The Rotenberg brothers are creating their private army from PMCs consisting of football fans

The head of security of the Russian railway monopoly Russian Railways (RZD), Viktor Shendrik, is a sponsor of the PMC Española, a volunteer detachment of Russian football fans fighting in Ukraine. 

Viktor Shendrik is an associate of Vladimir Putin's friends, the Rotenberg brothers. "Important Stories" reported how the Rotenbergs installed Shendrik in the leadership of RZD, who previously worked in their security service and was involved in their common business. The Rotenberg companies are key contractors for RZD.

"Espanyol" was created by fans, mainly from Spartak, and then the Rotenberg brothers came up with the idea to take control of the private military company for themselves," one of the sources from "Important Stories" tells. "Nowadays, many large companies are creating their own private armies, and the brothers want to establish their own private army based on 'Española.' They put Viktor in charge of this because he worked in their security service for a long time and served in 'Vympel' – so, it's all in his history."

Viktor Shendrik

Shendrik graduated from the Golitsyn Military Institute of Border Troops and served in the FSB special forces unit "Vympel," known as the "intellectual special forces." He was involved in business – together with the Rotenberg brothers and the family of Senator Pavel Fedyaev. Since 2016, he has been the head of security at RZD. He was a member of the board of directors of Russia's largest railway container operator, TransContainer, and is a member of the board of directors of TransTeleCom, Russia's second-largest operator after Rostelecom. Shendrik is a wealthy individual; leaked data on Russian incomes showed that he earned over 2 billion rubles in 2021.

"Espanyol" was initially formed as a volunteer unit of radical football fans from across the country and was part of the "Vostok" battalion of the so-called Donetsk People's Republic (DPR). In February 2023, "Espanyol" declared itself a private military company. Its units include reconnaissance, assault, artillery, electronic warfare, unmanned aerial vehicles, and snipers. The fighters of "Espanyol" are supplied by Ilya Khanin, a football fan and the brother of Nikolay Khanin, the head of the administration of the Ramensky urban district of the Moscow region.

Like most Russian volunteer units, "Española" is part of the "Redut" PMC of the Russian Ministry of Defense, meaning that contract fighters sign up with "Redut." "Española" is commanded by Stanislav Orlov, nicknamed "Ispanets" (the Spaniard), a CSKA football fan. Orlov has been involved in combat operations in Ukraine since 2014. It is known that "Española" fighters participated in the storming of Azovstal and fought on the Kherson and Zaporizhzhia fronts, near Uglezdar and Avdiivka.

Dozens of mercenary squads fight on the Russian side, funded by major Russian companies. For example, the Moscow authorities force "Mosgaz," the Moscow Metro, "Gormost," and "Mosvodokanal" to seek and hire soldiers of fortune. The late Yevgeny Prigozhin mentioned PMCs associated with Gazprom in interviews. The "Uran" battalion reported that it receives support from Roscosmos. The "Soyuz" unit, which includes martial arts masters, is funded by Sberbank, Rosatom, and RusHydro. Private companies are not far behind the state ones: "Rusal," "Novatek," PIK, and "Mospromstroy" have their own units on the Ukrainian front.