Until the end of the 16th century, the local Turkic people bore the common ethnonym Bulgars....
Syria is a state where the civil war has not stopped for 5 years. Because of this fact, this country has ceased to be in demand among foreigners who want to earn money. Today, many of its inhabitants are leaving Syria, seeking asylum in neighboring countries and
Due to the emergence of conflict situations on the territory of Syria, many foreign nationals do not want to go there to work, even though this state is not poor and is able to offer labor migrants very good wages. But, unfortunately, today most of the vacancies are concentrated in the military sphere.
As you know, not so long ago, Russia became a defendant in this war. Therefore, many Russian citizens are employed to work in Syria at military bases under a contract.
For employment in Syria at a military base, Russians must necessarily conclude a contract.
The conclusion of the contract is possible only after passing the following procedures:
- Initially, all applicants for such vacancies are tested for professional suitability.
- Then all applicants must undergo a mandatory medical examination, which must confirm that the person who wants to get a job at a military base has no health problems.
The medical examination consists of 2 parts:
- Initially, the physical health of the applicant is determined.
- After that, the applicant is required to undergo psychological tests.
- Each applicant is checked by special authorities for a criminal record. The check is carried out by employees of the Federal Security Service Russian Federation.
Employment process
After passing all the necessary procedures, a contract is concluded with the applicant for a period of at least 6 months. The contract stipulates that the contractor is assigned to a certain military base, gets the opportunity for career growth with the proper performance of his duties. The contract also states that the employee has the right to retrain and retrain for a new military specialization.
How to find a job
You can find contract work in Syria through Internet portals. Many job sites offer Russian men similar vacancies.
But it is best to contact the military commissariat at the place of actual residence and write a statement confirming the desire to go to work in Syria. After writing the application, the applicant will need to wait at least 3 months. During this time, a special commission decides on sending a person to this hot spot.
If a person does not have a military specialty, then he will most likely be refused.
If the conclusion of the commission was in favor of the applicant, then he is sent to undergo a medical commission.
Wage
The salary level of a contractor working in the Syrian Arab Republic depends on factors such as:
- Military rank.
- military specialization.
- The role of a contract soldier in conducting military operations on the territory of the Syrian Arab Republic.
- Validity employment contract.
- The presence of awards and distinctions from a contractor.
On average, the salary of a military man under the contract is 200,000 rubles. If the Russian military has awards or extensive experience in conducting military operations, then his salary will exceed the specified amount.
Officers earn on average up to 300,000 rubles a month. In addition to the basic salary, they receive additional payments and bonuses.
The salary of pilots reaches 400,000 rubles. But it is also worth noting that the level of salaries of fighter pilots depends on the number of sorties and the result of the operation.
Working conditions
According to the contract, all employees of military bases are provided with food and accommodation for the period of service. Also, the soldiers are fully provided with the necessary clothing and military equipment. In addition to the above, they are also provided with medical care and all necessary medicines.
Often, many military personnel live in so-called military camps, which are fully equipped with everything you need. On the territory of the camp there are not only living quarters, but also workshops designed for repair and maintenance of equipment.
Typically, camps are located at a distance of at least 300 kilometers from hostilities. This location allows you to make the accommodation of military personnel safe.
If a serviceman dies during hostilities, then his family is paid monetary compensation in the amount of 2 million rubles.
Only the next of kin can receive the payment: parents, spouse or children.
The funeral is financed by the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation.
Civilian specialties in Syria
In addition to the military, Syria is recruiting hairdressers, cooks, and repairmen. Representatives of civilian specialties are considered to be workers who work on military bases, but do not have a military specialty.
Hairdressers working at a military base earn up to 120,000 rubles a month on average. A similar salary for sellers and drivers.
Only a person with at least 3 years of work experience can get a job as a hairdresser in Syria. The same applies to sellers. The seller must know the cash register.
Drivers are subject to more stringent requirements:
- No bad habits.
- The presence of a military rank.
- Driving license category C and B.
What is the life of a mercenary? On a false British passport, a Norwegian named Tom traveled the world - as a mercenary. This is a world closed from others, where there is a lot of money, a lot of violence and a lot of men who are thirsty for adventure.
“When I approached the hangar at the airport in Guinea, I saw boxes of weapons that were waiting for us. I noticed that in some places there were signs with my last name attached. Then I thought: it will be hot,” says Tom.
