Ukraine Digest: Thursday, Feb. 27

Draft law to legalize private military companies sparks controversy

Private security contracting — a booming industry that makes billions across the globe — is heading for full legalization in Ukraine.

Serhiy Tigipko, touted as a potential prime minister, is no new face

The business mogul has served in four governments and owned businesses with ties to two oligarchs and a former president.

Ukraine opens probes into Biden after ex-prosecutor Shokin’s court appeals

The former prosecutor general, whose allegations underpinned Trump’s efforts to extort Ukraine, managed . two get two probes opened against Biden.

Video: Meet Ukraine’s Invictus Games team

Ukraine’s team is preparing to participate in the competition for injured veterans for the third time.

Enjoy healthy vegetarian food at these Kyiv restaurants 

The days of struggling to find quality vegetarian food in Kyiv are over. Here are seven of our favorites.

Ukraine gives quotas to foreign tech specialists to meet demand

Ukraine will limit foreign specialists to 5,000 to incentivize the most qualified workers to join the growing industry.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

Ukraine’s government recently introduced a draft law that if passed would legalize Private Military Corporations (PMCs) in the country for the first time.

Despite their legal status, Ukrainians have a long history of working for private military groups, and bringing the industry out of the shadows could create substantial benefits for Ukraine’s geopolitical interests.

In February 2018, the Kyiv Post reported on dozens of Ukrainians employed by the Kremlin-backed Wagner private military company, several of whom were likely killed by U.S. airstrikes in Syria. According to the head of the SBU, the company formed a unit after Russia’s occupation of Donbas in 2015 consisting of Ukrainian and Russian nationals who were “trained for subversive and terrorist activity in Ukraine.”

While some experts fear officially introducing PMCs will lead Ukraine’s oligarchs to form private armies, the draft law’s text specifically notes that the units would not participate in combat or use weapons in Ukraine outside of at official training centers. The proposed legislation is an important step and certainly the best deterrent against Ukrainians joining military companies controlled by foreign nationals, Russian or otherwise.

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