The British intelligence services considered that the rhetoric of the leader of the Wagner group “grows into a challenge to the wider circles” of the Russian regime by refusing to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense.
Yevgeny Prigozhin rejected Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s order that all Russian paramilitary groups operating in Ukraine, such as Wagner, sign contracts with the ministry by July 1.
Russian President Vladimir Putin backed Shoigu’s decision on Tuesday, but Prigozhin reaffirmed his refusal to sign any contracts the next day.
For several months, Prigozhin “made passionate criticism of the Ministry of Defense, but obeyed the authority of Putin,” according to a message from the British intelligence services, published by the British Ministry of Defense on the social network Twitter.
British services recalled that Prigozhin insisted on the refusal, despite the fact that Putin supported this measure, saying that “not a single fighter of the Wagner group will go down the path of shame.”
“Prigozhin’s rhetoric is turning into a challenge to the broader circles of the ‘Russian establishment’,” London is considered a “secret”.
“The deadline for volunteers to sign contracts is likely to be a turning point in the dispute,” they added, according to Spanish news agency Europa Press.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation motivated the contracts “by the desire to ensure the necessary legal status and expand measures of social protection and support for volunteers and their families.”
“When the Motherland was in trouble, when Wagner’s help was needed and we all went to defend it, the President promised us all social guarantees,” Prigozhin wrote on Wednesday on the Telegram digital platform.
“I have 20,000 dead. Do they also need to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense?” the leader of the Wagner group, considered an ally of Putin, asked sarcastically.
Contracts began to be signed over the weekend, the first of which was signed with the Chechen special unit Akhmat, led by Ramzan Kadyrov.
The Wagner Group participated in the war in Ukraine launched by Russia on February 24, 2022, and distinguished themselves in the Battle of Bakhmut, which is considered to be the longest and bloodiest in the conflict to date.
Prigozhin announced the capture of the eastern Ukrainian city on May 20.
The conflict in Ukraine plunged Europe into the most serious security crisis since World War II (1939-1945).
The balance of military and civilian casualties for the war is unknown, but several sources, including the UN, assume it will be high.
Ukraine counted on the support of Western allies in the supply of weapons.
The West has also imposed sanctions on Russian interests to try to reduce Russia’s ability to finance military action in Ukraine.
Author: Portuguese
Source: CM Jornal
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