Tom sits on the couch at his home in Trøndelag and reminisces about how he lived a few years ago. There is a glass of Red Bull on the table. He cannot live without it - this addiction is from that past life.
On the wall behind him is a huge panel depicting a map of the world. A world full of exciting routes, as well as some nooks and crannies that can best be described as hell on earth. Tom has been to many of them.
For several years he traveled from one military zone to another as a mercenary - or a private contractor, as it is also called - and performed various tasks. Sometimes - legal, sometimes - in the "gray zone". And sometimes illegal.
He was taken by the army
In fact, he was going to work with children and teenagers. While studying, in his free time he was engaged in boxing. And on weekends he worked as a bouncer in Trondheim.
“Then I was drafted into the army. I liked it there. Everything was very exciting. We rushed across the endless expanses on six-wheeled vehicles and snowmobiles, sometimes pretending that we were behind enemy lines.
Interest in military affairs grew as he increasingly comprehended army science. Tom began to read books about foreign special forces and began to dream of getting into the SAS (British Special Forces - author's note).
When his military service came to an end, he moved to Southampton in England to live with his girlfriend.
“If you work as a security guard, you will always have a job. But for someone used to standing and guarding doors in Trondheim, working in England is a culture shock. And on the first weekend, I really got it. ”
Tom explains that in England, a bouncer who has his snout cleaned needs to regain respect as soon as possible. And the chief ordered him to beat up someone on the next shift.
“I tried and won. And went straight to heaven. Then I began to act more and more rigidly. And gradually the fights became commonplace,” says Tom.
Tom liked to use force, he became more and more cool. "Normal" fights gradually escalated into brutal violence.
“Everyone knew you as a tough guy, respected for it. And I enjoyed that respect."
Rockstar bodyguard
After a few months of working as a bouncer, Tom met guys who owned a security company. They, in particular, involved such rock bands as Oasis and Stereophonics.
“I have had a lot of accidents in my life. That's how it was at that time. They just fired one of the smaller bosses, like a foreman who was too addicted to cocaine. And I had the opportunity to test my strength. I had to distribute people on duty, always be aware of who is doing what and when.
Everyone who worked in this security firm had previously worked either in the special forces or in the police. Unexpectedly for himself, Tom was among those whom he had read about and who had been a role model for him for many years.
While Tom worked as a foreman of security guards, he was sent to bodyguard training. He, in particular, learned from the police to resolve conflicts, the technique of detention, and also went to courses for military drivers. And he was sent to shooting courses.
Gradually, he was able to try his hand as a bodyguard. He began to work closely with the brothers Liam og Noel Gallagher from Oasis.
“At that time, my dream came true. Both of them were quite rambunctious, but I behaved kindly and got along well with both."
At the time, Oasis was one of the most popular rock bands in the world. As a bodyguard, Tom had, in particular, to keep particularly annoying fans at bay.
“I remember that some even climbed over the fence of their house. Then we let them in with the Doberman that Noel had,” Tom grins.
overseas mission
The owner of the security company where Tom worked had several other firms. One of them got a job in Iraq teaching Iraqi commandos how to shoot. This was shortly after the Americans took Baghdad during the second Gulf War.
“Here again, everything happened purely by accident. The chief wanted me to go with him. Well, I packed my backpack and went. On that trip, I was mostly running errands with the chef.”
In Iraq, the war was very close. Although President George W. Bush announced that "mission accomplished" (mission accomplished), peace in the Iraqi capital was still far away. From his room in a hotel in the Green Zone, he repeatedly saw other hotels fired from grenade launchers. Tanks rolled through the streets.
“It was kind of surreal. I went armed from head to toe, although I was just some kind of servant. But I felt the taste. Got a taste for the desert."
And such a thing as salary also played a role. They paid well, and this motivated me to the next trips abroad.
One day the boss came to him with application forms for a British passport. Since Tom had a British employer, permanent residence and a British driver's license, he could apply for British citizenship.
“When I received my passport, I saw that my name was not written there. How the boss managed to pull this off, I don't know. I asked why this was, but he only told me that now they will always call me that when I travel abroad.
With a new passport, Tom was sent to Belize, South America.
“I started to think that this was some kind of adventure, but actually I didn’t ask many questions about what the boss had planned for me.”
When he arrived in the former British colony, he met a group of British soldiers there who were going to train in the jungle. He had to go with them.
