Russia’s Defense Ministry wants to bring all Russian volunteer organizations under its command by order. But military contractor Prigozhin does not want to subject his mercenaries to official leadership.
Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has called on all Russian volunteer organizations to sign contracts with his ministry by July 1. As his deputy Nikolai Pankov announced, these organizations will thus receive a legal status and the same state benefits as the regular units of the armed forces.
According to observers, this measure may be aimed at the private military company Wagner of the oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. He is a sharp critic of Schoigu and has already stated that Wagner will not sign such contracts.
Piroschgin considers Shoigu incompetent
Defense Minister Shoigu can make decisions about the ministry and the soldiers, Prigozhin said in a voice message published on his Telegram channel. However, the minister has not yet been able to lead his own troops. It could be that Wagner will not receive any weapons and ammunition because he has not signed – but only until the ministry needs the help of the private army.
Putin as supreme commander accepted
At the same time, Prigozhin emphasized with regard to the authority that he is subordinate to President Vladimir Putin as commander-in-chief and to the interests of Russia. On the other hand, he had previously accused Shoigu and Russian Chief of Staff Valeri Gerasimov of incompetence in view of a large number of defeats in Moscow’s war of aggression against Ukraine.
Prigozhin said his mercenary army was determining combat missions in coordination with Gerasimov’s deputy Sergey Surovikin. Surovikin is smart, experienced and stands for a high degree of effectiveness and success. So far there has been no official reaction to Prigozhin’s refusal in Moscow. As a close confidante of Putin in Russia, Prigozhin is considered untouchable.
Schoigu’s deputy Pankow had stated that the integration of the units into the ministry was intended to improve military capabilities and the effective deployment of fighters. The troops could then also be better equipped, it said. However, there are repeated complaints from Russian soldiers about inadequate equipment.