MOSCOW, June 27 (RAPSI) – Russian ministry of defense and the lower house of parliament are working on a bill on private military companies (PMCs), RIA Novosti reported Friday, citing Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee Frants Klintsevich.

The bill is aimed at defining the legal frame for PMCs, the agency quoted the lawmaker as having said. According to Klintsevich, PMCs are nowadays a common practice and foreign companies are widely used in Afghanistan

In the meantime, a group of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDPR) has already laid out its own bill on PMCs which was submitted to the Pskov Region Assembly for consideration. They stand for legalizing non-government paramilitary organizations which are engaged in protecting Russia’s national interests abroad.