“It was terribly hard. I felt really bad, flowing from all holes, but I continued to train. There were snakes, we ate snake hearts, and there was nothing there,” says Tom.
But the training was only preparation for the next stage. Tom began to suspect that he wasn't trained to be a better bodyguard.
Soldiers in the gray zone
The private military industry has become a billion-dollar business. As a result of the war on terror, there were clearly not enough soldiers, and the industry itself began to receive more and more orders. Companies like Blackwater have made billions from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The American authorities were, without a doubt, the largest employer for these companies.
From 1991 to 2006 the number of private contractors working for the US government has tripled. The most productive year was 2008, when, according to the US military, there were 160,000 mercenaries in Iraq and 70,000 in Afghanistan. They worked for the Americans. And then there were those who worked for other countries.
The Norwegian authorities do not know how many Norwegians work in this industry.
“The armed forces are not in the business of gathering information about what our former employees after their service with us ended, we have no idea about it. And if former Norwegian military personnel engage in activities or commit acts that do not comply with Norwegian law, this is a matter for the police and the prosecutor's office, ”says Colonel Sven Halvorsen, spokesman for the Commander-in-Chief of the Norwegian Armed Forces.
From a legal point of view, working as a mercenary is not against the law. But a person does not participate in battles legally, he also does not have immunity to lawful hostilities. This means that mercenaries who are armed and operate where there is a military conflict can only use force when we are talking about self defense.
And mercenaries are considered civilians.
Although the number of mercenaries, for example, in Iraq and Afghanistan, has decreased significantly, it is still a very profitable business.
“Active piracy leads to the fact that there is a market for maritime contractors who are engaged in security, guarding merchant ships in the seas where pirates operate. There are private military firms operating in Africa. The South African community played a central role in the fight against Boko Haram in Nigeria in 2015,” says Halvorsen.
The Norwegian authorities say they are not going to use the services of private contractors for military purposes or for the protection of prisoners.
Baptism of fire
When Tom returned from Belize to Southampton, the security firm moved. Tom has a new office in the basement.
“When I went down there, I saw a map of Africa and next to it was my name. It turned out that the boss was gathering people who were supposed to go to Sierra Leone.”
All those with whom Tom was supposed to go turned out to be mercenaries.
First they went to Guinea. There were crates of weapons in front of the hangar at the airport, crate upon crate. Some rifles and pistols had plaques with his name attached to them.
“Then I thought: it will be hot. But he didn't ask questions. Then we went from Guinea to Sierra Leone. We didn't have a clear idea of what we were going to do there."
After a while, Tom realized that they were in the country illegally.
Since the early 1990s, Sierra Leone has been engulfed in a bloody civil war. Thousands were killed, millions were forced to flee. Government troops and part of the militia fought with the rebels, referred to as the "Revolutionary United Front" (RUF). For private companies that took advantage of the opportunity and made money from the war, it was a real Eldorado.
Blackwater mercenaries in Iraq
“There were more private contractors there than UN soldiers. Besides, the Blue Helmets didn't really go where it was the worst,” says Tom.
The work was very different. They guarded people from the government, diplomats and those who had to travel around the country.
They also trained the militia that supported the government troops.
Tom and his colleagues lived in a village a few miles from Freetown when they trained the militia. A small village with dugouts and a few crumbling stone buildings.
There are few civilians left in the village. Most were either killed or fled.
“Although the rebel soldiers were on the ‘right side’, they were not particularly pleasant people. Women were kidnapped from the enemy, raped. They didn’t kill them later, but they cut off their breasts so that if women had children later, they couldn’t feed them.”
Tom saw with his own eyes how people's hands and feet were cut off. In addition, many of the rebel soldiers were extremely superstitious.
“The worst thing was when they cut out the shameful lips of women. They then dried them and crushed them into powder. And then they sniffed this powder, mixing it with black powder and cocaine or amphetamine. They believed that this mixture would make them invincible."
Once Tom witnessed how two rebels in the camp raped a woman in the most monstrous way. Colleagues warned him never to interfere in anything, but then everything went dark before his eyes.
“I killed both. I had a real breakdown, I stood and crumbled one of them until colleagues grabbed my arms and stopped me.
Other colleagues surrounded Tom to protect him from other rebels who literally rattled their sabers. Friends pushed him into a car and drove him to another camp.
“In that camp, everything was almost the same, but no one bothered me like that there.”
