Tommy Patrio Sorong, CNBC Indonesia
Saturday, 26/08/2023 22:30 WIB
Pictured: Putin orders Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia – President Vladimir Putin has ordered members of the Wagner paramilitary force to sign an oath of allegiance to the Russian state. This happened after a deadly plane crash that is believed to have killed the leader of the mercenaries, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
Putin signed the decree on Friday (25/8/2023) after the Kremlin said Western accusations that Prigozhin was killed on his orders were an “absolute lie”. The Kremlin refused to confirm his death for certain, citing a test result.
“Anyone who carries out work on behalf of the military or supports special military operations in Ukraine must swear an oath of allegiance to Russia,” wrote the Kremlin website quoted by Reuters, Saturday (26/8/2023).
Russian aviation authorities said Prigozhin was on board the private jet that crashed on Wednesday night northwest of Moscow. Apart from Prigozhin, all those aboard the plane were reported dead.
Pictured: Putin orders Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Putin ordered Wagner fighters to sign an oath of allegiance. (Sputnik/Mikhail Klimentyev/Kremlin via REUTERS)
Putin offered his condolences to the families of those killed in the crash on Thursday. He also talks about Prigozhin in the past.
He then cited “preliminary information” indicating that Prigozhin and chief Wagner had all been killed in the crash. While praising Prigozhin, Putin said that the figure known to be close to him had also made several “serious mistakes”, in which Wagner was found to have rebelled against the Russian military in late June.
Russian investigators have opened an investigation into what happened, but have not said what they suspect caused the plane to suddenly fall from the sky. They also have not officially confirmed the identities of the 10 bodies recovered from the plane wreckage.
Nigel Gould-Davies, a former British ambassador to Belarus who is now a senior fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), said Prigozhin’s funeral would be important. According to him, if Putin wanted to emphasize that Prigozhin died a traitor, then he would ignore it.
“(Meanwhile) Prigozhin’s supporters can use it as an opportunity to applaud him and his criticism of the Kremlin’s belligerent behavior and can reinforce the core enmity of Wagner loyalists towards the Kremlin,” he said.
Watch the video below:
Wagner Boss Becomes Victim of Plane Crash in Russia
(dce)
2023-08-26 15:30:00
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