Multilingual former soldiers are needed to surreptitiously enter Ukraine for up to $2,000 (£1,523) per day - plus a bonus - to assist in the rescue of families from an increasingly bleak conflict.
The job advertisement may sound like something out of a script for an action film, but it's true. It was stolen from Silent Professionals, an employment website for those working in the private military and security industry.
Insiders claim that demand is increasing. In the midst of a harrowing battle in Ukraine, private contractors in the United States and Europe claim they are increasingly looking for possibilities, ranging from 'extraction' operations to logistics assistance.
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According to Robert Young Peyton, a Canadian American scholar, and expert on private military corporations, there is "a frenzy in the market" for private contractors in Ukraine today (PMS).
However, in the midst of a war, the demand for hired security professionals - many of whom are former soldiers with the ability to fight and kill - creates plenty of room for errors and chaos.
Even as Western volunteers join the war in Ukraine, expecting to be paid the same as their Ukrainian colleagues, private interests are offering money for security services like the one described on Silent Professionals.
Contractors are being employed for between $30,000 and $6 million to help remove individuals from Ukraine, according to Peyton, who claims the recruitment portal did not say who it was advertising for. He explained that the higher-end amount is for entire families that wish to depart with all of their belongings.
According to Tony Schiena, CEO of Mosaic, a US-based intelligence and security advising organization already operating in Ukraine, the cost of evacuations is determined by the intricacy of the operation.
"The risk increases as the number of people increases. It's tougher for children and families. It all relies on how we communicate them ".
Schiena, a former South African intelligence officer whose firm includes several former high-ranking US intelligence officials on its board, said Mosaic's missions are mostly intelligence-driven, rather than armed.
Schiena told the BBC that they are dealing with individual clients, corporations, and Pips (politically exposed people) to help them flee Ukraine.
He stated that one of his clients was an "intelligence agency of a really major country" that wanted to get its citizens out.
"I believe there will be a continuing demand for [PMC] depending on how the dispute plays out," Mr. Schiena added. "There's always a need, and if [the war] increases or de-escalates, there will always be something we're asked to do."
Private military and security organizations have existed for decades, but were thrown into the spotlight after 9/11 when they worked on behalf of Western governments and economic interests in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Thousands of private contractors, such as Blackwater, were working in Iraq at the height of the conflict. Armed tasks such as convoy protection, as well as feeding and housing troops at military sites, were all part of the job. After a series of high-profile incidents, including the shooting deaths of 14 Iraqi civilians by Blackwater contractors in Baghdad in 2007, the company became well-known.
Private companies have long been utilized to safeguard affluent individuals and corporations in Eastern Europe.
Several companies were contracted to help equip, train, and organize Bosnian and Croatian forces during the disintegration of the former Yugoslavia, all with the consent of the US government.
Because of the nature of the sector, keeping track of the number of contractors and money is challenging, but it is a burgeoning one. According to a forecast published by Aerospace & Defense News, the worldwide private military and security business would be worth over $457 billion (£348 billion) in 2030, up from $224 billion in 2020.
Mercenaries or contractors?
Foreign military contractors claim that they are not involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
Some claim they've been solicited to assist NGOs and humanitarian organizations in Ukraine and neighboring countries that are in desperate need of personnel with specialized talents and experience working in crisis zones.
"The majority of the people going over are doctors, physician assistants, paramedics, nurses, and former special ops guys - or non-special ops guys - who are combat vets and understand," said Mike Hawk, a former US special force's officer who has served as a conflict zone contractor.
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According to Christopher Mayer, a former US Army Colonel who worked with Pms in Iraq, Western contractors are bound by the rules and regulations of their respective countries.
Rather than engaging in direct battle, they are designed to safeguard people, locations, or assets.
Many in the industry scoff at the notion that they are mercenaries or lucky soldiers.
Mayer added, "It's the same kind of job you see in the United States and everywhere." "The difference is that the likelihood of needing to use fatal force in places of conflict is much, much higher."
In practice, though, the distinction is hazy.
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What is Russia's motivation for invading Ukraine, and what is Putin's goal?
According to Christopher Mayer, a former US Army Colonel who worked with PMCs in Iraq, Western contractors are bound by the rules and regulations of their respective countries.
Rather than engaging in direct battle, they are designed to safeguard people, locations, or assets.
Many in the industry scoff at the notion that they are ‘mercenaries' or 'lucky soldiers.'
Mayer added, "It's the same kind of job you see in the United States and everywhere." "The difference is that the likelihood of needing to use fatal force in places of conflict is much, much higher."
In practice, though, the distinction is hazy.
The London-based Sand line International was involved in hostilities in Papua New Guinea, Liberia, and Sierra Leone.
Russian mercenary organizations are also rumored to be operating in Ukraine.
However, Simon Mann, the founder of Executive Outcomes and Sand line and a former British special forces officer, told the BBC that utilizing Western contractors for offensive missions in Ukraine was "very doubtful" and would raise complicated legal and organizational issues.
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"How would they be supported financially? How would they be told what to do? What position would they occupy in the Ukraine battle order? "He inquired. "Before any actions, would they be properly enrolled in the national armed forces? What would be their legal situation if they didn't? Casualties? Do you have medical insurance? What about life and disability insurance?"
Mann, who served time in prison after being convicted of orchestrating an abortive coup in Equatorial Guinea in 2004, said he is aware of evacuation missions that charge £10,000 per person and are "primarily organized by PMC-type people who happen to have contacts on the ground."
Some experts have warned that even funded rescue missions inside Ukraine could be dangerous for both contractors and customers, and that the market is rife with people who exaggerate their skills or experience.
Orlando Wilson, a former British soldier, and long-time security contractor, believes that most of the debate in Ukraine about private contractors is "nonsense." "At least not privately," he continued, "I don't see how anyone can function in Ukraine right now."
"They'll just take you as a spy and that's it if you're captured by either side or one of the militias," Wilson added. "It wouldn't be safe for the people who were doing it, and it wouldn't be safe for the customers."
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