To the Middle East
After Tom returned home from Sierra Leone, he again had a job as a bouncer, bodyguard and security foreman. But from time to time there were assignments abroad. From time to time they became more and more difficult. He visited the Balkans, provided security on ships in the Indian Ocean, and also worked in the Middle East.
“I started flying more and more to Iraq and the Middle East. Officially, the war in Iraq was over, but in reality it was going on there in full force.”
The tasks of a private contractor were different. For example, to accompany people or materials from one city to another. Or just be a bodyguard.
But the Americans were looking for many of Saddam's former regime who had gone on the run. A reward was promised for their capture. This meant that private firms could also try their luck.
“If we worked for an oil company, we could send more people there than we actually needed there. This means that those who were not on duty could cheat. And no one could stop us from looking for people whom the Americans wanted to capture.”
In this way, private companies could make an incredible amount of money in Iraq. Because the reward for the capture could reach several million dollars.
“We could drive our cars, and there were also two helicopters that flew in front of us and lowered snipers onto the roofs. After we drove through, they were picked up and lowered onto the new roof as we went. You can imagine how much it cost to use two helicopters for such work,” says Tom.
And although working in Iraq was extremely dangerous, Tom was not afraid. Through training, he was able to cast off both fear and conscience.
“We traveled a lot in a convoy between Baghdad and Tikrit. There, the rebels usually took up positions on both sides of the road at a distance of a kilometer and fired at us all the time. But I wasn't scared. I must have something in my genes, it turned me on, ”says Tom.
On such transport missions, they usually traveled in armored vehicles.
But one day, everything went wrong.
“We were transporting quite a trivial cargo - lumber - from Baghdad to some village. I was in one of the escort vehicles. At that time I was part of the so-called counter attack team. This meant that if the column was attacked, we would have to stop and defeat the attackers, and the rest of the column would continue to move.
The column was ambushed. The driver of one of the escort trucks panicked, and his car began to shake from side to side. He drove into the car in which Tom was, and it flew into a ditch at high speed. And although the car was armored, it was just soft-boiled.
The rest of the column continued on, while Tom and nine of his colleagues remained behind to fight the enemies who were in cover and were firing at them.
“I remember my back hurt like hell. But I continued to sit in the car and fired through the door, which was thrown open as a result of the accident. I fired and fired, all the magazines that were on my body were empty. And then there were no bullets left in the gun either.”
One of the colleagues dragged Tom out of the car and pushed him into the only car that was running. Before taking off, they threw two grenades at the wrecked car to make sure that none of the equipment there would fall into the hands of the rebels.
“I was taken to a German field hospital, they had to see what was wrong with my back. But I didn’t particularly bother about this, they gave me some kind of painkiller, and soon I left the hospital. And I didn’t think about my back anymore.”
After that incident, Tom and other colleagues went to Abu Dhabi to "let off steam".
“There were girls, wine and songs. And then back."
Karma
But life in the war zone gradually began to affect Tom. Many of his friends were killed, others found other jobs.
“Before leaving home, I was close to suicide. I took on the most dangerous missions. The kind where they don't expect anyone to come back alive. And there were fewer and fewer professional assignments.”
Tom went home to Norway.
He had a girlfriend, and then they had twins. But despite the fact that he had children, he was not ready to give up his former way of life.
Life in the war zone has left its mark. He has no feelings for others - except for his two children.
Tom found himself in a somewhat vague world, began to "work" for a criminal biker club. He was arrested several times for using violence.
“It was so strange there. I once spent six months in a prison cell because I was a danger to other prisoners. At the same time, I had two children who came to visit me and were everything to me. But overall, I was exceptionally calm.”
Tom was released from prison six months later. But his back, which he injured in an accident in Iraq, worried him more and more. He underwent six operations, but the pain did not go away. He became disabled.
“I sat and felt that I had to do something. Use your abilities. I once watched the movie Machine Gun Preacher. As a result, I started looking for humanitarian organizations that might need my help.”
Tom found an organization that helped children in Africa. And now she is responsible for the safety of her employees when they are "in the field." All on a voluntary basis.
“We arrived at the place that the organization chose to provide assistance. And children rushed to me, about 800 people. And then something happened to me. It seemed to compensate me for all the bad things that I did, all the lives that I have on my conscience. It was karma."
Especially good relationship Tom got along with his children - former soldiers. He always attracted those with whom others did not want to do business.
