The Public Revelation of Some Militants and Professional Mercenaries from Russia

On December 9, the Kremlin held a grand ceremony titled "Motherland Heroes Day," attended by over 300 military personnel and civilians who have shown exceptional courage and loyalty, including Soviet and Russian heroes. In a report prepared by Robert Coalson and Alexander Gustaf for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, it is mentioned that Vladimir Putin personally spoke at the event and thanked the participants for their services. Investigative journalist Denis Korotkov identified a man from images broadcasted by state media, who he has been reporting on for years. This individual is Dmitry Utkin, known by the nickname "Wagner," and is believed to be the head of an unregistered private military company called ChVK Wagner. A Kremlin spokesperson confirmed Utkin's attendance at the ceremony on December 15 and stated that he has been awarded a medal of valor. When asked why this medal was awarded to Mr. Utkin, the spokesperson said, "It is usually awarded for bravery." According to Denis Korotkov and others who have researched the secretive world of Russian mercenaries, Utkin's presence at this event is the clearest indication of the role of professional mercenaries in Russia's foreign policy over the past five years, particularly in Ukraine and Syria. This issue has always been kept under wraps, especially since the activities of mercenaries and private military companies are prohibited by law in Russia. However, many pieces of evidence suggest that Russia also employs these professional mercenaries in close cooperation with the country's armed forces, similar to the methods used by the U.S. government in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Using public sources and his contacts in the Russian Federal Security Service, Denis Korotkov has been able to gather extensive information about Dmitry Utkin's background. Before 2013, he was a brigade commander in special forces units under the command of the Russian military intelligence. After retiring that year, he joined a private security company called "Moran Security Company," founded by a group of former Russian military personnel, which operates in various parts of the world, particularly in anti-piracy efforts. In the same year, "Moran Security Company" began collaborating with another company called "Slav Corps," which publicly advertised online to recruit mercenaries with the aim of "protecting oil fields and pipelines in Syria." According to multiple media reports, Dmitry Utkin was nicknamed "Wagner" due to his interest in the "achievements and ideology of the Nazi regime led by Adolf Hitler." The name of the ChVK (short for private military company in Russian) owned by Dmitry Utkin first emerged in 2014 due to their collaboration with Russian-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine. Reports published in 2015 indicated that personnel from this company returned to Syria. Apparently, the "mercenaries" from this company played a significant role in recapturing the ancient city of Palmyra in May 2016. Another individual identified in the state media reports from the Motherland Heroes Day ceremony is retired Colonel Andrei Troshchev, a veteran of the Soviet-Afghan War who officially retired in 2014. Until that time, he had not received a valor medal, but recent images from the ceremony show that he now wears one. Ruslan Luyif, a Russian security expert, states that according to investigations by journalists tracking mercenaries and private military companies, Dmitry Utkin's military company has close ties with the special forces units of the Russian army, and their main training center is located next to one of the special forces training facilities. Luyif adds, "Images released by the Islamic State of Russian mercenaries killed show that these individuals also possess the standard weapons of the special forces personnel of the Russian army, and images released by the mercenaries themselves indicate that they travel with Russian military aircraft in various locations in Syria. It is clear that they receive logistical and military assistance from the Ministry of Defense." According to Denis Korotkov's assessment, at least 600 professional mercenaries have participated in the Syrian war as personnel of Dmitry Utkin's military company since 2014, and approximately 60 of them have likely been killed in these operations. Ruslan Luyif points out the important fact that according to Russian laws, acting as "professional mercenaries" is illegal, and adds, "There is almost no doubt about the awarding of military medals to these individuals. However, in my opinion, this cannot be officially done because, according to law and regulations, awarding medals to such individuals fighting on foreign soil is impossible."