Redut
Redut, also known as Redoubt, Redut-Antiterror, Redut Security or Centre R, formerly known as "Shield", is a registered Russian Private Military Company that is a part of the "Antiterror-family" — a group of PMCs that protect commercial operations of Russian companies. It is currently deployed by Russia in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. According to an RFE/RL investigation, concurrent "Redut" is controlled by the GRU and acts as a proxy umbrella organization for mercenaries, managing finances, recruitment and logistical supply of various formations.
It was established in 2008, as a merger of several minor veteran groupings of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Russian Air Force and units of the Russian Ministry of Defence, who had obtained combat experience in military and peacekeeping missions. Members of the group have been convicted of committing war crimes during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
History
Emergence
According to Norwegian researchers from the Forsvarets Forskningsinstitutt - FFI , Redut-Antiterror emerged in 2008 from the PMSC Antiterror-Orel, which was founded in 2003 by members of the Russian Special Forces. It is an affiliate or former branch of the Antiterror-Orel offshoot Tiger Top Rent Security and primarily recruits soldiers of the Russian 45th Guards Special Reconnaissance Brigade. Until 2022, Redut mainly offered the protection of Russian convoys and corporate real estate — including oil production facilities, military installations and Russian diplomats in many countries worldwide, for example of Gennady Timchenko's JSC Stroytransgaz facilities in Syria during the Syrian civil war. It also provided military training and advisors for e.g. pro-Russian Abkhazian forces during the Russo-Georgian War. The leaders of Redut at these times were the only registered shareholder of "Redut-Security", former head of the Slavonic Corps Yevgeny Sidorov, and Konstantin Mirzayants, who reportedly led Redut to fight in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It is not clear how Mirzayants and Sidorov were involved in the reformation of Redut. In 2022 and in preparation for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Redut was planned to be a major competitor for the Russian MoD in the PMC scene, due to a rivalry between the Wagner Group and the MoD. This was organized by the deputy head of the GRU, General Vladimir Alexeyev, who made Anatoly Karaziy, a relative of his, head of the structure.Russian invasion of Ukraine
For the invasion, Redut recruited many members of the Wagner Group and Special Forces, totalling several thousands in January 2022, which angered Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin. The same month, he was invited to the office on Khoroshevskoye Highway. At first Prigozhin told Alexeyev that if Karaziy did not stop recruiting Wagner employees for Redut, Prigozhin would "end" Karaziy. In response to this, Alexeyev allegedly invited Prigozhin to go to another office, where Karaziy was already waiting for him, who offered to sort it out on the spot. According to the source, Prigozhin was taken aback and began to say that he was misunderstood, and later retreated. Alexeyev said that it was the Redut that was to play a decisive role in the first days of the invasion. According to one of the sources, it included a group that was supposed to kill Zelensky on the day of the invasion in the Kyiv offensive. Alexeyev himself was engaged not only in the military part, but also in the political one—he had to organize the transfer of power to new hands and negotiated this with Ukrainian politicians, for example with Mykola Azarov. Many of the plans of the GRU turned out to be known in advance to the Western and Ukrainian special services. In the Kyiv offensive, Redut sustained heavy losses in which the fighting force had suffered up to 90% losses, which practically eliminated the Redut PMC, leaving Prigozhin's Wagner Group to dominate the scene.Nationalization of Redut
After this event, remaining Redut contractors got invited to their base in Kubinka and were offered contracts by the Russian MoD, to serve officially in the Russian Armed Forces. As claimed by one of Redut's former commanders, that is why Redut is completely controlled and effectively reformed by the Russian MoD. Despite the heavy casualties, Redut PMC grew sharply to around 7,000 soldiers in 2023, in part due to recruitment of prisoners and labor migrants from e.g. CIS states. At this time, Redut became one of the MoD's main recruiting projects for mercenary formations. In early 2023, Redut and the UDV held a congress in Russian-occupied Mariupol, where more than 450 fighters and officers announced that all Russian "volunteer" militias were going to be merged into a so-called "Russian Volunteer Corps", for which Redut serves as the parent company. The document establishing the corps was signed by retired GRU Colonel Aleksei Kondratyev.Fall of Wagner