“I think I'm looking for a balance. In the years when I did not live like this, I caused grief to many. I killed parents with children, I killed children who were in the wrong place at the wrong time. And in order to understand myself, in my head, I need to get rid of karma. I believe in it,” says Tom.
He succeeds.
Today he is engaged to the head of the humanitarian organization he works for. Thanks to her and her humanitarian work, Tom looks at life with optimism again. They are expecting a baby, and life is slowly but surely becoming "normal".
More recently, a super-cool mercenary has turned into an accommodating father of the family. In the store, fellow villagers sometimes look askance at him. Not because he looks somehow intimidating, but because he allows children to paint his nails with varnish and decorate his face with cosmetics.
With karma, too, everything is gradually getting better.
“I regret that I lived like this before, in the sense that I could do something else, think about family, home, etc. But at the same time, it was the life that I lived that made me what I am now . Karma is on the right track. I will obviously not be in the black, but, in any case, I am starting to find balance.
This is Tom's story. Much of what you have just read cannot be verified for authenticity, and besides, he avoids calling his colleagues by their names so that others are not embroiled in his story. However, this story provides a glimpse into a world where more and more people are becoming a part of, getting more and more tasks and taking on more and more tasks that were previously usually performed by ordinary soldiers.
People who find themselves in the legal gray area many times.
NRK contacted some of Tom's former colleagues, people in the same field. We also spoke with his psychiatrist, whom he has been seeing since returning home to Norway. All confirm the authenticity of his story.
And we also saw photos taken when he worked as a bodyguard for Oasis. But it was impossible to use them in the material because of the obligations he signed.
Mercenaries. An overview of the most powerful mercenary armies.
Reading the well-known Berkema, mercenaries often came across in the text of the author, or rather, not just mercenaries, but entire corporations providing everyone who has enough money with the services of an entire army, perfectly trained and equipped with the latest technology.
All of them exist in the real world, this review presents the best and most massive of them. Those who fight for money...
For the growing army of private contractors offering their military expertise to the highest bidder, things are looking up fast.
Modern mercenaries are deployed in hot spots around the world for governments that would not want to use their own troops there.
In addition to the fact that an army of 5,000 heavily armed contract soldiers has recently replaced the official US military in Iraq, and many more have been recruited to protect private interests in the region, mercenaries are sent to many such places that may surprise you.
With more than 620,000 employees, the publicly traded giant is the world's second-largest private employer (after Walmart). Although some of its activities are related to the routine protection of banks, prisons and airports, G4S also plays an important role in crisis zones literally all over the planet.
In 2008, G4S took over Armorgroup, whose 9,000-strong army guarded almost a third of all non-military supply convoys in Iraq (it is also infamous for its unbridled parties and the recruitment of Afghan warlords).
However, the joint security team is operating in more than 125 countries, including the most dangerous parts of Africa and Latin America, where it offers government bodies and private companies their services of heavily armed guards, mine clearance, military intelligence and preparation.
Unity Resources Group
Website:
Australian Unity Resources, with a staff of 1,200 worldwide, has been able to increase its presence in Iraq as the nation's armies withdraw. Its leadership includes veterans from Australia, the US and the UK.
The private military firm is best known for guarding the Australian embassy in Baghdad, where in 2010 it trained Chilean soldiers to guard gates and machine gun nests. Unity workers were also responsible for two controversial car shootings in Iraq, one killing an Australian professor and another killing two civilian women.
Outside of Iraq, Unity helped maintain security during the Lebanese parliamentary elections and evacuate private oil companies from crisis-ridden parts of Bahrain. The firm also operates throughout Africa, the Americas and Europe.
Website: www.erinys.net/
Erinys also accompanied US State Department contracts in Iraq. Its largest mission in recent years included 16,000 guards at 282 locations across the country, where they secured pipelines and other energy assets.
In addition, the group maintains a presence in Africa, which is traditionally included in the range of its interests. The Erinyes were recently awarded two contracts in the Republic of the Congo to secure major iron ore and gas projects.
Formerly owned by Hashmat Karzai, cousin of Afghan President Hamid Karzai, the Asia Security Group is a formidable local force in the war-torn country. It employs about 600 security guards.
The private army, headquartered in Kabul, has received millions in contracts from the US military and is reportedly guarding cargo convoys that pass through southern Afghanistan. Mercenaries from the Asia Security Group were also recruited by DynCorp, an American contractor with a large presence in the region.
