MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russia’s most powerful mercenary said on Sunday that his Wagner fighters would not sign any contract with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu just hours after the defence ministry sought to bring volunteer detachments under its sway.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, has repeatedly attacked President Vladimir Putin’s top military brass for what he casts as treachery for failing to fight the war in Ukraine properly.
Neither Shoigu nor Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov have commented in public on Prigozhin’s insults and criticism.
But the defence ministry on Saturday said Shoigu had ordered all “volunteer detachments” to sign contracts with his ministry by the end of the month, a step the ministry said would increase the effectiveness of the Russian army.
Though the defence ministry did not mention Wagner in its public statement, the Russian media reported that it was an attempt by Shoigu to bring the mercenaries to heel.
“Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu,” Prigozhin said in response to a request for comment on the Shoigu order.
Prigozhin said Wagner was integrated into the overall system and completely subordinate to the interests of Russia but that its highly efficient command structure would be damaged by reporting to Shoigu.
“Shoigu cannot properly manage military formations,” Prigozhin said, adding that Wagner coordinated its actions in Ukraine with General Sergei Surovikin, nicknamed “General Armageddon” by the Russian media.
(Reporting by Reuters; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)
