Two days after Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the mercenary industry was reportedly killed, a presidential directive signed on Friday mandates that Russian paramilitary soldiers recite an oath to the Russian flag.h
The policy, which is applicable to members of volunteer formations, a word typically used to describe mercenary groups, is intended to “form the spiritual and moral foundations for the defence of the Russian Federation.”
According to the directive posted on the Kremlin website, it also applies to organisations “contributing to the execution of tasks given to the armed forces” and territory defence units.
Fighters must pledge “their loyalty to the Russian Federation… strictly follow their commanders and superiors’ orders, and conscientiously fulfil their obligations,” the decree read.
The agreement was signed by President Vladimir Putin two months after Prigozhin led his soldiers in a violent uprising against the top brass in Moscow.
When asked about the Wagner private military group’s future, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov responded on Friday that “legally the Wagner private military group does not exist.”
Russia theoretically forbids the use of mercenary groups.
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