The memories of the events in which Ukrainian citizens were direct participants are still fresh in the memory of the Ukrainian people. We are talking about a trial that took place recently in Libya over Ukrainians who allegedly provided military services to the Gaddafi regime. Currently, it is not worth discussing the legitimacy of such accusations, because the problem is that recently more and more states of the world perceive Ukraine as an exporting country of military specialists who are capable of performing any tasks assigned to them, and for not very big money … That is why more and more often many pay attention to Ukrainians exclusively in this aspect. At the same time, many analysts are confident that at this point in time this problem is not urgent for the state. But is it really so?
As you know, everything in the world tends to change. However, there are things that are not subject to change, in particular, we are talking about the desire of states for constant development, gaining independence, changing the political regime, obtaining new natural resources to strengthen their own positions in the world arena. Unfortunately, some states still use local wars and armed conflicts as a source of enrichment. It should be noted that the methods and forms of conducting combat operations are changing, but they cannot do without manpower. This is why one of the most problematic aspects of warfare is the use of mercenaries. Based on the experience of recent years, we can say that mercenarism has become one of the main components of modern armed conflicts. You don't have to go far to find evidence, it is enough to watch any release of world news - almost every story about any of the local wars is about mercenaries.
According to the same media reports, during the fighting in Tripoli, more than two and a half hundred mercenaries were captured, and among them - 19 people turned out to be Ukrainians. It is noteworthy that the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry denies such information, stating that it does not possess any information of this kind, and therefore is conducting a check. And there is nothing surprising in statements of this kind, because in Ukraine mercenarism is a criminal offense. In addition, you can often see such messages in the press, which are positioned as sensational, but in fact do not contain any valuable information.
As for the participation of Ukrainian mercenaries in the Libyan war, information about their participation appeared almost from the very beginning of the war. So, on February 22, 2011, information appeared in American sources that Ukrainian pilots were piloting Libyan MiGs, firing at protesters, but no evidence was provided for such statements. As events unfolded, Ukrainian mercenaries began to be mentioned more and more often. So, in particular, on August 23, in one of the social networks, an American journalist wrote that in one of the battles the Libyan rebels managed to capture at least 10-11 mercenaries from Ukraine who fought on the side of Gaddafi.
A few days later, a new mention of Ukrainian mercenaries appeared. Representatives of the Transitional National Council made a statement that about two hundred mercenaries from African countries, as well as about 15 Ukrainian mercenary snipers, were detained during the battles for one of the capital's districts.
However, the role of Ukrainian mercenaries was not limited to participation in the Libyan war. So, in February 2012, the Head of the Politburo of the National Movement for the Liberation of Azawad, Mahmoud Ag Ali, said that the Malian state used Ukrainian mercenaries to maintain and pilot military aircraft, which not only destroyed the transport and settlements of civilians, but also the people themselves in the Agabo regions., Intedeini, Uzen and Tesalit. Soon, this statement was sent to the address of the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
It is worth noting the statement of the representative of the Investigative Committee of Russia V. Markin regarding the participation in the armed conflict of Ukrainian citizens in South Ossetia. And such statements are encountered quite often, almost every year, as soon as another armed conflict breaks out somewhere in the world.
But the problem lies not only in the participation of mercenaries from Ukraine. Traditionally, mercenaries are not tied to any region in the world, because they come from many countries and appear in the place where the so-called employer sent them. At the same time, if earlier mercenarism was associated mainly with Africa, then in recent years "soldiers of fortune" have begun to meet more and more in Central America, Asia, the Balkans and the Caucasus, in the Pacific region. Thus, for a certain fee, these people take part in armed conflicts, to which they have nothing to do.
It should be noted that the role of mercenaries especially increased in the 60s of the twentieth century, after the process of decolonization. The mercenaries were involved in the struggle for the right to self-determination of peoples that were previously colonies. In addition, they were used to fight national liberation movements and to destabilize the newly created independent governments.
With the end of the Cold War, a new category of mercenaries has emerged, and their activities have also changed to a certain extent. At that time, the main source of conflict was the resurgence of religious and ethnic intolerance, extreme nationalism, while ideological divisions gradually eased. Therefore, powerful states practically ceased to care about establishing control in regions located in the immediate vicinity of their borders, and paid less and less attention to conducting operations abroad. This was the starting point for increasing demand for mercenary services. At the same time, the first companies appeared that were engaged in ensuring security and providing military assistance, selling a variety of services, in particular, hiring military specialists to participate in military combat operations.
