{"version":"1.0","type":"rich","provider_name":"Acast","provider_url":"https://acast.com","height":250,"width":700,"html":"<iframe src=\"https://embed.acast.com/$/605c639977610458c09817f3/644b94ab9785dc001150f983?\" frameBorder=\"0\" width=\"700\" height=\"250\"></iframe>","title":"Episode 31: Russian Private Military Contractors in Ukraine with Alec Bertina","thumbnail_width":200,"thumbnail_height":200,"thumbnail_url":"https://open-images.acast.com/shows/605c639977610458c09817f3/1650466915313-cd7ec519f2410b1e6cc5f920db2c42d9.jpeg?height=200","description":"<p>This week I spoke to Alec Bertina, a non-traditional security actor researcher, specialising on Russia security affairs. In this episode, we discussed the wild and confusing network of Russian private military contractors, the people behind them and their mission. From ex-special forces to far right to oil and gas companies, there are many actors at play here. Alec does a fantastic job of breaking down the key groups and their motivations.</p><p><br></p><p>You can find Alec on:</p><p><br></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://twitter.com/bertina_alec\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Twitter</a></li><li><a href=\"https://www.linkedin.com/in/alec-bertina-a062001b5/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">LinkedIn</a></li><li><a href=\"https://alecbertina.substack.com/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Substack</a></li></ul><p><br></p><h2><strong>We spoke about</strong></h2><p><br></p><ul><li>Alec’s background (1:15)</li><li>Wagner PMC’s background and role in Ukraine (3:51)</li><li>Wagner’s intelligence operation (7:33)</li><li>Who is Prigozhin? (10:34)</li><li>Power struggles in the Russian military establishment (12:35)</li><li>Rusich Group (16:05)</li><li>Patriot PMC and its purpose (19:04)</li><li>Patriot’s high salaries and potential use of ex-KSSO operators (24:05)</li><li>Redut (27:24)</li><li>Gazprom’s PMCs (31:59)</li><li>How Russian PMCs dispose of their staff (36:15)</li><li>The use of PMC in case of Russian collapse (40:03)</li><li>Advise to those that want to study this topic (41:38)</li><li>Is there any legitimacy to these PMCs? (46:16)</li><li>Russia reading recommendations (49:46)</li><li>Cultural recommendations (51:49)</li></ul><p><br></p><p><strong>Related Links:</strong></p><p><br></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/wagner-pmc-activity-in-the-central-african-republic-a-geospatial-analysis/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Wagner PMC Activity in the Central African Republic: A Geospatial Analysis</a></li><li><a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/sahel-security-2023-russia-forecast/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sahel Security 2023: Russia Forecast</a></li><li><a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/insecurity-in-the-central-african-republic-a-6-month-outlook/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Insecurity in the Central African Republic: A 6-Month Outlook</a></li><li><a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/episode-24-sahel-security-week-french-exodus-wagner-coin-efforts-with-menastream/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Sahel Security Week, French Exodus &amp; Wagner COIN Efforts with Menastream</a></li><li><a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/episode-22-wagner-pmc-spy-balloons-spearfishing-with-marcel-plichta/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Wagner PMC, Spy Balloons &amp; Spearfishing with Marcel Plichta</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p>The <a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/podcast/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Grey Dynamics Podcast</a> is available on all major platforms!</p><p><br></p><ul><li><a href=\"https://www.youtube.com/@GreyDynamics/videos\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">YouTube</a></li><li><a href=\"https://open.spotify.com/show/77hVTg0mPqNz9iuXhd6EqK\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Spotify</a></li><li><a href=\"https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/grey-dynamics/id1637438384\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Apple Podcast </a></li><li><a href=\"https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5hY2FzdC5jb20vcHVibGljL3Nob3dzLzYwNWM2Mzk5Nzc2MTA0NThjMDk4MTdmMw\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Google Podcast</a></li><li><a href=\"https://music.amazon.co.uk/podcasts/9a6038c4-e02e-490e-b238-5713f7dd830e/grey-dynamics\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\">Amazon Podcast</a></li></ul><p><br></p><p><a href=\"https://greydynamics.com/plans/\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" target=\"_blank\"><strong>Subscribe to Grey Dynamics</strong></a></p>","author_name":"Grey Dynamics"}