Russia’s Defence Ministry has taken steps to assert direct control over the controversial private military group Wagner, following months of internal disputes between defence officials and the paramilitary organization. Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov announced on Saturday that “volunteer formations” would be required to sign contracts directly with the ministry, with the statement widely believed to target Wagner.
In a strong response, Wagner’s leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, declared on Sunday that his forces would boycott the contracts. Prigozhin, who is reportedly driven by his own political ambitions, has been embroiled in a public feud with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief Valery Gerasimov for an extended period. He has repeatedly accused them of incompetence and intentionally withholding necessary supplies from Wagner units engaged in Ukraine.
Prigozhin stated, “Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu. Shoigu cannot properly manage military formation.” Although the defence ministry’s announcement did not explicitly mention Wagner or other paramilitary groups, Russian media suggested that the new contracts aimed to bring Prigozhin and his forces under control.
The defence ministry justified the move as an effort to “increase the effectiveness” of Russian units operating in Ukraine. The statement emphasized that the contracts would grant volunteer formations legal status and establish common approaches for comprehensive support and task fulfillment. The deadline for signing these contracts is set for 1 July.
Recent tensions between the Wagner Group and the Russian army have reached a critical point. Last week, the group abducted Lieutenant Colonel Roman Venevitin, a senior frontline army commander, accusing him of firing upon a Wagner vehicle near Bakhmut. Venevitin was later released, and in a video shared by Russian military bloggers, he accused the group of fostering “anarchy” on Russia’s frontlines by engaging in arms theft, coercing mobilized soldiers to sign contracts, and attempting to extort weapons from the defence ministry.
Prigozhin dismissed Venevitin’s comments as “absolute nonsense,” suggesting that he was reading from a scripted statement. He also hinted at the readiness of his troops to be deployed within Russia, expressing Wagner’s preparedness to combat insurrectionist forces in the Belgorod region via Telegram.
In December, the United States estimated that Wagner had approximately 50,000 troops involved in the conflict in Ukraine. Moreover, the mercenary group has increasingly become a tool for Russian state power on a global scale, with deployments suspected in Mali, the Central African Republic, Sudan, and Libya.
The intensifying power struggle between Russia’s Defence Ministry and the Wagner Group carries significant implications for the ongoing conflict in Ukraine. It remains to be seen how this struggle will unfold and whether it will impact Wagner’s expanding influence beyond Ukraine’s borders.
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