The problem of mercenary activity, by the way, is of great concern to the world community. Even in the resolution of the Commission on Human Rights regarding mercenarism, it is said that the activities of mercenaries are the cause of the difficulty of the process of self-determination of peoples and is contrary to international law.
Over the past two decades, the United Nations has adopted more than a hundred documents condemning the activities of both the mercenaries themselves and those who use them. Back in 1989, the General Assembly adopted the International Convention against the Recruitment, Financing, Training and Use of Mercenaries. Similar documents were adopted by the Organization of African Unity, in particular, in 1977, the Convention on the Elimination of Mercenarism in Africa was adopted.
As for Ukrainian legislation, there is a law in it, according to which the citizens of the country are prohibited from taking part in armed conflicts and wars in order to obtain any material benefit. For violation of this law, the punishment is imprisonment for a term of three to ten years. But not everyone takes it seriously, trying in various ways to find themselves abroad as mercenaries. In this regard, the activities of private foreign military companies have recently attracted more and more attention. Every year the number of Ukrainian citizens who work in these companies is increasing.
According to the Geneva Center for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces, private military companies are usually called commercial enterprises that offer specific services related to participation in armed conflicts and wars, including the conduct of military operations, strategic planning, intelligence gathering, operational support and logistics, as well as service of military equipment.
At the same time, the majority of such companies strive to position themselves as security companies, but since security functions are carried out, as a rule, in a combat zone, it is not possible to distinguish between combat functions and security ones. That is why private military companies are very often associated with mercenary activities.
In this situation, the position of the Ukrainian state regarding the activities of military private companies is of great concern. It is a pity, but at present there is no clear position on this issue. At the same time, there are two completely opposite opinions. Some experts and analysts talk about the need to legalize the activities of such companies by approving such activities in national and international legislation. Another part says that this kind of activity is nothing more than mercenary activities.
Be that as it may, but one thing remains indisputable - employees of private military companies periodically take part in armed conflicts abroad. And from time to time, the activities of these companies become the object of increased interest from the media. In particular, we are talking about such companies as Blackwaters, ArmorGroup, Northbridge Services Group and many others.
Thus, in particular, in April 2003 Baroness Zion, a member of the British Parliament, sharply condemned the activities of the Northbridge Services Group in Cod d'Iduvar. In response to this announcement, the British government expressed concern over the recruitment of British, South African, French and Ukrainian mercenaries from among the former military personnel.
The activity of the Blackwaters company is indicative, the characteristic features of which are a tough style of work with the use of weapons, in some cases - unjustified. For example, in 2007, an incident occurred in Baghdad, as a result of which civilians were injured. The local authorities accused the employees of this military company and demanded that they cease their activities in the country. In addition, the authorities demanded that all military companies be checked for compliance with Iraqi law. Over time, the activities of "Blackwaters" in the country resumed, but the mercenaries were used only for tasks of special importance.
In early 2011, employees of the G4S (Group 4 Securicor) company, while guarding oil products in the Niger Delta region, clashed with members of the Niger Delta Liberation Movement terrorist organization. As a result, representatives of the Nigerian government announced that the employees of this company had no right to enter into armed conflicts with local residents. By their actions, the mercenaries violated the law - the Convention of the Organization of African Unity on the Elimination of Mercenaries in Africa.
Thus, at present, the activities of private military companies can be viewed as a legal way to find a job in hot spots. However, in reality, there is no legal component here. Many who decide to work as a mercenary, as a rule, sign contracts for official employment, which stipulate social guarantees in unforeseen cases, after being injured, and so on. But in reality, these agreements do not have any legal force on the territory of Ukraine, because such companies operate outside the framework of the national legal field.
As for the Ukrainian private military companies, which began to appear in the early 2000s - we are talking, in particular, about the Muse Professional Group and Vega Strategic Services - everything is not so simple here either. These companies not only carry out their activities in zones of armed conflict, organizing conditions for the participation of their personnel in combat operations and posing a threat to their lives. Their activities also threaten the national interests of the state. Ukraine as a democratic country has undertaken certain obligations, in particular, respect for the sovereignty of other states. Therefore, the unresolved issue of mercenarism in the country can be used by other states to discredit Ukraine in the international arena.