After the aborted Wagner coup attempt, the MoD tried to dissolve the Wagner Group, by absorbing, eliminating or taking over parts of Wagner. Redut, along with Convoy, plays a key role, by directly profiting of these actions as a government controlled entity. Experts assessed that Redut likely possesses the capabilities and intent to take over operations of its rival Wagner in Syria and other countries after the likely decapitation of Wagner's leadership, although noting that it doesn't have the same niveau of fighting experience in comparison. Others saw a pro-MoD rebranding of Wagner as more likely. In July 2023, Wagner mercenaries in Syria and Ukraine were offered the opportunity to move to Redut, which is in active competition with Wagner. A number of former Wagnerites joined Redut formations after this. In August, ISW reported that efforts to dissolve Wagner partially succeeded, with two high-ranking Wagner representatives and commanders, namely Andrey "Sedoy" Troshev and Vadim V., defecting to Redut—as claimed by the MoD and other Wagner commanders. Furthermore, the Russian MoD is apparently using them to recruit Wagner personnel under the promise of new missions in Africa. Shortly before the death of Wagner founders Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, Redut began preparation to enter Africa, focusing recruitment efforts on this area. iStories found posts on social networks urging people to join Redut with this message: "Wagner is in the past. If you are really interested in real work in Africa, the Ministry of Defence and PMC Redut is your choice!".In October 2023 Russian state media reported on the formation of the "Expeditionary Volunteer Assault Corps" which unified several volunteer units such as "Wolves", "Dnepr", "Don", "Terek", BARS, "Nevsky", "Veterans", "St. George the Victorious", "Sever-Z" and others under a single command. Anatoly Bibilov, deputy commander of the corps for military and political work, noted that the word "Expeditionary" in the corps' name means that the unit is ready to carry out the tasks set by the Russian Ministry of Defense "anywhere regardless of place and time". He also claimed that every unit of the corps signed contracts with the MoD. According to Russian OSINT analysts from AmalNews the corps is curated by Troshev.
Re-organization and growth
As of 2024, Redut grew to tens of thousands of operatives, estimated at 25,000, managing up to 20 formations. According to Mark Galeotti, director of Mayak Intelligence, Redut has emerged as the main Russian PMC and is much more active in Africa and Syria. Redut has notable presence and activity in Africa with the Bears Brigade. Konstantin Mirzayants, the leader of Redut, is reportedly closely involved in the MoD's operations in Africa and the creation of the "Africa Corps", which seeks to take over Wagner's structures in Africa.Organization
According to Candace Rondeaux, Redut members tend to be abstemious and disciplined. Rondeaux states that under Russian law, one wing of Redut is categorized as a "military training centre" and the whole is in her opinion "not a PMC, not some sort of special company" though she admits that it has extraterritorial operations. She further states that Redut "is fully folded into the Ministry of Defense infrastructure and always has been." The 2023 RFE/RFL investigation confirmed "Redut" being a front for GRU operations, maintained through a network of shadow companies, fictitious legal entities and virtual military units with the primary purpose of legally distancing the special operations from Russian government.Recruitment
According to an investigation by the Russian-language version of RFE/RFL, advertisements for Redut formations are quite actively placed in Russian social media. Official requirements for application are at least 25 to 45 years of age, military and law enforcement agency experience, no ongoing law enforcement prosecution and medical certificates of the absence of tuberculosis, hepatitis and HIV. However a member of the formation said that requirements are much lower. It was leaked that representatives of Redut recruit convicts in high-security prisons.A leaked contract referred to Redut as "RLSPI", which is described as a construction company registered in Rostov-on-Don, without mentioning military service. "RLSPI" is a regional laboratory for socio-psychological research under the Russian Ministry of Defense, located in Rostov-on-Don and belonging to the GRU, which is not indicated in the document. Additionally, payments in case of injury, death, and accommodation are specified. Since the annexation of four Ukrainian Oblasts, salary is paid in Ruble instead of Dollars, since Russian authorities don't consider these territories as foreign anymore.
iStories reported that a journalist of theirs got offered to join the Redut formation "Wolves", to fight in Ukraine, without signing a MoD contract—bypassing the Russian MoD's requirement since 1 July for all volunteer formations participating in the war to have one. This contradicts a statement by State Duma deputy Maxim Ivanov, who assured that "Redut" and its units signed contracts with the Ministry of Defence.
As reported by iStories in October 2023, women are also being recruited into the ranks of Redut's formation "Borz Battalion" now, as snipers and drone operators. Recruitment of women also started in the Española Battalion.