Written By: Alberto Aloni
Supervised By: Finn Seiffert, Élea Huguet
Edited By: Alexandra Huggins
ABSTRACT
This paper examines the growing reliance on Private Military and Security Companies (PMSCs) in the contemporary security landscape, focusing on their utilisation in the ongoing Russo-Ukrainian war. It offers a comparative analysis of Russian and Ukrainian patterns of mobilisation, assessing the strategic rationale underpinning their respective uses of private force. The analysis finds that, while Russia has relied on mercenary-type PMSCs for direct combat operations, Ukraine has predominantly engaged PMSCs for training, logistics, communication, operational support, and humanitarian assistance. This divergence reflects not only asymmetric strategic choices but also Ukraine’s broader alignment with Western standards of accountability, oversight, and rule-based governance. By comparing both cases within the context of an interstate war, the paper contributes to ongoing debates on PMSC regulation, agency, and the evolving role of privatised violence in contemporary warfare.
