New setback for Putin: 32,000 mercenaries cut contract with Wagner Group and are already off the battlefield

The boss Wagner Group, Evgeny PrigogineIt announced this Sunday A total of 32,000 former Russian prisoners returned home after completing their contracts with paramilitary training.a, this is a new regression Vladimir Putin The Ukrainian military is in the middle of a counteroffensive that began weeks ago.

“By June 18, 2023, 32,000 people of faith who took part in a special military operation on the territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics on the Wagner line have returned to their homes,” Prigozhin was quoted as saying by his news service.

He said 0.25% of these committed crimes after leaving the place of service.This is a small percentage compared to the number of rehabilitated ex-offenders who have no ties to the mercenary group.

Prigozhin avoided criticism of the criminal behavior of some mercenaries of Wagner’s group who had returned from the Ukraine.

According to the mercenary boss, The group’s ex-combatants commit “80 times less crime” than other ex-convicts.

Prigozhin admitted in an interview in late May that he had recruited about 50,000 prisoners from Russian prisons for attacks in Ukraine.

The head of the Wagner Group reiterated last week Refusal of its fighters to sign an agreement with the Russian Ministry of Defense Putin insisted on legal protection of social benefits for all those fighting in Ukraine.

“When the motherland was in trouble and needed Wagner’s help, we all went out to protect it and the president promised us all social guarantees,” he said on his Telegram channel.

“I’ve got 20,000 dead, and they also have to sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense?”Prigozhin was mockingly surprised.

He emphasized that when mercenaries started participating in the war, “no one said that we are obliged to sign contracts with the Ministry of Defense.”

Prigozhin reiterated last weekend that he would not sign an agreement to surrender defenses. “None of Wagner’s fighters are ready to walk the path of shame again. So no one will sign contracts.

He also hinted that the Lower House and Putin would “find a compromise” for mercenaries based on social guarantees.

“As far as I know, the Defense Ministry is now closing contracts with everyone who wants to continue working in the zone of special military operations. This is the only way to guarantee social guarantees,” Putin said earlier in the day during a meeting with military reporters and bloggers.

The Wagner group is not legal in Russia, but the Kremlin allows it to operate outside Russian borders.

Chairman of the Security Committee of the Duma (Lower House), Andriy KartabolovIt was confirmed yesterday that proposals are being prepared to determine the legal status of the private military company.

“We are not talking about legalization, we are talking about determining its legal form according to our law,” he explained.

With information from EFE

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