The Role of Private Military Companies in Russia’s Intervention in Syria

Through its military intervention in Syria, Russia has both protected its stronghold in the Middle East and relieved the political pressure on itself emerging due to the Ukrainian crisis. Having achieved significant military and political gains through its intervention in Syria, Russia has lost very few soldiers while doing this. Whereas Russia has engaged in military intervention from outside, in a complicated region where several national and international actors like Syria are involved in a fight as well as terrorist organizations such as DAESH, YPG, al-Qaeda, it should be underlined that it has lost only 28 soldiers in almost two years. The presence of Russian private military companies in Syria is one of the main reasons why Russia has lost so few soldiers in Syria. This study examines the role of the mentioned military companies in Russia’s intervention in Syria and the advantages they provide for Russia and the potential risks regarding them are discussed.