Two days after Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree requiring members of paramilitary groups to declare their allegiance to Russia in the form of an oath, as the regular army does .
According to this decree published on the government’s website, they must in particular swear “fidelity” and “loyalty” to Russia and “strictly follow the orders of commanders and superiors”. The text was signed two months after the mutiny of the Wagner group, under the orders of Evgueni Prigojine, who claimed the head of the Russian military hierarchy.
They also pledge to “sacredly respect the Russian Constitution”, “conscientiously perform the tasks entrusted to [them]” and “courageously defend the independence and constitutional order” of the country.
This decree concerns persons enlisted as a voluntary combatant, those “contributing to the execution of the tasks assigned to the Russian armed forces” and other “military bodies and formations”, including the territorial defense forces formed during the conflict. in Ukraine.
While mercenary activity is prohibited by law in Russia, the activities of “private military companies” officially offering “security” related services, of which Wagner is the most prominent and well-known, are tolerated. The text was signed two months after the mutiny of the Wagner group, which, under the orders of its boss Evgueni Prigojine, resented the Russian military hierarchy, accused of incompetence. Prigozhin is presumed dead after a plane crashing Wednesday night carrying him from Moscow to St. Petersburg alongside his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin and other Wagner officials. Despite suspicions of assassination by the authorities, the Kremlin has denied any responsibility in this crash.
