Wagner in the crosshairs as Putin demands loyalty oath

Putin orders Wagner fighters to pledge loyalty to Russia.
This comes after the presumed deaths of Wagner leaders in a plane crash.
A faction of Wagner has announced the cessation of military operations in Ukraine.

President Vladimir Putin has issued a call for all personnel associated with Wagner and other private military contractors in Russia to pledge their loyalty to the Russian state.

This directive encompasses individuals engaged in military actions within Ukraine, those aiding the military efforts, and those serving in territorial defense units.

The decree, signed on Friday, has been implemented immediately.

This announcement follows the presumed fatalities of Wagner leaders in an airplane crash, which occurred two days earlier.

In a separate development occurring on Saturday, a faction of Wagner known as Rusich, identified with far-right ideology, has announced the cessation of military operations in Ukraine.

Through a post on the messaging platform Telegram, Rusich blamed Russia’s foreign ministry for not safeguarding a founding member of their group, Yan Petrovsky. Petrovsky has been arrested in Finland for violating visa regulations and is currently facing extradition to Ukraine.

Analysts suggest Mr Putin’s decree is part of attempts to reassert his authority following Wagner’s mutiny in June.

“Putin wants to have tighter control on Wagner to make sure he won’t be facing another crisis in the future,” Natia Seskuria of Royal United Services Institute, a London think tank, told the BBC.

The issuance of the decree coincides with the absence of clear leadership among Wagner mercenaries, following a plane crash on Wednesday that carried Yevgeny Prigozhin and other top figures, resulting in the tragic deaths of all 10 passengers.

Outlined in the decree as an initiative to establish the ethical and moral underpinnings of Russia’s defense, the oath entails a commitment to unwaveringly obey the directives of commanding officers.

“It is a concealed message to military intelligence to find and prosecute Wagner fighters,” Petro Burkovskyi, who heads the Democratic Initiatives Foundation, a think tank based in Ukraine, told the BBC.

And it is a clear message to the fighters, too, he suggests: “Either take the oath and keep your arms or disarm yourself. You obey or you go to prison.”

A couple of weeks prior to Prigozhin’s unsuccessful uprising in June, the Russian Ministry of Defense set a deadline of 1 July for mercenary groups to enter into military contracts.

Prigozhin declined to sign these contracts, as he was opposed to placing Wagner under the authority of the ministry. President Putin supported the contract arrangement proposed by the ministry, marking the initial public rift with his longstanding associate Prigozhin.

This dispute escalated, ultimately resulting in Prigozhin’s rebellion.

However, the implications of the decree on the Wagner fighters, who are currently lacking a clear leader, remain uncertain.

According to Mr. Burkovskyi’s perspective, owing to their extensive military experience, these fighters could be valuable assets for the Russian army.

“They chose Wagner because Wagner gave them special treatment, without the bureaucracy of the huge Russian army. If they get special treatment under Putin’s orders, I don’t think they care about where, to whom and for whom they will fight.”

Ms Seskuria believes that although the decree may have an effect in the short term, there are loyal Prigozhin supporters who will not take the oath.

“This can potentially create problems for Putin in a longer term-perspective,” he says.

Wagner in the crosshairs as Putin demands loyalty oath

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