ЦАТУ

Recent reports of some European, Ukrainian and Russian media point that Greystone Limited private security company personnel have arrived in Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital.

Greystone Limited is a subsidiary of Xe Services LLC, which is the new name of notorious Blackwater USA known for the murder of Iraqi civilians in 2007.

Reportedly, some 300 fully equipped experts from Greystone may have been called upon to protect state administrations in Kyiv, Kharkov, Odessa, Donetsk and Nikolayev against pro-Russian self-defence squads. The possible reason for this foreign involvement is that Euromaidan leaders have lost control over their ultra-right fighters who discredited themselves by using ‘uncivilized’ security enforcement methods. Other Greystone missions may include training of local combatants or even capturing power in separatist Crimea.

Foreign private security companies (PSCs) from USA, Great Britain and Israel have been involved in the Ukrainian crisis since its very beginning. That has been reported by a Russian mercenary who fled Ukrainian nationalists from Euromaidan and surrendered to Russian law enforcement forces. He alleged that his detachment in Kyiv included 60 US citizens, 40 Germans, some Poles, Turks and other nationals.

Some experts fear that events in Ukrain are turning into some kind of Libyan or Syrian scenario. Some clandestine managers of the crisis seek to provoke more disorders to destabilize situation in the country and justify tough ‘external control’ of the early presidential elections or even foreign military involvement under NATO or UN auspices. Private security companies with their well-known ties with governmental security and intelligence services (who are much interested in PSCs in sensitive affairs) are the best choice for such options.

The Greystone Ltd., registered in Barbados, “is an international security services company that offers your country or organisation a complete solution to your most pressing security needs”. It deals with non-US governmental and non-governmental organization and provides “mobile security teams, which could be employed for personal security operations, surveillance and countersurveillance”. Greystone focuses on providing stability to locations experiencing turmoil whether caused by armed conflict, epidemics, or natural or man-made disasters.

Greystone is a member of the International Peace Operations Association and the Private Security Company Association of Iraq.

Applicants for jobs with Greystone are asked to check off their qualifications in weapons like AK-47 rifle, Glock 19, M-16 series rifle, M-4 carbine rifle, machine gun, mortar and shoulder-fired weapons. Among the skills sought are sniper, marksman, door gunner, explosive ordnance, counter-assault team member.

Mitro ZRIMOV