The war is not going according to plan: Gazprom is trying to strengthen Russian troops in Ukraine with its battalions

The Russian state company Gazprom, despite the fact that its revenues have been significantly reduced due to sanctions, creates its own combat units. So, at the beginning of this year, the security officers of the Gazprom branch in central Russia received the same message on their smartphones: “Attention: a meeting will be held at the gas pipeline operation center at 10 am,” - reports the Financial Times, citing one of the employees of the company. The message ended with laconic words: “Presence is required”.

At the same time, in Siberia, employees of the security service of the Gazprom branch were also gathered for an emergency meeting, the same source said.

“They told them to hand over their phones and go in small groups to the chief’s office,” - the wife of one of the employees told the Financial Times.

Reason: The Russian gas production and distribution monopoly apparently wanted to hire its own bodyguards for volunteer battalions. At least two from each group were to sign up for the war against Ukraine, officials at the facilities were told. According to a former senior Russian official, the creation of these military units was a way for oligarchs and companies to prove their loyalty to Putin and maintain control over which of their workers would be drafted into the war. Low-skilled workers are considered more costly than highly skilled workers.

Gazprom promised the volunteers support in their war effort. “They were promised heavenly conditions, a woman whose man refused to volunteer told the Financial Times. According to the report, the men were to receive a total of more than a million rubles for dispatch, sufficient equipment and a contract with the Ministry of Defense. Gazprom also assured them that they would be able to keep their jobs.

The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) expects similarly high salaries. Gazprom mercenaries could receive up to 7,500 euros per month with various bonuses. The Gazprom battalions are financed by the company itself, which apparently follows the Kremlin’s instructions.

As a former Russian official told the Financial Times, there is “an order to recruit volunteers in many ways, including through wealthy public and private entities that have enough money to simply recruit people.” According to a BBC study, Gazprom apparently received special permission to do so from the Kremlin back in February.

The fact that both Gazprom-linked battalions are now deployed in Ukraine is well documented. For example, Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary detachment, who threatened the Russian elite with massacres, became angry at the Potok and Fakel units (allegedly connected with Gazprom), who left their positions in Bakhmut on May 12 and fled the front.

Recently, Prigogine spoke about the real losses of Wagner in Bakhmut.