Wagner Mercenaries Reject Russian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW: The most powerful mercenary in Russia made it clear that his Wagner troops would not sign any agreements with Sergei Shoigu, publicly rejecting any effort on the part of the defence minister to subjugate his fighting group.

The defence ministry announced on Saturday that all such groups — or their soldiers — would need to sign a contract with the ministry by July 1 in order to increase the efficacy of “volunteer detachments”.

Wagner was not specifically mentioned, but it is frequently referred to as “volunteer assault detachments”.

The ministry stated that this would “provide the volunteer formations with the necessary legal status, create unified approaches to the organisation of comprehensive provision, and fulfil their duties.”

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According to Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov, “These steps will improve the combat readiness and efficiency of the armed forces and their volunteer detachments.”

Wagner will not sign any contracts with Moscow, says mercenary chief

The founder of the Wagner organisation, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has frequently criticised President Vladimir Putin’s top military officials for what he views as betrayal in failing to conduct the war in Ukraine effectively.