WAGNER VERSUS MOZART IN THE UKRAINIAN THEATRE

Abstract

Privatisation and outsourcing of war have become a feature of contemporary armed conflicts. It is also true for the conflict in Ukraine; the participation of many private military actors has been recorded, of which Mozart and Wagner groups - often called ‘orchestra’ as well as International Legion of Defence of Ukraine stand out in the Ukraine theatre. On the one hand, private military actors taking part in the conflict on the Ukrainian side are called volunteers, while private military actors participating on the Russian side are designated as mercenaries. Therefore, the question can be asked: ‘What is the difference between private military actors participating in the Ukrainian battlefield and how are they treated legally?’ In order to answer the asked question, the paper started from the basic definitions of private military actors and relevant legal regulations, and then the most important actors participating in the Ukrainian battlefield were presented, as well as their legal treatment. It is concluded that due to the lack of a binding international regulation in this area, lots of private actors operate in a legal vacuum and that their determination is rather a matter of politics than of law. Therefore, the difference between these actors is the narrative and sentiment that describes them and justifies their engagement.

Keywords

• private military companies
• mercenaries
• volunteers
• wagner group
• mozart group