[Navy Patriot]

I made an incorrect assumption when I first read and posted this AP "story", that assumption was that Russian private contract security was authorized by law and overseen by Government regulation in similar manner that US private contract security is, and that is NOT the case.

AP was aware of this difference and wrote the "story" withholding that information for the purpose of creating the perception that Putin, and the Russian Government supported and controlled these private security and their actions, when they did not.

Thanks for the rundown on how this is used in Russia to discredit the Government and Putin, and confuse Russian citizens about those eligible for Military service and Veterans Benefits.

This was another facet of Russian Culture that I did not understand until I was able to learn the details.

[NorseViking]

Yes, technically being part of a private army is a felony punished by 3 to 7 years in prison.
Russian legal system is very transparent with nearly every sentence by every court available online. You can find hundreds of related verdicts on court’s websites.
Most sentenced are members of ISIS or related Syrian and also Ukrainian groups. That includes ‘pro-Russian’ Ukrainian groups who are allegedly a part of Russian military according to media propaganda but their activity is actually not supported and punished.