Why does Putin need to hire a mercenary army in the first place?
Supposedly they are mercenaries created by Russian intelligence. We have groups like this too. Progozhin is just a figurehead not a fighter. He looks bad though.
the largest mercenary armies (or security "risk-management" if you prefer) are British and American.
We all remember Eric Prince's Blackwater PMC, made famous during the occupation of Iraq and Afghanistan. They have since been merged into a larger security company called Constellis - which is owned by a huge hedge-fund, Apollo.
They get over $15 billion per year in US Fed.gov contracts.
Seems America's oligarchs have their own private armies as well.
Well, the US hires, pays richly, supplies free weapons to ISIS Terrorists, and let's 'em keep all the oil, children and slaves they can steal, so it's probably a money thing.
Until now, Wagner worked for a cut of the profits of the Resources they controled, they were not paid directly from the Russian Treasury, until now.
Now they get Russian Military pay, which is much, much less for doing the same work.
Why rich people hire body guards? Mercenary fighters are a quick way to boost military activity.
For the same reason we hire Blackwater or whatever they’re called now. Soldiers get a market wage for the risk they are taking. And the state has less responsibility for them in a sense while still achieving national objectives, and retains more flexibility in their use.
Next question sport.