The most feared Private Military Contractors in the world

Today, the most feared private military contractors in the world are not necessarily the ones you heard most about. Since the Blackwater, the work of those companies is going under the radar. It doesn’t mean that they are not present or that they are working less.

The last year’s events in Venezuela revealed the presence of secret private military contractors in Venezuela. The alleged presence of the notorious Wagner group is not and cannot be officially confirmed, but if we assume that they are there, that means that things could become rough. Those claims were reported from various news sources in Venezuela.

Which is the most feared military company?

To better understand the current status in the private military contracting market and determine the most feared private military contractors, I did some research. The conclusion comes from the available public information on the internet, friends in the military, and private military companies. According to that information, I will try to understand the current status of private military contractors on the market. Which is the most feared private military company?

It seems there isn’t a single opinion on the strength of a single private military company. I found that many people identified Gurkhas from Aegis and Wagner snipers as the most dangerous and most fearsome private military contractors out there.

Aegis Defence Services

Aegis Defence Services is a British private military and security company. One of the largest companies in the world; however, I am putting them first because one of the groups in Aegis kept coming up in my research. Its long history of contracting granted them a tremendous experience. Despite some controversies about their misconduct (recordings that appeared in 2005 and showed its contractors shooting at Iraqi civilians), the primary reason I opted for them is that today, most of its elite contractor teams are compiled from the former Gurkhas.

Gurkha – strong and agile soldiers with surprising endurance and fearlessness. Gurkhas are warriors who do not part with their famous Kukri knives. For centuries their craft was – serving as mercenaries for rajahs in India. It is believed that they despise death as a concept, which was actively used during the Falklands Conflict. “Jai Mahakali, Ayo Gorkhali” – “Praise/Victory to the Great Kali, Gurkhas are coming” – is a phrase often associated with Gurkhas on the battlefield.

Wagner Group

Wagner group is considered one of the smallest Private Military Companies globally. Yet one, that many belief executes the tasks that the Russian Federation has to do unofficially. This group has presumably been tasked with protecting Russian national interest from Syria to Crimea without actual Russian military presence.

Famed for de-militarizing Crimea without a single shot fired. And in fact, that is all that is known about them. They don’t have a phone number, email address or physical address, or any other sign that they even exist. They have fought in Syria on the side of the Syrian government. Contractors from the Wagner group were present in Venezuela during the last years’ tensions between the Nicholas Maduro government and opposition.

The United States put the Wagner group on the sanction list over their participation in the Russian war against Ukraine.

Wagner Sniper Group – approximated to be only 14 people strong. One of the most feared single mercenary units in the world. Their commander – Andrey Bakunovich, had died in 2017. He has been known to have pierced a 25 mm coin from 100 meters. This group is known for its current actions in Ukraine, taking command over the local military of Donbas and Doneck.

To conclude which is the most feared private military contractors globally is not an easy task. I am aware that there are dozens of private military contractors. Still, according to the available information, my personal opinion is that those two companies (Aegis and Wagner Group) were most agile and active in 2020.