Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine
In the struggle for influence and power between states, states tend to use mercenaries and PMCs due to reasons such as the economic cost of the regular army, the negative reactions to be received from many actors in an official intervention in the target state, the sanctions of international law and...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi
2023-04-01
|
| Series: | Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2878041 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1832570628575592448 |
|---|---|
| author | Çağla Mavruk Ali Gök |
| author_facet | Çağla Mavruk Ali Gök |
| author_sort | Çağla Mavruk |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In the struggle for influence and power between states, states tend to use mercenaries and PMCs due to reasons such as the economic cost of the regular army, the negative reactions to be received from many actors in an official intervention in the target state, the sanctions of international law and the indignation caused by a possible loss of official soldiers, especially in the society. The history of mercenaries dates back to ancient times. However, they were used extensively in conflicts in many regions after the Cold War. The changing perception of security is the main reason for the resurgence of mercenary activities. Factors at the center of the changing perception of security are the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a privatized military industry. Considering the interventions where mercenaries were deployed, Russia’s interventions in Ukraine in 2014 and then in 2022 and in Syria in 2015 come into prominence. The overarching purpose of this research is to explain how these actors affect the character of the war by explaining the reasons for their use, duties and effects on the battlefield. The study concludes that Russia used mercenaries in Ukraine for secrecy and reasonable deniability and aimed to prevent the reaction of the world public opinion. On the other hand, Russia used mercenaries in Syria to prevent the reaction of the Russian public by hiding casualties and reflecting the operation as a successful operation without any casualties. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-5523ad7a0511492cad34dc46f8de20f5 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1303-1279 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | Sivas Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi |
| spelling | doaj-art-5523ad7a0511492cad34dc46f8de20f52025-02-02T14:34:17ZengSivas Cumhuriyet ÜniversitesiCumhuriyet Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi1303-12792023-04-0124229230110.37880/cumuiibf.12308782057Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and UkraineÇağla Mavruk0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1079-8442Ali Gök1https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0734-459XNEVŞEHİR HACI BEKTAŞ VELİ ÜNİVERSİTESİGAZİANTEP ÜNİVERSİTESİIn the struggle for influence and power between states, states tend to use mercenaries and PMCs due to reasons such as the economic cost of the regular army, the negative reactions to be received from many actors in an official intervention in the target state, the sanctions of international law and the indignation caused by a possible loss of official soldiers, especially in the society. The history of mercenaries dates back to ancient times. However, they were used extensively in conflicts in many regions after the Cold War. The changing perception of security is the main reason for the resurgence of mercenary activities. Factors at the center of the changing perception of security are the end of the Cold War and the emergence of a privatized military industry. Considering the interventions where mercenaries were deployed, Russia’s interventions in Ukraine in 2014 and then in 2022 and in Syria in 2015 come into prominence. The overarching purpose of this research is to explain how these actors affect the character of the war by explaining the reasons for their use, duties and effects on the battlefield. The study concludes that Russia used mercenaries in Ukraine for secrecy and reasonable deniability and aimed to prevent the reaction of the world public opinion. On the other hand, Russia used mercenaries in Syria to prevent the reaction of the Russian public by hiding casualties and reflecting the operation as a successful operation without any casualties.https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2878041mercenariesprivate military companiesukrainesyriamercenariesprivate military companiesukrainesyriaparalı askerlerözel askeri şirketlerukraynasuriyemercenariesprivate military companiesukrainesyria |
| spellingShingle | Çağla Mavruk Ali Gök Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Dergisi mercenaries private military companies ukraine syria mercenaries private military companies ukraine syria paralı askerler özel askeri şirketler ukrayna suriye mercenaries private military companies ukraine syria |
| title | Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine |
| title_full | Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine |
| title_fullStr | Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine |
| title_full_unstemmed | Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine |
| title_short | Armies of War Without Uniforms: Mercenaries and Private Military Companies in Russia’s Interventions in Syria and Ukraine |
| title_sort | armies of war without uniforms mercenaries and private military companies in russia s interventions in syria and ukraine |
| topic | mercenaries private military companies ukraine syria mercenaries private military companies ukraine syria paralı askerler özel askeri şirketler ukrayna suriye mercenaries private military companies ukraine syria |
| url | https://dergipark.org.tr/tr/download/article-file/2878041 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT caglamavruk armiesofwarwithoutuniformsmercenariesandprivatemilitarycompaniesinrussiasinterventionsinsyriaandukraine AT aligok armiesofwarwithoutuniformsmercenariesandprivatemilitarycompaniesinrussiasinterventionsinsyriaandukraine |