Is Russia trying to take control of Wagner group?
While the announcement on Saturday did not explicitly mention Wagner or other paramilitary groups, Russian media outlets have suggested that the new contracts are an effort to bring Prigozhin and his forces under tighter control
Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Wagner group. File Photo. Reuters
In a significant development, Russia has seemingly taken direct control of the Wagner private military group, ending months of internal conflict with defence officials.
Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov announced on Saturday that “volunteer formations” would be required to sign contracts directly with the Ministry of Defence, a statement widely believed to be aimed at Wagner.
However, Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, responded with a furious statement on Sunday, declaring that his forces would boycott the contracts.
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Wagner has played a prominent role in the Ukrainian war, fighting alongside Russian forces. The ongoing dispute between Prigozhin and Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, as well as military chief Valery Gerasimov, has been public and acrimonious for months.
Prigozhin has accused the pair of incompetence and intentionally withholding supplies from Wagner units in Ukraine.
While the announcement on Saturday did not explicitly mention Wagner or other paramilitary groups, Russian media outlets have suggested that the new contracts are an effort to bring Prigozhin and his forces under tighter control.
The Russian Defence Ministry has announced a new measure aimed at enhancing the effectiveness of Russian units involved in the conflict in Ukraine.
The ministry stated that “volunteer formations” will now be required to sign contracts with the ministry, with a deadline of 1 July for compliance.
The move is intended to provide legal status to these formations and establish common approaches to comprehensive support and task fulfillment.
The decision comes amidst long-standing tensions between the ministry and the Wagner Group, which have recently escalated.
In a recent incident, the Wagner Group abducted Lt Col Roman Venevitin, a senior frontline army commander, accusing him of attacking a Wagner vehicle.
Lt Col Venevitin was eventually released and in a video, he accused the group of instigating disorder on Russia’s frontlines by stealing weapons, pressuring mobilized soldiers to sign contracts, and attempting to extort arms from the defence ministry.
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin dismissed these claims as baseless. Prigozhin has also suggested that his troops are prepared for deployment within Russia, specifically in the Belgorod region to combat insurgent forces.
The Wagner Group, estimated to have around 50,000 troops fighting in Ukraine, has become an increasingly influential tool of Russian state power worldwide, with deployments reported in Mali, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya.
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