Kremlin: status of PMCs in Russia being considered after Wagner mutiny
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This comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that the status of PMCs in Russia is difficult to assess.
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Wagner group members in Rostov-on-Don on June 25, 2023 (AFP)
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed on Friday the presence of legislation concerning the status of private military companies (PMCs) in Russia will be under consideration.
This comes a day after Russian President Vladimir Putin argued that the status of PMCs in Russia is difficult, stressing that this matter should be discussed by lawmakers in collaboration with the government.
Speaking to reporters, Peskov stated: "Answering a question from a Kommersant correspondent yesterday, the president said that de jure such a legal entity as PMC Wagner does not exist and did not exist. this is a question for study, consideration of an additional, rather complex issue in general about the legal status of such companies, which should be studied".
Peskov answered that "this issue will be under consideration at least" when asked by a reporter if there will be any upcoming legislation on the matter.
The issue emerged when the PMC group Wagner launched an armed mutiny.
Read more: Putin met with Wagner PMC group commanders: Kremlin
On the evening of June 23, the Wagner Group took control of an army headquarters in Rostov-on-Don, a city in southern Russia, and marched toward Moscow the next day. Back then, Wagner head Yevgeny Prigozhin claimed that his activities were in retaliation for the Russian Defense Ministry's alleged strikes on his group's field camps, but the Ministry denied this.
After talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who was acting at the behest of Putin, Prigozhin decided to put an end to the attempted armed mutiny.
On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry confirmed that the Russian armed forces have completed receiving weapons and military equipment from the PMC Wagner group, which according to the Russian Ministry, were never used in combat.
"More than 2,000 pieces of equipment and weapons have been transferred," the statement highlighted, adding that the Russian forces also received over 2,500 tonnes of various ammunition and some 20,000 small arms.
On Tuesday, the Belarusian Defense Ministry announced that Wagner PMC will take part in the training of the Belarusian armed forces.
