Espaniola PVC: What is known about the new Kremlin's private army - Militant Wire investigation

Wire, Espanioli fighters participated in big battles, including Mariupol, Bakhmuta, Soledar and Villagledar. Webber notes in the interview of The Sun that a volunteer brigade, which has hundreds of fighters, is acting with some degree of independence. Armed Forces of Russia. Organization fighters are recruited through Telegram, and then taught in training camps located in many Russian cities, as well as in the Moscow region.

Last month, Ukraine's military intelligence confirmed that Putin's "Union Russia" officially granted the status a private military company (PEC). The unit recruits football fans, especially those who are close to Nazi ideology, as well as civilians from poor areas of Russia and occupied territories. According to Lucas Webber, a volunteer brigade, as well as Wagner PEC, "operates with some degree of independence" from the Armed Forces of Russia.

"Espanyol" plays an important role in working with Russian ultras, as well as in attracting recruits and support from these segments of the population for war in Ukraine. "Espanyola" turns to the unique part of the far -right militaristic ecosystem of Russia and differs from the neo -Nazi organization "Rusich" and the rigid Orthodox Russian imperialist movement, " - notes the researcher.

The new PEC was connected with the Russian group "Vostok" and operated mainly in the occupied Russian territories of Donetsk region. The group leader-43-year-old Stanislav Orlov-a noticeable figure among the fans of the CSKA. Radical member He claims that he entered the Russian army in 1999 and participated in the Second Chechen War. He was nicknamed "Spaniard", thanks to knowledge of foreign languages, which helped him recruit foreign mercenaries.

After the invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Orlov created a group "Espanyol", And later, such well-known personalities in Russia as the 47-year-old former Russian national team Andrei Solomatin, as well as the former MMA fighter and ultras of "Zenit" Michael "Pitbul" Turkanov, known for his Nazi tattoos. According to Dr.

Stephen Hall, a teacher of Russian and post -Soviet policy at the Bat University, the elite army unit has about 1000 members and is actively supported by the Kremlin throughout the war. "Orlov probably has close ties with someone in the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation. He has been fighting in Donbass since 2014 and has been there for a long After the start of the war, it is obvious that someone was preparing.

They relied largely on football hooligans from Moscow football teams such as Dynamo, Lokomotiv and Spartacus. well equipped. Dr. Hall notes that this PEC did not make numerous pages on social networks, unlike the Wagner PEC, but they use Telegram to recruit recruits. Potential candidates are interview St. Petersburg. According to Ukrainian intelligence, volunteers are offered a salary of $ 2300 a month for at least six months at the forefront.

They also belong to some "insurance payments": from 10,000 to $ 55,000 depending on the severity of the wounds. But Ukrainian intelligence notes that for most recruited everything ends in the first battle, because they are "used as gun meat. " The dead and seriously wounded are "missing", so payments to families are not provided. Interestingly, military training is not needed, as well as to "translate" from the usual Armed Forces of the Russian Federation in the PEC cannot be.

Not only men but also women are recruited. Most often they make snipers. Webb also believes that the propaganda campaign of the new PEC includes public initiatives and humanitarian work in the occupied regions of Ukraine. One example is the creation of a youth football team. "In its propaganda," Espanyol "presents a patriotic message of football ultras, which overcome previous differences and unite for nationalist purposes.

The group sometimes criticized against the Russian government and the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation," webb notes. The Española group is one of the long PEC list that is currently fighting the Armed Forces.

In addition to the Wagner PEC, which after the rebellion of Prigogine became part of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, among other smaller paramilitary formations - the "flow" Stitransgaz, controlled by Putin's friend Gennady Timchenko), Patriot, Orthodox Brotherhood, Raccoon and others. They all operate around the world and recruit all types of soldiers. We will remind, earlier in Ukraine the Armed Forces were captured by the mercenary from Nepal. And he was not the first.