President Putin Supports Defense Ministry On Mercenary Contracts Even Though His Allies Are Wagner Group Boss Rejects

JAKARTA - Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Tuesday he supports the Ministry of Defense's order against a group of mercenaries fighting in Ukraine to sign a contract with him before July 1, something the head of the Wagner Group who is a close ally.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of Wagner and Russia's most powerful mercenaries, said his group would not sign a contract, citing what he considered the inability of Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu to manage groups like them.

However, President Putin on Tuesday explained he wanted to see all the so-called private military companies register. He also wants laws to be changed to legalize their activities.

"This is the only way to ensure social security (for mercenaries) because (currently) there is no contract with the state and no contract with the Ministry of Defense," President Putin said.

"This must be done and must be done as soon as possible," said President Putin.

Later, the new contract system will further integrate Wagner and Prigozhin, which are considered reckless but effective by some government officials, into the Ministry of Defense's command structure.

However, that would make it difficult for Prigozhin to build on his own political and military influence, something he had been doing for months while receiving military hardware and ammunition from the army.

Putin's intervention on the defense ministry has the potential to put Prigozhin in a difficult position, as the ministry says such a contract is needed to give volunteer groups "the necessary legal status" to operate.

Earlier, Prigozhin said he was unsure whether his troops would continue to fight in Ukraine, amid a bitter stalemate with the long-standing Ministry of Defense, where Prigozhin sparked poor leadership and tactics to the lack of ammunition support.

Meanwhile, the ministry has not responded to a request for comment on Prigozhin's refusal. The ministry also did not publicly comment on its scathing criticism of the agency's performance.

Wagner fighters have proven themselves to be one of the most effective elements of Russian troops in Ukraine despite suffering heavy losses. Meanwhile, any attempt he made to escape the war could be seen as a betrayal by officials in Moscow.

Separately, the Ministry of Defense's Zvezda TV channel on Tuesday broadcast an unnamed three volunteer brigade reports and four volunteer units, having signed a contract with the ministry.

Lieutenant General Vladimir Alekseeyev said after the signing ceremony he believed other volunteer groups would sign the same contract next week.

Earlier, the Defense Ministry said on Monday it had also signed a contract with the Akhmat Battalion of the Chechen special forces, often referred to as the personal force of Ramzan Kadyrov, the leader of the Chechen region in Russia.