The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the first contract was signed with a "volunteer formation" in the war zone in Ukraine – the Chechen detachment "Akhmat". According to the agency, the document was signed by Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Federation Alexei Kim and Director of the Russian University of Special Forces Adam Dashaev .
The commander of "Akhmat" after signing the document said:
“The decision that was made today by the leadership of the country, the leadership of the Ministry of Defense, allows us to equalize the entire social package for our soldiers who voluntarily came to the front and those who serve in the Ministry of Defense, and to make sure that we do not have to look for legal moments through which it will be possible to somehow help our fighters who were injured or died, and the families of these fighters.
On June 10, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered all "volunteer detachments" at the front to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense. Immediately after that, the head of the Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, said that Shoigu's orders concern employees of the department, and the "Wagnerites" would not sign such contracts. According to Prigozhin, PMC Wagner is completely subordinate to the interests of the Russian Federation and Vladimir Putin:
“PMC “Wagner” is organically built into the overall system, PMC “Wagner” coordinates its actions with the generals on the right, left, with unit commanders, has the deepest experience and is a highly effective structure. Unfortunately, most military units do not have such efficiency, and precisely because Shoigu cannot manage military formations normally. Therefore, the fact that he writes decrees or orders applies exclusively to the Ministry of Defense and to those who are within the Ministry of Defense.”
The Ministry of Defense believes that the conclusion of a contract with him by "volunteers" will allow creating common approaches to organization between all Russian paramilitary formations. PMC Wagner department also refers to the "volunteer units." Mercenary in the Russian Federation is prohibited by law, so officials prefer to use such vague language.
