Mercenaries and proxy armies have risks.

 MODERN MERCENARIES HAVE OFTEN PROVED DANGEROUS

PROXY ARMIES OFTEN TAKE ON A LIFE OF THEIR OWN

Much is being made of the revolt of the leader of the Russian Wagner group, touted as private mercenary army. In fact they are mostly Russian ex military and they are far from private. They have been organized and funded by the Russian Government to bypass laws that forbid Russian troops in foreign lands. Even so, it has proved once again, funding and giving autonomous groups military power is a dangerous enterprise. An enterprise that often comes back to haunt the creators in the future.

A recent example was the massive aid and funding given to the insurrection that fought against the Russian occupation in Afghanistan. When the Russians left, the army remained and was soon recognized as Al Qaida, that went on fighting and continued to focus on other western enemies including the United States.

Then there was the Syrian rebels, who were extensively funded by the west to overthrow the government of Syria. They were paid and expanded by the United States and other western countries. Then when the funding ended they refused to quit and morphed into ISIS. Then they and other former proxy forces caused havoc and chaos in much of the region. 

It seems the Russians may have learned their lesson and seem to be attempting to disband Wagner and incorporate their resources into the regular Russian army.

When countries attempt to create deniable military action by funding and paying other groups, they create an entity that finds power and violence to be very profitable and seem to become addicted to the action. This occurs in a situation without the controls and rules often encountered by organized militaries of a modern state. It is very easy for things to get out of control and these groups can take on a life of their own.

While many talk of peace in Ukraine, no one has talked of how the west has created another proxy army, that has the most extensive funding and supply in history. It is now a massive military enterprise, much larger than could have ever been possible from a corrupt and economically poor country. The massive money has now become the norm and has anyone thought about what will happen when the money dries up. Will there be a stable government and military structure able to handle such a transition.

We can all expect an end to this conflict with Russia one way or another, but will Ukraine be able to transition into a stable and peaceful country in the future.