goals. “Those countries can decide for themselves who takes care of their security, isn’t that also NATO’s logic?” Putin wondered aloud.
European countries have recently complained about Wagner’s activities in Mali, where France, in particular, has been heavily involved in security missions. Paris has complained that leaders in Mali have engaged the Russian company, Wagner. In addition, the government of Russia is often accused of being behind the Private Military Group. It consists of many Russian ex-soldiers.
Many countries hire individuals for security duties or for fighting enemies. Mercenaries take many risks in exchange for money and act as discreetly or secretly as possible. They are also often hired for dangerous tasks that can involve high losses. The client no longer has to worry about this financially or politically. The ‘mercenary sector’ is a huge business, and there is increasing demand and competition among these ‘Soldiers of Fortune’.