Website: www.dyn-intl.com/
DynCorp, based in Virginia, is one of 8 private military companies specifically selected by the US State Department to remain in Iraq after the withdrawal of US military forces.
The huge group, which brings in about $3.4 billion in revenue annually, is also active throughout Africa, Eastern Europe and Latin America, with more than 10,000 employees. The firm earned a reputation for loose-handedness when its soldiers fought rebel groups in Colombia in the early 2000s. Its troops have also been involved in anti-drug operations in Peru, as well as peacekeeping missions in Somalia, Liberia and South Sudan.
Triple Canopy
Website: www.triplecanopy.com/
Another of eight contractors brought in to replace US official forces in Iraq. Triple Canopy maintains an army of approximately 1,800 personnel in the country - most of them from Uganda and Peru - on contracts worth up to $1.5 billion.
According to the official conclusion, adopted after the assessment of the firm's staff in Iraq, this is "a well-trained, professional contingent with significant work experience." In the meantime, this PMC, whose name refers to the jungle forest cover under which its founding specialists were trained (“three-tiered crown”; approx. mixednews), maintains another three thousand employees around the world.
Contracts in other parts of the world took Triple Canopy to Haiti, where she guarded the US embassy, and to Israel, where her agents provided personal security services for the State Department.
Aegis Defense Services
Website: www.aegisworld.com/
Aegis provides armed personnel services to private clients, UN missions and the US government, especially in Iraq.
Its staff, estimated to be as high as 5,000, is also spread across offices in Afghanistan and Bahrain, where the contractor offers emergency response, risk assessment, and private oil interests.
The private military company is perhaps most notorious for a 2005 video that allegedly showed Aegis firing at Iraqi civilians.
Try entering the word “mercenary” into an Internet search engine and you will get about 850,000 queries, among which there is even a strategy game dedicated to local conflicts of our time. There would be demand, but there are enough offers. Do our compatriots who have served in the army succumb to the promises of foreign recruiters? What responsibility awaits mercenaries when returning to their homeland? Are there any social guarantees for "soldiers of fortune"? The head of the press service of the internal troops, Major Vladimir PORKHOMTSEV, and the chief specialist in the socio-psychological activities of the GUKVV (psychologist), Lieutenant Colonel Alexander BORTNIK, are helping Spetsnaz find answers to these and other questions.
- On the one hand, it is a personal matter for everyone how to apply their professional skills. Who will condemn, for example, a builder who decided to get a job in a company that offers higher earnings? But with regard to professional military, the evaluation criteria are different, because decisions about the life and death of other people directly depend on their actions. Is there a possibility that the guy who served in the special forces will then decide to apply the acquired skills in another country?
Let's figure out who the mercenaries are. These are those who are recruited for money to fight. Mercenaries cannot be called employees in the army under a contract. Contract officers are guided by ideology, a sense of duty, serve the state, their people, and take an oath. And the "soldiers of fortune" go not to serve, but to fight. This is the fundamental difference. According to international conventions, mercenaries are not recognized as combatants - taking a direct part in hostilities as part of the armed forces of one of the parties to an international armed conflict. They are equated with members of illegal armed formations. In fact - to war criminals who go to hot spots for the purpose of profit.
- Alexander, Vladimir believes that our guys, who have completed military service, will not be in demand in military operations abroad, but not only professionals are fighting.
A.B.: In no case should we underestimate the level of training of our military personnel. Slavic warriors are famous for their patience and endurance, courage, thirst for knowledge, including in military affairs, possession of weapons. Theoretically, it is unlikely that any armed formation will immediately refuse to take our guys as mercenaries. Another thing is that our guys will not go there themselves. This is a matter of education and self-awareness, responsibility to the country and people.
V.P.: Our servicemen have excellent specialized training, and there are enough law enforcement agencies in Belarus where it will be in demand. When officers talk to the soldiers on this subject, introduce the soldiers to the articles of the Criminal Code that deal with punishments for mercenarism, the servicemen come to the conclusion that there is absolutely no reason to go somewhere to fight. Before making a decision, it is worth considering: what do you gain and what do you lose? big question- will you earn there or not? It is not uncommon for recruiters to fail to fulfill their obligations, because there is no contract either. A bullet in the back - and they forgot about the man. Officially, it's not there.
A.B.: According to the law, mercenaries are criminals. People whose psychology is characterized by the so-called deviant behavior, it can be distinguished by aggressiveness, a tendency to sadism and violence. In society, this feature is distinguished by people who deliberately commit a crime. Then they can motivate the act with anything: a low level of financial situation, dependence, something else. But a person who goes to war understands what he will do there - consciously commits a crime.
