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Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, a close confidant of Putin, is considered untouchable in Russia

Photo: AP / dpa

Russia's Ministry of Defense wants to bring all Russian volunteer units under its command by order. By July 1, all these units would have to sign a contract with the agency, Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said in Moscow. There are now more than 40 voluntary associations whose legal status should be secured in this way. The head of the Russian private army Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said on Sunday that he refused to sign such a contract.

Prigozhin does not want to sign contracts with Shoigu

Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu can determine the ministry and the soldiers, Prigozhin said in a voice message published via his Telegram channel. However, the minister has not yet been able to lead his own troops. Therefore, Wagner will not sign contracts with Shoigu. It could be that Wagner will not receive any weapons and ammunition – but only until the ministry needs the help of the private army.

At the same time, Prigozhin emphasized with regard to the power of command that he subordinates himself to President Vladimir Putin as commander-in-chief and to Russia's interests. On the other hand, he had previously accused Shoigu and Russian Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov of incompetence in the face of a large number of defeats in Moscow's war of aggression against Ukraine.

Prigozhin said that his mercenary army was determining combat missions in coordination with Gerasimov's deputy, Sergei Surovikin. Surovikin is smart, experienced and stands for a high degree of effectiveness and success. Initially, there was no official reaction in Moscow to Prigozhin's refusal. As a close confidant of Putin, Prigozhin is considered untouchable in Russia. (Read more about the Wagner mercenary army here.)

Shoigu's deputy, Pankov, had said that the incorporation of the units into the ministry was intended to improve military capabilities and the effective use of fighters. The troops could then also be better equipped, it said. However, there are already repeated complaints from Russian soldiers about inadequate equipment.

muk/dpa