E.N.O.T. Corp.
E.N.O.T. Corp was a Russian private military company founded by Igor Mangushev.
It undertook mercenary work in Ukraine, Syria, and Nagorno-Karabakh.
Etymology
E.N.O.T. is an acronym of the organisation's full name,. Enot is also Russian for raccoon, the animal the group uses as a logo.The organisation is sometimes known as the Yenot or Raccoon PMC.
History and activities
E.N.O.T. was founded in 2011 by Russian nationalist and Svetlaya Rus founder Igor Mangushev to bring together various Donbas-based militias and give them a more official status and ability to process funds for fighter's salaries, pensions, and other social protections. E.N.O.T. has undertaken armed activities in Ukraine, Syria, Nagorno-Karabakh. In 2012, the group provided military training at a gathering of right-wing militiamen to over 450 individuals, earning over the course of the three-day event.Since 2015, the group has been providing military training in camps in Serbia, Donbas and Belarus. Training camp participants include children aged between 12 and 18 from Russia, Montenegro, Serbia, Belarus, Transnistria, and South Ossetia. The Serbian training camp, operated by Bosnian War veterans, was shut down by the Serbian Ministry of Internal Affairs in 2018 citing child abuse concerns. On 7 November 2018, in response to the training of children, Russia's Federal Security Service and police force arrested members of E.N.O.T., releasing them the following day.
E.N.O.T. brands itself in Russia as русская православная община and officially registered with the Russian Ministry of Justice in May 2016 as a non-profit organisation. The official purpose was stated as the promotion and protection of patriotic youth, although as of 2018, the group had not submitted any official reports on activities. Since 2015, E.N.O.T. has received support from the Russian government for activities in Syria and Karabakh. E.N.O.T. was active in the Russo-Ukrainian War and supported the war in Donbas.