Russia’s Putin orders Wagner fighters to sign oath of allegiance

Vladimir Putin, the President of Russia, has instructed Wagner fighters to sign allegiance to the Russian government after a fatal plane crash, in which Yevgeny Prigozhin, the volatile leader of the mercenary force, is believed to have died. 

The Russian president signed the decree. It came into immediate effect on Friday. Earlier, Russia said that Western reports about Prigozhin death were a lie. Russia declined to definitively confirm his death. They said that they needed time to confirm the death. 

Russia’s aviation authority, Federal Agency for Air Transport, said that Prigozhin was on board when a private jet crashed on Wednesday evening. The incident reportedly took place just two months after he led a failed mutiny against army chiefs.

President Vladimir Putin also sent his deepest condolences to the families of the victims who died in a crash. He also talked about Prigozhin in the past tense.

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The Russian president said that he received “preliminary information” about the plane crash, indirectly portraying that Prigozhin and his top Wagner associates had all been killed. 

The recent decree was published on the Kremlin website. The decree called on the Wagner fighters to swear a formal oath of allegiance to Russia. Those who take oath need to strictly follow the orders of commanders and senior leaders.

On Friday, Dmitry Peskov, the Press Secretary of the President of the Russian Federation, reportedly told reporters, “There is now a great deal of speculation surrounding this plane crash and the tragic deaths of the plane’s passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin. Of course, in the West, all this speculation is presented from a well-known angle.” Dmitry Peskov called all the stories about death “absolute lies.” 

Earlier this week, a video of Yevgeny Prigozhin went viral on social media. The video of Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was believed to be from Africa.