Expo 2030 Riyadh registration dossier receives final BIE approval in Paris    Ministry of Hajj suspends 7 Umrah companies over transport violations    Al-Daqal Castle: A timeless sentinel in the mountains of Abha    Saudi Arabia participates in CERF advisory group meeting in Geneva    Riyadh ranks 23, up 60 places, among top 100 emerging startup ecosystems globally    Mobile Festival across Riyadh features Dar wa Emaar's annual Eid Al Adha celebration The mobile festival reinforces the company's commitment to building vibrant communities and enhancing quality of life beyond unit delivery.    Iran launches fresh missile attack on Israel as conflict enters fifth day    15 killed in worst Russian strikes on Kyiv in almost a year    Trump hints at major Israeli offensive, urges all of Tehran to evacuate 'immediately'    Jeddah Astronomy reports solar flare triggering geomagnetic storm    California doctor to plead guilty to supplying Matthew Perry with ketamine    Culture Ministry to present second edition of 'Terhal' performance in Diriyah this August    Saudi Arabia beat Haiti 1-0 to open 2025 Gold Cup campaign    Smart applications transform visitor experience and accelerate digital transformation in Saudi tourism    Riyadh residents to receive alerts on nearby infrastructure work    Saudi Arabia miss World Cup spot after Australia defeat, head to Asian playoff    Al Hilal president: No new signings for Club World Cup due to inflated demands    New York Gallery showcases AlUla Heritage sketches by French architect Heim    Saudi Arabia face uphill task against Australia in World Cup qualifier    Cowboy Beyoncé dazzles nearly sold-out stadium    Ministry launches online booking for slaughterhouses on eve of Eid Al-Adha    Shah Rukh Khan makes Met Gala debut in Sabyasachi    Pakistani star's Bollywood return excites fans and riles far right    Veteran Bollywood actor Manoj Kumar dies at 87    Exotic Taif Roses Simulation Performed at Taif Rose Festival    Asian shares mixed Tuesday    Weather Forecast for Tuesday    Saudi Tourism Authority Participates in Arabian Travel Market Exhibition in Dubai    Minister of Industry Announces 50 Investment Opportunities Worth over SAR 96 Billion in Machinery, Equipment Sector    HRH Crown Prince Offers Condolences to Crown Prince of Kuwait on Death of Sheikh Fawaz Salman Abdullah Al-Ali Al-Malek Al-Sabah    HRH Crown Prince Congratulates Santiago Peña on Winning Presidential Election in Paraguay    SDAIA Launches 1st Phase of 'Elevate Program' to Train 1,000 Women on Data, AI    41 Saudi Citizens and 171 Others from Brotherly and Friendly Countries Arrive in Saudi Arabia from Sudan    Saudi Arabia Hosts 1st Meeting of Arab Authorities Controlling Medicines    General Directorate of Narcotics Control Foils Attempt to Smuggle over 5 Million Amphetamine Pills    NAVI Javelins Crowned as Champions of Women's Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS:GO) Competitions    Saudi Karate Team Wins Four Medals in World Youth League Championship    Third Edition of FIFA Forward Program Kicks off in Riyadh    Evacuated from Sudan, 187 Nationals from Several Countries Arrive in Jeddah    SPA Documents Thajjud Prayer at Prophet's Mosque in Madinah    SFDA Recommends to Test Blood Sugar at Home Two or Three Hours after Meals    SFDA Offers Various Recommendations for Safe Food Frying    SFDA Provides Five Tips for Using Home Blood Pressure Monitor    SFDA: Instant Soup Contains Large Amounts of Salt    Mawani: New shipping service to connect Jubail Commercial Port to 11 global ports    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques Delivers Speech to Pilgrims, Citizens, Residents and Muslims around the World    Sheikh Al-Issa in Arafah's Sermon: Allaah Blessed You by Making It Easy for You to Carry out This Obligation. Thus, Ensure Following the Guidance of Your Prophet    Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques addresses citizens and all Muslims on the occasion of the Holy month of Ramadan    







Thank you for reporting!
This image will be automatically disabled when it gets reported by several people.



Russia moves to take direct control of Wagner Group
Published in The Saudi Gazette on 11 - 06 - 2023

Russia appears to have moved to take direct control of Wagner, after months of infighting between defense officials and the private military group.
Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Saturday "volunteer formations" will be asked to sign contracts directly with the Ministry of Defense.
The vaguely worded statement is widely believed to target the group. But in a furious statement on Sunday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would boycott the contracts.
The private military group has played a major role in the war in Ukraine, fighting on the side of Russian forces.
But Prigozhin, who is said to hold political ambitions of his own, has been embroiled in a public dispute with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and military chief Valery Gerasimov for months.
He has repeatedly accused the pair of incompetence and of deliberately undersupplying Wagner units fighting in Ukraine.
"Wagner will not sign any contracts with Shoigu," Prigozhin said in response to a request for comment on the Defense Ministry's announcement. "Shoigu cannot properly manage military formation."
He insisted that his group was well integrated with the Russian military, but said that its effectiveness would be damaged by having to report to the defense minister.
While Saturday's announcement did not directly reference Wagner or any other paramilitary groups, Russian media suggested that the new contracts were a move to bring Prigozhin and his forces under control.
But the Defense Ministry said the move was designed to "increase the effectiveness" of Russian units fighting in Ukraine.
"This will give volunteer formations the necessary legal status, create common approaches to the organization of comprehensive support and the fulfilment of their tasks," the Ministry said in a statement, adding that the contracts must be signed by July 1.
The long-running tensions between the Wagner Group and the army have threatened to boil over in recent weeks.
Last week the group kidnapped a senior frontline army commander, Lt. Col. Roman Venevitin, after accusing him of opening fire on a Wagner vehicle near Bakhmut.
Lt. Col. Venevitin was later released, and in a video shared by Russian military bloggers he accused the group of stoking "anarchy" on Russia's frontlines by stealing arms, forcing mobilized soldiers to sign contracts with the group and attempting to extort weapons from the Defense Ministry.
Prigozhin called the comments — which appeared to be read from a script — "absolutely total nonsense".
He has also suggested that he is ready to deploy his troops on Russian soil, saying on Telegram that Wagner was ready to fight against insurrectionist forces in the Belgorod region.
In December, the US estimated that Wagner had around 50,000 troops fighting in Ukraine.
And the mercenary group has increasingly become a tool of Russian state power around the world. Its troops are currently believed to have been deployed in Mali, the Central African Republic, Sudan and Libya. — BBC


Clic here to read the story from its source.