Wagner does not exist, Putin tells media
There is no such legal entity as PMC ‘Wagner,’ Russian President Vladimir Putin has told reporters
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Wagner does not exist, Putin tells media
Russian law does not recognize the existence of private military companies, including ‘Wagner,’ President Vladimir Putin told the newspaper Kommersant on Thursday, when asked about his recent meeting with commanders of the mutinous group.
“Well, PMC Wagner does not exist!” Putin told the Kommersant correspondent. “We don’t have a law on private military companies! So it simply doesn’t exist!”
“The group exists, but legally it does not,” the president clarified. “It’s a separate issue, related to legalization, that needs to be taken up by the State Duma and the government. A complicated question.”
Earlier this week, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed the report by a French outlet that Putin had met with 35 members of ‘Wagner’ on June 29, several days after the group engaged in armed mutiny. On Thursday, Putin was asked to give his version of what happened.
“I don’t have a version,” the Russian president replied. “You or NATO may have a version. I have what actually happened.”
“At the meeting I gave an assessment of what they did on the battlefield, and what they did during the events of June 24,” Putin said. “Third, I showed them the possible variants of how they could continue their service, including in combat. That is all.”
