Shadows Rising: The Russia-Ukraine War and The Status of The Wagner Group Members in The Law of Armed Conflict

Abstract

With the occupation of Crimea in 2014, low-intensity conflicts in the Donbas region turned into a full-fledged war, in other words, armed conflicts of an international nature, since February 24, 2022 with the attack of Russia on Ukraine. The war between Russia and Ukraine caused a humanitarian crisis along with putting international peace and security at risk, and the prominent role of the Wagner Group, which operates as a private military company in various parts of the world, in Ukraine has ignited various discussions in terms of international law. Unlike private military companies, the Wagner Group acts as a quasi-state influence agency of the Russian state. As an auxiliary actor to achieve Russia's geo-political goals, the Wagner Group has close relations with and is guided by Russia. Although there are private military companies in many countries, the fact that the Wagner Group has been declared illegal both in the Constitution of the Russian Federation and in the Russian Criminal Code distinguishes this private military company from its counterparts. This situation has led to discussions regarding the status of the Wagner Group, which constitutes an important and extremely complex element of the privatized military industry, under international law of armed conflicts. In this context, the main purpose of the study is to discuss whether the Wagner Group members will gain combatant status and combatant privilege once captured by the Ukrainian forces.

Keywords

• Private Military Companies
• Wagner Group
• Legal Combatant
• Illegal Combatant
• Mercenary

Gölgeler Yükseliyor: Wagner Grubu Üyelerinin Statülerinin Rusya-Ukrayna Savaşı Bağlamında ve Silahlı Çatışmalar Hukukunda Değerlendirilmesi

Öz

2014’te Kırım’ın işgaliyle Donbas bölgesinde devam eden düşük yoğunluklu çatışmalar, 24 Şubat 2022’te Rusya’nın Ukrayna’ya saldırısıyla tam teşekkülü bir savaşa diğer bir ifadeyle, uluslararası silahlı çatışmaya dönüşmüştür. Rusya-Ukrayna arasında beliren savaş, uluslararası barış ve güvenliği riske atmakla birlikte, insani krize neden olmuş ve dünyanın muhtelif yerlerinde özel askeri şirket olarak faaliyet gösteren Wagner Grubu’nun Ukrayna’da öne çıkan rolü, uluslararası hukuk açısından çeşitli tartışmaları da beraberinde getirmiştir. Wagner Grubu, diğer özel askeri şirketlerin aksine, Rus güvenlik şirketleri gibi yarı devlet nüfuz ajanı olarak hareket etmektedir. Rusya’nın jeo-politik hedeflerine ulaşmak için yardımcı bir aktör olan Wagner Grubu, Rusya ile yakın ilişki içerisindedir ve Rusya tarafından yönlendirilmektedir. Birçok ülkede özel askeri şirketler olmasına rağmen, Wagner Grubu’nun hem Rusya Federasyonu Anayasası’nda hem de Rus Ceza Kanunu’nda yasa dışı ilan edilmiş olması, bu özel askeri şirketi muadillerinden ayrıştırmaktadır. Bu durum özelleştirilen askeri endüstrinin önemli ve son derece karmaşık bir unsurunu oluşturan Wagner Grubu’nun uluslararası silahlı çatışmalar hukuku kapsamındaki statüsüne ilişkin tartışmalara yol açmıştır. Bu bağlamda çalışmanın temel amacı, Wagner Grubu üyelerinin Ukrayna güçleri tarafından ele geçirilmeleri halinde muharip statüsü ve muharip ayrıcalığı kazanıp kazanmayacağını tartışmaktır.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Özel Askeri Şirketler
• Wagner Grubu
• Yasal Muharip
• Yasadışı Muharip
• Paralı Asker

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