Yevgeny Prigozhin, a top Russian official who is also known as Putin’s chef, publicly admitted that he started the shadowy mercenary organization. He called the fighters “heroes.” Prigozhin made these statements during a recruiting video targeted at Russian convicts to boost Russia’s force in Ukraine. He promised them freedom in exchange for six months of service. In 2014 he founded …
Simon Mann: Africa Needs Private Military Contractors
The former SAS officer-turned mercenary leader said that the continent, with its 1.3 billion inhabitants, could become a “huge consumer market or “fall into a black hole,” largely depending on the amount of PMC intervention. Mann accused the west of “negligence” in dealing with conflicts throughout the continent. He said that with China and Russia ruthlessly exploiting many of the …
Veterans Eligible for Burn Pit Coverage
After much debate, the President signed a measure extending VA disability benefits to some Southwest Asia burn pit victims. The PACT Act adds conditions related to burn pit and toxic exposure, including hypertension, to the Department of Veterans Affairs list of illnesses that have been incurred or exacerbated during military service, removing the burden for veterans to prove that their …
War of Words Escalates Between Japan and Russia
Chief Cabinet Secretary Matsuno Hirokazu said planned Russian military drills on Japanese-claimed islands were “unacceptable.” The training sites announced by Russia in July include Etorofu and Kunashiri, two of the four islands Japan calls the Northern Territories. Russia controls the four islands and Japan claims them. The Japanese government maintains the islands are an inherent part of Japan’s territory. Hirokazu …
Violence Escalates in Haiti
One local said the capital of Port-au-Prince was “like a warzone” as a result of gang warfare and a police force that seems unable, or unwilling, to stop it. On this particular day, members of 400 Mawazo stormed a church during Sunday services and killed a police inspector. “I tried to seek cover but there were so many bullets, such …