Russian private militaries are contentious but useful

Subject

Russian private military companies.

Significance

Despite casualties and other reverses in Syria, the Wagner private military company (PMC) is increasingly active in Africa. It is operating in the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudan, and talk of a further expansion intensified in November when Wagner's owner Yevgeny Prigozhin attended a meeting between Russian defence officials and Field-Marshal Khalifa Haftar, military commander and powerbroker in eastern Libya.

Impacts

• In the short term, Wagner and other PMCs offer the Kremlin a quick route to building influence in Africa and beyond.
• PMCs are likely to proliferate along with Moscow's deeper involvement in conflict zones and countries with serious security challenges.
• Russian companies now doing private security work will increasingly take on more aggressive tasks.