Admits The Struggle Of Its Members But Calls Wagner Group Not Legally Recognized, Here's President Putin's Explanation

President Putin inspected the troops on Russian Navy Day. (Wikimedia Commons/Mil.ru)

"Legalizing private military companies is a complicated matter that must be handled by the government and parliament, because officially companies like the Wagner Group are not in Russia," said President Vladimir Putin.

Koresponden khusus Kommersant Andrey Kolesnikov, mengutip pernyataan Presiden Rusia dalam menanggapi pertanyaan tentang masa depan salah satu petugas terkenal di dunia.

President Putin explained that Russia does not have a law on private military companies. Therefore, there is no such legal entity.

"There is indeed a Group (Wagner), but in a juridical manner there is none," President Putin explained in the report, as quoted by TASS July 14.

"Formal ratification is a separate matter that must be addressed by the State Duma (low paper of the Russian parliament) and the government. This is a complicated matter," President Putin said.

President Putin believes the Wagner Group controversy is "very simple and clear to the people of Russia."

"Ordinary members Wagner fight with dignity... so it is very regrettable that they were involved in this incident," added President Putin.

Earlier, citing Reuters from Kommersant, President Putin offered the Wagner Group's mercenaries the opportunity to continue fighting, days after the failed uprising on June 24, but suggested that Yevgeny Prigozhin's position be replaced by another commander.

On Monday the Kremlin said the Russian leader had held talks with 35 Wagner and Prigozhin commanders at the June 29. The mercenaries, the Kremlin said, reaffirmed their loyalty to President Putin.

During the meeting, he suggested several options for them to continue fighting, including a senior Wagner figure known as the nickname 'Sedoi' (gray hair) taking over command.

'Sedoi' is the pseudonym Andrei Troshev, a senior Wagner commander, according to EU sanctions documents, French official documents, sources familiar with the matter and Russian media reports.

Troshev, a veteran of the Russian war in Afghanistan and Chechnya, is from St. Petersburg, the hometown of President Putin.

"They can all gather in one place and continue to serve. And nothing has changed for them. They will be led by the same people who have been their commanders," President Putin was quoted as saying by Kommersant.

President Putin said many commanders nodded their heads on his advice, but Prigozhin, who sits on the front, didn't see this, Kommersant said.