By July 1, volunteer groups must have signed an agreement with the Department of Defense. Evguéni Prigojine, head of the private company Wagner, categorically rejects this.
Wagner still has ten days to answer the call of the Russian army. Volunteer organizations involved in the war in Ukraine must have signed a contract with the Ministry of Defense by Saturday, July 1st. This June 10 order by Minister Sergei Shoigu must provide legal protection (medical assistance, social benefits, etc.) to combatants and their families. Even if it means questioning the absolute independence of the Wagner paramilitary group with its own command and rules.
Above all, the Russian armed forces hope that these contracts will increase efficiency on the ground by putting their affairs in order. For the statutes of those fighting under the banner of Moscow are varied: In addition to the army, “many units, volunteer detachments and other formations” are involved in the fighting, said Alexei Kim, deputy chief of the Russian General Staff. The text also gives combatants the right to sign contracts with volunteer units or the army, Deputy Minister Nikolai Pankov said. There are about forty battalions in total, most of which were raised at the regional level as part of individual governor’s initiatives.
Targeted Volunteer Battalions
The Chechen Akhmat Battalion was the first to initial this agreement, announcing it in a video widely shared by the authorities. These special forces, often referred to as Ramzan Kadyrov’s private militia, are now “officially part of the Defense Ministry,” the Chechen dictator hailed. On June 13, three brigades and four separate detachments of volunteers signed one after the other, followed by ten more the following day. In a message delivered by the government, a representative from a brigade named Terek predicted an “enthusiastic reception” from the ranks.
Representatives of the Chechen Akhmat Battalion will sign a contract with the Russian army on June 12, 2023, according to a video posted by Ramzan Kadyrov. (RAMZAN KADYROV / TELEGRAM)
The war enabled the emergence or rise in power of many other profitable structures (Convoy, Redut, Gazprom-affiliated companies, etc.). However, these private military companies (PMCs) remain banned on paper and the Russian authorities have still not decided their fate. Some observers believe that the legal framework being worked out by the Department of Defense must allow for the legalization of the PMCs, while others believe that this is a way of placing them under guardianship. At a meeting organized with military bloggers, Vladimir Putin was content to highlight the situation of the “volunteers” without further details.
In any case, Evguéni Prigojine reiterates that Wagner is affected by these contracts, since before June 15 the army sent him a document requesting information about its personnel, armament and casualties. The person concerned was upset about this and directly criticized the minister and the high command. “Wagner will not sign a contract with the army,” he responded. “Most military units.” [régulières] don’t have our efficiency because [Sergueï] Shoigu is unable to properly handle them.”
Wagner’s leader also fears that his group will be taken over by the army if he signs the contract. Are these fears justified? “We can clearly see that the chain of command within the Ministry of Defense itself, which has many problems in military organization, is already not obvious,” comments researcher Anne Le Huérou, a specialist in Russia. In her opinion, the greatest risk for Wagner was being weaned off ammunition, even stripped of certain pieces of equipment, which would then be redistributed to other, less affluent formations.
Prigojine lashes out (again) at the staff
Evguéni Prigojine calls for a “compromise solution” that offers social guarantees to his fighters, but without recognizing their dependence on a ministry “privatized by a group of individuals”. In any case, the content of the contract shows the pathetic relations between this militia and the army. For months, the Wagner founder has been multiplying attacks against Minister Sergei Shoigu and the Russian General Staff, who are accused of all sorts of evil and are denied ammunition. The capture of Bakhmout prompted a long-distance duel with the army, with both attempting to take advantage of the political advantage of this victory.
The showdown drags on. With a penchant for provocation, Evguéni Prigojine went to the Ministry of Defense to submit his own version of the treaty. The document was rejected at the counter, but was sent through “other channels,” he assures. Wagner’s founder leaves it up to the ministry to reveal the contents, but the third page seen in the video announces the color. It stipulates that Wagner employees act according to the rules of the group and that their commanders “participate in the development” of the operations in joint actions with the army. They therefore have a “right of veto”.
Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin in a video intended to show him handing over the contract at the counter of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow, published on June 16, 2023. (RAZGROUZKA WAGNERA)
However, provocation could turn the tide. The paramilitary group managed to make itself indispensable in the face of incredible losses in Bakhmout, but the chapter is now closed. The Russian army also objected to Wagner’s men taking one of their officers into custody in early June.
The fate of the prisoners recruited for the fight is in question
Moscow has already regained control of one of the paramilitary group’s recruitment pools: prisons. According to the NGO Russia behind bars, the Ministry of Defense has recruited 15,000 prisoners since February 1. A bill submitted to the Duma must also resolve a legal ambiguity by granting an exemption from punishment for certain convicts who went to the front. So far, Yevgeny Prigoyine has lured prisoners with promises of freedom. He explained on Monday that 32,000 former prisoners were already able to return to Russia unhindered after their contract with Wagner expired.
“The authorities have been trying for months to regain control of events and give the impression that they have the situation under control,” researcher Anne Le Huérou told franceinfo. But prison recruitment or the granting of pardons isn’t necessarily an admission of greatness. It’s an admission of reluctance to trigger greater mobilization given the difficulties encountered in past waves.
THE The British Ministry of Defense is considering the July 1st ultimatum as a “key phase in the dispute” between Yevgeny Prigoyine and the Russian army. If the head of the private company refused to initial the document to the end, it would seriously undermine the authority of the General Staff. A signature, on the other hand, would have two immediate legal consequences, emphasizes the Lieber Institute, an American military center. Actions by the group that violate international law would henceforth be attributed to the Russian state. And the future prisoners would then be entitled to prisoner-of-war status.
These announcements come at a time when Wagner claims to have conducted a temporary withdrawal from Ukraine on June 5 for three months to regain his strength. But “if Choigou continues to deprive us of oxygen, we will remain in the training camps or even return to Africa waiting for them to call us back,” commented an anonymous commander contacted by Novaya Gazeta Europe. “Judging by developments at the front, it will happen very soon.”