Putin orders Wagner fighters to swear loyalty

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with the crew of the Alyosha T-80 tank at the Kremlin in Moscow, Russia August 24, 2023. Kremlin via REUTERS/File Photo

Following a fatal plane crash that is believed to have taken the life of Yevgeny Prigozhin -- the volatile leader of the mercenary force -- President Vladimir Putin ordered Wagner troops to swear loyalty to the Russian government.

Putin signed the decree bringing in the change with immediate effect on Friday after the Kremlin stated on that Western claims were "absolute lie" regarding killing of Prigozhin on Kremlin‍‍`s orders .

The Kremlin also declined to definitively confirm his death, citing the need to wait for test results.

Prigozhin, who led a failed rebellion against army chiefs exactly two months prior, was on board a private jet that crashed on Wednesday evening northwest of Moscow, according to the Russian aviation authorities. There were no survivors.

In the condolence message to the families of those who perished in the accident on Thursday, President Vladimir Putin used the past tense to refer to Prigozhin.

He claimed that "preliminary information" suggested that Prigozhin and his top Wagner allies had all been slain, and although admiring Prigozhin, he claimed that he had also made some "serious mistakes."

Without providing any proof, Western politicians and analysts have claimed that Putin ordered the murder of Prigozhin as retaliation for the army mutiny that he directed from June 23 to June 24 and that also constituted the strongest challenge to his own control since he took office in 1999.

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesperson for the Kremlin, declared on Friday that the charge and numerous more like it were untrue.

The cause of this jet crash and the terrible deaths of the passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin, are currently the subject of a great deal of speculation. Naturally, all of this speculating is presented in the West from a well-known perspective," Peskov told reporters.

"This is all a complete lie, and while reporting on this subject, it is important to be factual. Not many facts are available yet. They must be developed during investigative efforts, he said.