There are many “volunteers in Ukraine, but due to the nature of the conflict, an open war between two states, I rule out the use of contractors. And in any case, any kind of deployment of these figures in this war is taking place in an absolutely secret way”. Contractor Gianpiero Spinelli, who has worked in different scenarios for 20 years, from Iraq to Libya to Kuwait, to name a few, says this to Adnkronos.Following the death in combat of volunteer Edy Ongaro, who fought with the Donbass separatist forces, Spinelli wishes to clarify: “There is a great deal of confusion between volunteers, legitimate fighters, contractors, mercenaries and foreign fighters”.
“Today, the main activity of contractor companies in Ukraine is the evacuation of personnel, especially from foreign companies, he continues. “There are Italians enrolled in the International Legion he explains but they are combatants recognized by this state, they cannot be defined as contractors who are instead operators with an uninterrupted contract with a company over a long period and themselves therefore move in different scenarios”.
“The contractors are hired by a company, they can work at both the state and private levels he explains they move in different scenarios with a contract that provides for the delivery of their service where it is ordered, regardless , whether or not there is an armed conflict,” stresses Spinelli, adding that contractors “unlike mercenaries have no direct connection to the client”.