how you think mercs are being inserted in Ukraine?
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First,
Mercenaries, definition “: a soldier who is paid by a foreign country to fight in its army : a soldier who will fight for any group or country that hires him”- are not the major concern.
Understand anyone fighting for the Ukies or Vlad that do not have a Ukie passport are mercenaries. A blue passport holder ( US citizen) going over to Ukraine is a mercenary, even if as a medic, or in a “non combat role”. They are being paid by a foreign country for their services in a foreign war, and at one time or another may have to use deadly force against a foreign National.
The troubling fact I believe is there are types over there that are getting paid by a .gov agency , recruited by front companies to give the appearance they are private citizens. A private citizen supposedly can do as they wish, but in my time we were warned to not participate in hostilities in a foreign conflict. Loss of US citizenship was the penalty.
As to how they are being “ inserted”? Non US registered Front companies, Afghanistan had Blackwater, Dyncorp ( now disbanded and names changed). IF .gov has contracted private “ security “ companies or foreign companies ( most likely) to do their work, they are just as guilty as outright paying them directly. Who paid their plane tickets? Who gave them their medical coverage? Who is the insurer? What company is their life insurance policy with?
Are they being paid in cash? I was in one contract.
The issue to me is mute if a private individual pays his way, but inevitably he is not working for free and is receiving payment from the Ukies. Who will prosecute him? Definitely no one in the corrupted Biden admin…not equal justice- remember the clowns rushing over to Syria to fight for Isis? Some were prosecuted, some not.
If these clowns want to go fight Vlad- fine, they are no different than Kadyrov’s volunteer group fighting the Ukie Nazis…But if . Gov is paying, that is wrong.
So by your definition you are saying all the foreign nationals who fought in the United States Army in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, Grenada, Vietnam, Korea, World War II, World War I, Spanish American War, Civil War, Mexican War, Seminole War, War of 1812, Quasi War with France and the American Revolution were mercenaries. Currently you must be a permanent legal resident of the US to join our military but that is a relatively new condition of enlistment.
Americans enlisted in foreign militaries to fight in WW1 and WW2 for ideological reasons which by any reasonable definition excludes them from being labled mercenaries. Getting paid or not is irrelevant. A lack of ideological commitment to the government or cause you are being paid to serve is a key element of being a mercenary. A mercenary also generally needs to be a professional soldier or military expert as a primary mode of employment.
The definition you used in your example is incredibly broad and not something that has been accepted in this country or most of the world for hundreds of years.
Thank you for taking the time to educate me.