By Latiifah Amusan
In response to the tragic plane crash believed to have claimed the life of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the controversial head of the Wagner mercenary group, President Vladimir Putin has issued a directive mandating loyalty oaths for Wagner fighters.
The decree, signed on Friday, aims to dispel Western allegations that Prigozhin was eliminated under Russian command.
While the Kremlin refrains from definitively confirming Prigozhin’s death, Russia’s aviation authority has indicated that he was onboard a private jet that crashed northwest of Moscow.
This incident occurred two months after Prigozhin led a failed mutiny against army chiefs.
President Putin extended condolences to the crash victims’ families and spoke of Prigozhin in the past tense.
The introduction of mandatory oaths for Wagner and other private military contractors indicates Putin’s desire for tighter state control over such groups.
The decree requires those involved in military operations to pledge allegiance to Russia and follow the orders of commanders.
The move follows allegations from Western politicians that Putin ordered Prigozhin’s death due to the mutiny he led against army leadership in June.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov dismissed these accusations as baseless speculation.
Russian investigators are probing the crash’s cause, though details remain uncertain.
Official identification of bodies recovered from the wreckage is pending.
As investigations continue, speculation about the future of the Wagner Group and its contracts in Africa and Belarus grows.
The timing of Prigozhin’s funeral and Putin’s potential attendance remain uncertain.
Analysts suggest the funeral’s handling could impact perceptions of Prigozhin’s legacy and relations with the Kremlin.
