August 10, 2023

Lords of War


Lords of War
Russian soldiers wearing Ratnik infantry combat system.  Vitaly V.Kuzmin, Wikipedia Commons

According to independent news outlet Vazniye Istorii ("Important Stories"), companies associated with Oleg Deripaska, Leonid Mikhelson, Sergey Gordeyev, Mikhail Gutseriyev, and other Russian oligarchs have been recruiting men for the war in Ukraine. In partnership with the Russian Ministry of Defense, the oligarchs continue to employ the enlistees and pay their wages.

The report conducted by Vazniye Istorii highlighted the case of Igor Sergienko, a fighter in the Sokol volunteer battalion, who found employment with a private security company linked to Oleg Deripaska. Sergienko’s salary of R200,000 ($2000) per month was paid to him by the Ministry of Defense, and an additional R100,000 ($1000) was paid by the private security company. His recruitment was facilitated through a company closely associated with the aluminum giant Rusal.

The scheme used by Novatek, Russia’s second-largest natural gas producer, is similar. Owned by billionaires Leonid Mikhelson and Gennady Timchenko, Novatek enlists "volunteers" in private security companies and pays them R300,000 ($3000) per month through the Muzhestvo ("Manliness") Fund, on top of their salary from the Ministry of Defense.

Other companies involved in military personnel recruitment are connected with oligarchs Sergey Gordeyev and Mikhail Gutseriyev. For instance, the construction giant PIK offers "volunteers" R400,000 ($4000) upon signing a contract and an additional R100,000 ($1000) per month for those serving in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the Mospromstroy company pays R200,000 ($2000) upon contract signing and R150,000 ($1500) for each month spent in combat.

It’s worth noting that this recruitment approach is not new, as state-owned companies like Mosgaz, Moscow Metro, Gormost, and Mosvodokanal have previously entered into similar contracts with "volunteers." However, the involvement of private companies is a new development. Surprisingly, some of these companies are not currently under full international sanctions, as exemplified by Novatek, which only faces sanctions from the United States. In fact, in 2022, Novatek increased its supply of liquefied gas to Europe.

Earlier this year, Bloomberg reported that Russian authorities launched a large-scale recruitment campaign for the army: the governors and the Ministry of Defense were tasked with attracting some 400,000 soldiers. Deputy Chairman of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Dmitry Medvedev recently announced that more than 231,000 men have already been recruited. Experts, however, doubt the veracity of such figures.

At the same time, the State Duma recently raised the draft age for conscripts and those mobilized, increased fines, and restricted travel abroad for those who have received a draft summons. In addition, the government plans punish anyone who evades military service with imprisonment of up to five years. This may signal that contract recruitment is not going as well as authorities claim.

You Might Also Like

Antidepressants on the Rise
  • August 03, 2023

Antidepressants on the Rise

Antidepressant use in Russia has skyrocketed over the last year, especially in St. Petersburg.
Frozen Fortunes
  • June 23, 2023

Frozen Fortunes

And oligarch wants to donate funds to the victims of the war on both sides.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

Woe From Wit (bilingual)

One of the most famous works of Russian literature, the four-act comedy in verse Woe from Wit skewers staid, nineteenth century Russian society, and it positively teems with “winged phrases” that are essential colloquialisms for students of Russian and Russian culture.
Tolstoy Bilingual

Tolstoy Bilingual

This compact, yet surprisingly broad look at the life and work of Tolstoy spans from one of his earliest stories to one of his last, looking at works that made him famous and others that made him notorious. 
The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas

This exciting new trilogy by a Russian author – who has been compared to Orhan Pamuk and Umberto Eco – vividly recreates a lost world, yet its passions and characters are entirely relevant to the present day. Full of mystery, memorable characters, and non-stop adventure, The Pet Hawk of the House of Abbas is a must read for lovers of historical fiction and international thrillers.  
The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The Frogs Who Begged for a Tsar (bilingual)

The fables of Ivan Krylov are rich fonts of Russian cultural wisdom and experience – reading and understanding them is vital to grasping the Russian worldview. This new edition of 62 of Krylov’s tales presents them side-by-side in English and Russian. The wonderfully lyrical translations by Lydia Razran Stone are accompanied by original, whimsical color illustrations by Katya Korobkina.
Murder at the Dacha

Murder at the Dacha

Senior Lieutenant Pavel Matyushkin has a problem. Several, actually. Not the least of them is the fact that a powerful Soviet boss has been murdered, and Matyushkin's surly commander has given him an unreasonably short time frame to close the case.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.
Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

Davai! The Russians and Their Vodka

In this comprehensive, quixotic and addictive book, Edwin Trommelen explores all facets of the Russian obsession with vodka. Peering chiefly through the lenses of history and literature, Trommelen offers up an appropriately complex, rich and bittersweet portrait, based on great respect for Russian culture.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

Life Stories: Original Fiction By Russian Authors

The Life Stories collection is a nice introduction to contemporary Russian fiction: many of the 19 authors featured here have won major Russian literary prizes and/or become bestsellers. These are life-affirming stories of love, family, hope, rebirth, mystery and imagination, masterfully translated by some of the best Russian-English translators working today. The selections reassert the power of Russian literature to affect readers of all cultures in profound and lasting ways. Best of all, 100% of the profits from the sale of this book are going to benefit Russian hospice—not-for-profit care for fellow human beings who are nearing the end of their own life stories.
Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

Faith & Humor: Notes from Muscovy

A book that dares to explore the humanity of priests and pilgrims, saints and sinners, Faith & Humor has been both a runaway bestseller in Russia and the focus of heated controversy – as often happens when a thoughtful writer takes on sacred cows. The stories, aphorisms, anecdotes, dialogues and adventures in this volume comprise an encyclopedia of modern Russian Orthodoxy, and thereby of Russian life.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955