And you were worried about Blackwater

The headline this morning from Russia Today: “Russian soldiers ready to take on Blackwater in Iraq.” By “take on” they don’t mean militarily, but commercially:

A special group of Russian soldiers is involved in an intense military training program in preparation for Iraq. They believe they can compete with their British and American counterparts by adopting a unique approach…. These men are from the anti-terror group Oryol and, much like their infamous, American counterpart “Blackwater”, they provide private security for Russian engineers and businessmen operating inside Iraq.

“I firmly believe Russians can do a lot in the Middle East, much more than our American and British colleagues. Local people treat us much better – both police and the opposition. We are there with a peaceful mission. We help rebuild power plants,” says Sergey Epishkin.

And they use the same recruiting method as Blackwater:

The company is entirely made up of ex-military officers who wanted an outlet to continue to use their skills.

“The potential of Russian special units is really unlimited. The reform [of the Russian military], with all its mistakes, left a good number of skilled professionals without a job,” Sergey Epishkin says.

The video report here, including an interview with an Oryol official conducted, inexplicably and unexplained, in a pool hall: