The death trade is thriving in Russia – with so-called “security companies” you can currently make a lot of money there. This means private armies. In addition to the most famous, the Wagner group under Yevgeny Prigozhin, there are many others in the country. The energy giant Gazprom alone is said to have founded three. Now the Russian Ministry of Defense wants to bring everyone under its command. However, Prigozhin refuses and shoots the Russian Defense Minister again…
There are now more than 40 volunteer organizations in Russia, said Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov. On July 1, all these units should now sign a contract with the government. This is intended to improve military capabilities and the effective deployment of combatants. The troops could therefore be better equipped, it said.
However, there are repeated complaints from Russian soldiers about inadequate equipment. The Telegram channel “Sota” assumes that the Ministry of Defense wants to gain power and control over the private armies with this move.
Prigozhin does not want to sign the contract
Prigozhin wants nothing to do with it. On Sunday, he stated that he refused to sign such a contract. Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu can make decisions about the ministry and soldiers, he said in a voice message published on his Telegram channel.
However, the minister is not even capable of leading his own troops. Wagner will therefore not sign any contracts with Shoigu. And even if his mercenaries then no longer receive weapons and ammunition from the ministry – “if necessary, they will come running and bring weapons and ammunition with the request: ‘Help'”, Putin’s cook was convinced.
“Department of Defense Incompetent”
At the same time, with regard to authority, Prigozhin stressed 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 despite numerous defeats in Moscow’s offensive war against Ukraine.
In addition, the Wagner boss explained that his mercenary army would determine combat missions in coordination with Gerasimov’s deputy Sergei Surovikin. Surovikin is smart, experienced and stands for a high degree of effectiveness and success. There was initially no official response to Prigozhin’s Moscow refusal. As Putin’s closest confidant in Russia, Prigozhin is considered untouchable.
Source: Krone
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