Profile: Russia's main volunteer formations, irregular units fighting in Ukraine

In early June, the Russian Defence Ministry issued an order requiring “volunteer formations” serving in Ukraine to sign contracts to regularise their status by 1 July. The order highlights the uncertain legal status of some Russian units operating in Ukraine, most notably the Wagner mercenary group.

So far, at least 18 units have signed “volunteer” contracts with the Defence Ministry, including Cossack volunteer forces, and a unit with the Chechen Akhmat special forces, which are part of the Rosgvardiya national guard.

Russian media use the term "volunteer" to describe reservists, paramilitary groups, private military companies and fighters of so-called "volunteer battalions".

There are no official figures for the numbers of Russian “volunteers” currently in Ukraine, but they include tens of thousands of men fighting in regional battalions raised by local authorities and given names like “Tiger,” units of Cossacks and Russia’s so-called Special Combat Army Reserve. 

They all operate under the umbrella of the Defense Ministry and have command structures integrated into the Armed Forces. On the battlefield in Ukraine, volunteers fight alongside regular soldiers, men drafted during the Kremlin’s “partial” mobilization announced in September and Wagner Group mercenaries.  

According to some media figures, about 10% of Russia’s fatalities in Ukraine have been from volunteers.

The Wagner and Redut "private military companies", and the battalions Potok, Plamya and Fakel are linked to state-controlled energy giant Gazprom. Potok is subordinate to Redut, while Plamya and Fakel are under the direct control of the Defence Ministry.

“Wagner” PMC

In recent years, the private military company (PMC) Wagner Group, has become one of Russia's most strong private military forces. The group emerged during Russia’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, and later expanded its operations into Africa (Central African Republic, Sudan, Mali and Burkina Faso) and the Middle East (Syria, Libya). Its activities in African states take place under the guise of sending “military instructors” to train the country’s armed forces.

Some intelligence sources say Wagner only appeared on the front in Ukraine from the end of March 2022, a month after Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, and is now used as the "main strike force", supported by the members of the Russian Airborne Troops units.

The Wagner Group mainly uses its ammunition in the military campaign, getting logistical support from the defence ministry, despite reports that Prigozhin has been in conflict with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. On June 21, the Wagner chief warned the defence ministry that most Ukrainian territory captured by Russian forces could be lost unless more materiel support is given.

On June 11, after Shoigu signed an order about volunteer formations fighting in Ukraine signing contracts with his ministry before 1 July, Prigozhin said that “Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu. ... Shoigu cannot properly manage military formations”.

Prigozhin claimed this month that 32,000 former convicts who had served with Wagner in Ukraine had returned to their homes in Russia. Many of these veterans have expressed strong loyalty to Prigozhin and have considered returning to Wagner ranks.

Last December, United States National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby claimed Wagner had 50,000 fighters in Ukraine, including 10,000 contractors and 40,000 convicts.

The group has been placed under sanctions by the USA, EU and UK, as has its leader Prigozhin.

“BARS”

One of Russia's largest volunteer groups is the Combat Army Reserve of the Country known as BARS. It was set up in 2015 but only actively promoted by the authorities in late 2021. 

The mobilization for this military reserve force started in August 2021 by the decree of the Russian President, and its members have been participating in the Russian “special operation” in Ukraine since February 2022.

Analogous to the British Territorial Army or the United States Army Reserve, those enrolled in BARS receive salaries and take part in regular military training while retaining their civilian jobs. In times of war, they can be deployed.  

Russian citizens who have just served in the Armed Forces, Cossacks, security guards who graduated from military departments, and who are suitable for health and education without convictions or not under investigation and not drug addicts can join this group.

The concept of BARS is that volunteer Russian reservists will regularly participate in monthly exercises and maintain their mobilization readiness while maintaining their civilian jobs.

BARS formed up to 20 battalions, and a total of 100,000 people signed BARS contracts. Some of these battalions operate under the authority of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Three battalions (9, 13 and 20) are under the patronage of the Chief of the Union of Donbas Volunteers Alexander Borodai, while others are provided either by the authorities of various regions or large business companies.

BARS was actually formed on the basis of Redut, previously known as Shchit (Shield in Russian) PMC.

“Redut” PMC

Redut, also known as Redoubt, Redut-Antiterror or Centre R, is a Russian private military and security company which is currently deployed in the Russian “special operation” in Ukraine. Redut has been using convicts to fight in Ukraine, like Wagner.

Redut operates as part of BARS, with its employees also signing official defence ministry contracts.

