The President recently announced the creation of private military companies. And the idea itself, to be honest, is not a bad one.
In countries with strong state institutions, PMCs have long been an instrument of state policy, exporting security services, protecting facilities, logistics, training, and working in crisis regions. This is a huge market with billion-dollar contracts, employing former military personnel, instructors, analysts, and technical specialists.
For Ukraine, this could also become a way to keep thousands of veterans, instructors, drone operators, electronic warfare specialists, and people with real combat experience within the system.
This could create a new sector of the economy, new taxes, service exports, and Ukraine’s influence in the international security market.
But there is one “but.”
PMCs work well where the state is stronger than any private interest. Where courts, police, special services, parliamentary control, and political responsibility function. Where elites fear the law.
Unfortunately, in Ukraine, we have not yet learned to vote responsibly and systematically control the government. We still have significant influence from oligarchic groups, shadow financial flows, political “covers,” and weak institutions. And now imagine adding structures with their own weapons, veterans, drones, communications, transport, and international contracts to this.
The risk here is not only criminal. There’s a separate risk that various PMCs might subjugate the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the Main Intelligence Directorate, or the Security Service of Ukraine with the External Intelligence Service.
We could face the risk of private armies of influence being used in political struggles, business pressure, and wars between financial-political groups. And, of course, the leakage of combat technologies and turning some veterans from a state security resource into a tool for private interests.
The most dangerous thing is that after the war, the country will be left with a large number of people with combat experience, trauma, weapons, and a sense of injustice. If the state is not strong, this can become a very explosive mix.
Therefore, the idea of PMCs is not bad in itself. The only question is whether the state and society are ready for it.