V.P.: Work is selected according to their capabilities and character. In hot spots, people with combat experience are needed, who, having come from the war, are so immersed in it that they don’t see themselves anywhere else. For them, war is a way of life. Our servicemen have no psychological breakdown due to the war. In addition, before being drafted, the guys go through a medical examination, where people with deviant behavior and a criminal past are screened out.
In the TV chronicle, typical plots sometimes flash: a dying foreign citizen was found in the area of combat operations, who was not rendered timely medical care. He turned out to be of no use to anyone.
A.B.: Mercenaries are used for sabotage or small local operations, so they do not have documents and names. They carry out a short criminal order of the gang commander and the dirtiest work. They understand that they are committing war crimes. The conversation with them is short: they are not captured, they are not provided with medical assistance, and even when they are captured, they will not be interrogated, because the “wild geese” still do not know anything and are not suitable as informants. Such people are not part of government forces and act only in the interests of the field commander.
On the Internet, you can find videos where guys talk about how they make money by war, for example, for apartments. What is not a temptation for young people? Good wealth is the dream of many ...
V.P.: It's all propaganda. It is not worth believing what is thrown into the network by no one knows who. The probability of truth is low. Mercenaries fight in small squads. They have little other than small arms. They are not provided with quality and modern technology, buy it themselves at the expense of some uncle. As far as he wants to sponsor them, so they will turn around. And when could mercenaries adequately resist the army in the field? Never. They have a jackal's tactics: he jumped out, bit him, hid. Lucky. Survived. The day has come when you can return home. And how to cross the border? How to transfer money?
A.B.: I will add that a spiritually developed and believing person will not become a mercenary. And religion should not cover up violence. none world religion does not say directly: "Go and kill!" In Orthodoxy, a warrior going to war to defend the Fatherland deliberately dooms his soul to mortal sin, although he sacrifices his life for the sake of protecting his family, his people from enemies, native land. According to church canons, soldiers who come from the war are excommunicated for three years from communion. It is advised to sincerely repent.
Legal educational programFrom the Criminal Code of the Republic of Belarus
Article 132 Recruitment, training, financing and use of mercenaries
Recruitment, training, financing, other material support and use of mercenaries for participation in armed conflicts or military operations - shall be punishable by deprivation of liberty for a term of seven to fifteen years.
Article 133. Mercenary.
Participation on the territory of a foreign state in armed conflicts, military actions of a person who is not a member of the armed forces of the belligerents and acts in order to receive material reward without the authorization of the state of which he is a citizen or in whose territory he permanently resides (mercenarism), is punishable by imprisonment for a period of three to seven years with or without confiscation of property.
- There are two articles in our Criminal Code that provide for punishment for mercenarism. However, on Internet videos, guys from Belarus in camouflage openly claim that they are mercenaries. Weird?
V.P.: Maybe there is no one to judge. A couple of minutes - and there is no person, but the video hangs.
A.B.: The internet is littered with misinformation. Yes, smiling guys tell how fun they are at war, and they are armed with all the most modern, and it is not dangerous even in the line of fire, but in reality everything is a lie. Even if someone cannot sit still and itches to fight, he must understand that it is easy for the special services to trace his movements across the border and for what purpose he does this. War criminals are tracked and calculated.
V.P.: To go to war is one thing, but to return is another. All this is just a fairy tale, designed for simpletons who actually work as cannon fodder.
A.B.: They just don’t let go of someone who knows a lot, participated in special operations and saw the faces of his comrades, remembers their names. Where is the guarantee that yesterday's friends will not kill?
I cannot fail to mention that the French Foreign Legion is widely known - a military unit that is part of the French ground forces. Service in it is considered prestigious.
Yes, mercenaries are accepted into the Foreign Legion, but there is a strict army structure, division into units, funding. In fact, this is a military formation that has uniforms, insignia, and symbols. Its existence is recognized in world practice. It is impossible to deny the fact that almost the same mercenaries serve there, since people who are not citizens of France are accepted to serve in the legion, which is why it is called “foreign”. Citizens of other states do not come out of duty, not out of ideology, but to earn money and, possibly, get a residence permit in France.
