MOSCOW, December 21. /TASS/. No private military companies (PMCs) exist in Russia by law, there are only private security firms, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday.

The Kremlin spokesman thus explained why Russian President Vladimir Putin made a reference to private security and not private military activity at his annual year-end news conference on December 20, when responding to a question about the activities of PMCs.

"No private military companies exist in our country by law. Everyone is talking about some private military company, something called Wagner, but the point is that there is no provision in our legislation (on private military companies)," the Kremlin spokesman said, noting that the Russian president therefore could not "comment on what does not exist.".