Dogs of War: From Ten Thousand, Blackwater to Wagner, the 2,500-year tale of the mercenaries

Infographic: TBS

Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, caught global attention on Saturday after they announced a march to Moscow to take on the military leadership of Russia. 

The unprecedented turn of events captured the imagination of the world and leaders, who phoned each other in exasperation. And television news ran tickers such as "Putin faces an armed mutiny." 

The situation quickly escalated. And soon, all eyes were glued to the Russian M4 highway where a Wagner Group mercenary convoy was making its way to Moscow from Rostov-on-Don.

In a counter-act of defence, 3,000 Chechen forces were called in to defend Moscow, and dump trucks full of sand were placed at the entrance of the city. 

Meanwhile, calls for de-escalation poured in from all around the world. 

All this was spearheaded by the Chief of Wagner, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, who – even a few years ago – would have denied his involvement with the mercenary group. He maintained his identity as a food caterer instead. 

But as things stand, Prigozhin radically changed – he was ready to challenge Russian President Vladimir Putin as the world watched agape.  

We take a look at the Wagner Group and delve into the curious history of mercenaries. 

Prigozhin founded Wagner Group when Russia annexed Crimea and fought in countries like Libya and Syria as proxies for Russia and its allies. He gradually built it up as a formidable force engaged in areas where the Russian military couldn't directly involve. 

Their latest involvement was in Ukraine where Wagner shifted the momentum in Russia's favour after capturing Bakhmut. According to the UK Ministry of Defence, this group has over 50,000 fighters in Ukraine while maintaining a presence elsewhere. 

Active in a swathe of countries in Africa – Mali, the Central African Republic and Sudan for example, Wagner's presence in the Middle East is strong. They are a key force that saved Assad in Syria and helped Haftar in Libya to emerge as a force to reckon with. 

While their recruits are mainly believed to be from Russian prisons, they also hire fighters from the countries they operate in, Syria for example. Besides participating in active wars, Prigozhin maintains close ties with Middle Eastern powers like the United Arab Emirates and Egypt for his hired guns. 

A long-time ally of Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin basically went rogue "to seek revenge" because Russia's "military leadership killed his forces." The armed coup, however, ended in a little over 24 hours after both sides reached a deal through Belarus' President Aleksandr Lukashenko that charges against Prigozhin will be dropped and his fighters won't be punished. 

Currently, Prigozhin remains banished to Belarus. 

Now this whole idea of mercenary fighters may sound a little out of place especially because the word 'mercenary' is hardly used or heard anymore. 

For the uninitiated about Russian engagements in the Middle East or Africa, and the war in Bakhmut, 'mercenary' could still be a thing of history books and movies like the 'Dogs of War' until 24 June – thanks to Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin.

However, mercenaries as hired guns have existed since time immemorial. Today, they form a corporate industry. For example, Wagner Private Military Company is the official name of this group. 

There are many such private armed groups in the corporate world. You will find dozens in the United States alone and hundreds around the world. The Open Democracy, in an article, called them "corporate mercenaries". 

A 2,500-year-old tale 

Have you ever heard of the Ten Thousand group? 

They existed around 2,500 years ago in Greek. Historian Xenophon described them as Ten Thousand. Contracted by Cyrus the Younger, they helped to oust his brother King Artaxerxes II from the Persian throne. Cyrus lost his life in the battle near Baghdad. 

The mercenary generals of Ten Thousand tried to negotiate a retreat but they were double-crossed and murdered. The Ten Thousand group, however, survived under the new leadership of Xenophon. 

Throughout recorded history, you will come across many such mercenary groups. The White Company, for example, was one of the notorious mercenaries in the 14th century in Italy. 

It was the era when Italy was divided between warring cities and medieval lords and the mercenaries cashed in on the chaos. They made the killing by auctioning their services off to the highest bidder. 

Over the years, you will find many more terrifying names of mercenaries like the Swiss Guard in the Middle Ages, the Flying Tigers in the last century, the Catalan Grand Company, and the Varangian Guard. 

The corporate mercenaries 

The 'private military company' called Blackwater gained notoriety for its actions during the Iraq War. Founded in 1997 by Erik Prince, Blackwater provided security and military services to governments, corporations, and other clients around the world.

During the Iraq War, Blackwater was contracted by the US government to provide security services and protection to US officials, diplomats and facilities in Iraq. 

However, the company became involved in several high-profile incidents like opening fire on Iraqi civilians in Baghdad's Nisour Square, which resulted in 17 deaths in 2007. This massacre highlighted concerns about the accountability and behaviour of private military contractors (aka corporate mercenaries).

In another instance, DynCorp International is one such group that faced allegations of human trafficking and involvement in sex trafficking in Bosnia during the 1990s. Besides, they recently merged with Cerberus, another such group that owns Tier 1 Group which allegedly trained the murderers of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. 

There is a famous magazine called 'Soldier of Fortune' which is known for its glorification of violence and its focus on mercenary activities, which some argue promotes a dangerous and unethical perspective on armed conflict. 

And you will find many 'security' job openings on sites like Silent Professionals – a private security job market. From military contractor jobs to maritime security jobs, plenty of such jobs are available on such sites. 

Beyond accountability 

So, there have been mercenaries or soldiers for hire for centuries. But The Observatory Shock Monitor says that the current breed of mercenaries is different and more concerning because of their corporate look, their internationalised work pattern and their business-like services. 

From acting as security guards, clearing landmines or rescuing hostages to patrolling public services, their roles encompass far more avenues than what mercenaries traditionally stood for. 

Thanks to neoliberalism, the privatisation of security functions was made possible. As a result, the corporate mercenaries have reshaped the power structure and made security a cash cow. 

Now the darkest avenues of it are the states' reliance on them not only for security but also to exercise their coercive actions in disguise that are too messy for regular security forces. 

The increasing reliance of states on private militaries could be illustrated by France employing one such force called Groupe DCI to train government forces to quell protests. There are instances of corporate mercenaries like Professional Protection Alternatives taking the role of policing in Cape Town, South Africa.

So, the Russian leadership's on-and-off connection with the Wagner Group is actually a global phenomenon. And mercenaries, over time, have become corporatised and mushroomed into larger groups with massive wealth at their disposal rather than staying in the history books. 

With such heavily powerful private military companies on a global scale and the short-lived but unprecedented threat that Russia faced from the Wagner Group on Saturday,  perhaps this is not the last time that mercenaries will capture the world's imagination.