V.P.: The Foreign Legion guarantees medical support, awards, rituals, compensation payments to relatives in the event of the death of a soldier. I know a case when a guy dreamed of an officer career, wanted to participate in hostilities, had army training behind him, left to serve as one of the commanders of a Foreign Legion unit. He left for romance, he wanted to travel the world, improve his professional skills, and participate in hostilities.
A.B.: To satisfy such ambitions, the Foreign Legion in France is one of the suitable units for foreigners. For example, a fighter without the status of a US citizen will not be able to get into the American Navy SEALs. Nevertheless, in my opinion, foreigners who serve in the legion are mercenaries, regardless of whether they are driven by mercantile financial interest or a thirst for romance.
- What is being done to prevent mercenarism among our countrymen?
A.B.: In our units, objective information is being provided, which contributes to the fact that the soldiers understand the situation, are not cut off from the world, watch television, listen to the radio, and read newspapers. Deputy commanders for ideological work tell the soldiers about mercenarism. Educational and socio-cultural work is being carried out for the comprehensive development of military personnel - citizens of the state, so there is no danger that they will decide to become mercenaries.
V.P.: Do not forget that some young people are even afraid to serve in the army, let alone go to war. A Slav can mobilize forces to defend his state, but he is unlikely to risk his life for the sake of other people's interests, unclear goals.
A.B.: We have developed patriotic education, veterans are alive, the memory of the past war has been preserved, there is a continuity of generations. Belarusians understand from childhood that war is the greatest evil. In the internal troops, along with military training, young people receive a good baggage of legal, socio-political knowledge, and spiritual development. Human values prevail in their plans for life, they do not think of committing a crime - becoming mercenaries.
Surely you have heard at least something about the French Foreign Legion. This legendary unit protects the interests of French citizens in all corners of the globe.
At the same time, it is completed with thugs from all over the world, ready to break with outside world and at least 5 years to sell his life personally to the President of France. Interestingly, among the privates and sergeants of the Legion today, most people come from Eastern Europe and the USSR.
Without a doubt
The Legion, whose soldiers and officers have not surrendered for more than 140 years, gives everyone who joins it a new name, biography, place, and even year of birth.
There is no past for a legionnaire, and after 20 years of service, if he survives, he receives a solid lifelong pension, which is paid even in Antarctica.
Men aged 17-39 can join the Foreign Legion. If not knowing the language stops you, don't worry - you will be taught French. Yes, there will be plenty of practice.
Mercenary in most countries is punishable by law, so selection points are only in France. So, if citizenship allows, come straight to Paris. More precisely: Paris 94120, Fontenay-sous-Bois - Fort de Nogent. Phone: 01 49 74 50 65. And always on Sunday or Tuesday. Indeed, on Mondays and Wednesdays, applicants are sent to the town of Aubagne, where the Legion command is located.
... and extra words
If you get to the recruiting station, you will see a military unit. There is always a legionnaire at the entrance - approach him and be silent. Diligently be silent, with feeling - otherwise they will not let you in. Then he will ask about nationality and demand a passport.
After that, you will be taken inside, and then you will be searched and undergo a physical examination. This is the primary selection. For a while you will just get up at 5 in the morning, make your bed, clean up, help in the kitchen, carry something ... For any fault and disobedience - push-ups or a slap.
Before leaving for Aubagne, you will undergo another medical examination - a more complete one. After the transfer, you will be searched even more thoroughly, and then you will be given clothes and toiletries.
Verification for "lice"
You'll have to work again in the Aubany barracks, but it's even better for you - it's not so boring. But the main thing for which you have come is to pass three types of tests:
- Psychotechnical - for attentiveness and memory (it all depends on your quickness).
- Medical - medical examination and questions about injuries, illnesses (treat your teeth in advance).
- Physical - cross 2.8 km in 12 minutes (it is desirable to run as much as possible).
You will also pass an interview where you will have to tell your entire biography. The main thing is to answer truthfully, quickly, clearly. The interview takes place in three stages. And each next repeats the previous one - this is a test for "lice".
Who to go out
Well, in the end, everyone will be lined up and the names of those who have passed the selection will be shouted out. There are usually about twenty of them in a group. If you don't make it into the top 20, get your money and get lost. They pay 25 euros for each day spent - not enough for a ticket home, but at least something. Maybe the next attempt will be more successful.
Well, if you are among the “lucky ones”, they immediately start chasing you. Cross-country, push-ups, swimming, push-ups... Then you take the oath and go to boot camp.
