The Kremlin said Friday that it is considering granting legal status to some of the more than two dozen private military companies active in Russia. Legally, these shadow paramilitary groups do not exist – which allows them to operate parallel to Russia’s armed forces, at times doing high-risk “dirty” jobs for the army while giving Moscow a measure of deniability.
The Kremlin has announced it may give legal status to some of the many private military companies (PMCs) active within Russia, notably the Wagner Group but also lesser-known militias like ConvoyPatriot, the Moran Security Group and Shchit (Shield).
“Legally, the Wagner private military group does not exist and has never existed,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters, noting that the status of companies such as Wagner remains “rather complicated”.
The declaration came a day after a similar statement made by Russian President Vladimir Putin to the “Kommersant” business daily. “The (Wagner) group is here, but it does not exist legally,” he said. Putin said its eventual legalisation was a question to be discussed in the Duma (the lower house) and within the government.