It was formed in 2018 by the 45th Guards Spetsnaz Brigade of the Russian Airborne Troops, as a union of several minor veteran groupings of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Air Force and National Guard of Russia of the Russian Ministry of Defence.

Initially, Redut was planned to be a major competitor for the Russian MoD in the PMC scene, which is in conflict with the Wagner Group. The group was initiated by the deputy head of the GRU (Russian intelligence), General Vladimir Alexeyev. Redut recruited many former Wagner members and Russian Special Forces, totalling several thousand in January 2022.

In the first days of the Russian invasion, Redut reportedly included a group supposed to kill Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Redut had been involved in fighting near the Chornobyl nuclear power plant in Ukraine and in the area around Kharkiv.

In the Kyiv offensive, Redut sustained heavy losses in which the fighting force was compromised by up to 90%, which practically eliminated the Redut PMC. After this, remaining Redut contractors were offered contracts by the Russian MoD, to serve officially in the Russian Armed Forces. As claimed by one of Redut's former commanders, that is why Redut is completely controlled and effectively rebuilt by the Russian MoD.

The main sponsors of the company are said to be Russian billionaires Oleg Deripaska and Gennady Timchenko who provided the PMC with armoured personnel carriers, helmets, and protective vests.

The PMC includes these units and formations: "Don Brigade", "Veterany Battalion", "Potok Batallion", "Ilimovtsy", "Hooligans", "Wolves", "Marines" and "Axes". The "North" and "Severa Group".

"Rusich"

Another Russian paramilitary unit fighting against Ukrainian forces in the Russo-Ukrainian War is the Sabotage Assault Reconnaissance Group "Rusich".

A co-founder and leader of this far-right and neo-Nazi group is Alexey Milchakov and it is part of the Wagner Group. Previously, this unit fought on the side of pro-Russian separatists in the Donbas war in 2014-2015.

The Rusich group was founded in 2009, when a military training base was set up by Milchakov. According to him, "Rusich" consists of "nationalist Rodnovers (the modern Pagan religion Slavic Native Faith), and volunteers from Russia and Europe".

It operates as a "closed collective" and is a unit in which Russian nationalists receive combat training. The units turned out to be staffed by members of the GROM special unit, which is part of the Federal Drug Control Service. According to Milchakov, his group does not even try to get into politics.

The group returned to Ukraine in April 2022, with its fighters being transferred to the Kharkiv Oblast. Last September, the detachment and its commanders were included in the US sanctions list for their "special cruelty" in the battles.

In April 2023, the Rusich Group posted a video on their Telegram channel showing a captured Ukrainian soldier being beheaded with a knife, together with a caption stating that "many more are to come".

Akhmat

The Chechen special forces unit Akhmat, also known as the Kadyrovites or Kadyrovtsy, is believed to be a unit within the Russian National Guard (Rosgvardiya), as a paramilitary force also deployed in Ukraine. It receives all the main resources from the Russian Defence Ministry.

Akhmat consisted of three units: "Akhmat-Rosgvardiya", the police force "Akhmat-MVD" and the "volunteer" force "Akhmat-Defence Ministry". 

The Akhmat commander, Apti Alaudinov, is a close ally of Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov.

In late June 2022, Ramzan Kadyrov announced the creation of four new battalions - "North-Akhmat", "South-Akhmat", "West-Akhmat," and "East-Akhmat" - consisting only of ethnic Chechens, that would be sent to fight in Ukraine.

On 26 February 2022, addressing about 12,000 Chechen soldiers gathered in the main square of the Chechen capital, preparing to go to war in Ukraine, Kadyrov announced that Chechen military forces had been deployed to Ukraine.

Konvoy PMC

The Konvoy (Convoy) PMC was created by the Russian-appointed head of Crimea, Sergei Aksyonov, and had about 300 members. Konvoy is also part of the Defence Ministry’s BARS.

Konstantin Pikalov, who had been Prigozhin’s right-hand man in Africa, commands the PMC. Konvoy's positions are located in Kherson Oblast.

The mercenaries are armed to the teeth, provided with everything they needed, and had a whole apartment building underground as their fortification. In addition, the PMC has heavy equipment at their disposal, including T-80 and T-90 tanks, as well as their own electronic intelligence devices.

Patriot PMC

The Patriot PMC, which is closely linked to the Defence Ministry, had been taking part in fighting in Syria since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

In December 2022, a Ukrainian military spokesman reported that fighters from the "Defence Ministry Shoigu's Patriot PMC" had been spotted in Donbas. 

Unlike the Wagner Group, Patriot focuses more on experienced soldiers with combat experience when recruiting, and its mercenaries are also better equipped and trained.