Wagner Refuses to Sign Contracts with Russian Defense Minister

Evgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian private military group Wagner, confirmed on Sunday that "his fighters will not sign any contracts with Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu," publicly rejecting the Defense Ministry's attempt to bring the strongest Russian company in this field under its control. Prigozhin declined to sign the ministry's statement, saying, "Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu." The Defense Ministry announced on Saturday that Shoigu requested all "volunteer units" to sign contracts with his ministry by the end of the month, a move it claimed would enhance the effectiveness of the Russian military. Although the ministry did not mention Wagner in its statement, Russian media reported that this was an attempt by Shoigu to bring the fighters under his control.