On Tuesday, June 27, Russian President Vladimir Putin admitted that the state fully financed the "Wagner" paramilitary group that operated on the battlefield in Ukraine. This has been assumed for years, but the Kremlin denied it, claiming that "Wagner" does not legally exist because it is not allowed to register private military companies in Russia, RSE reports.
Putin specified that from May of last year to May of this year, the Russian authorities paid "Wagner" more than 86 billion rubles, or about one billion euros.
"I hope nobody stole anything, or if it wasn't much, we will clear it up," Putin said, hinting that the Russian state could prosecute Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin for financial embezzlement, although it had previously said it would not prosecute him. because of the rebellion, writes RSE.
The Russian president added that Prigozhin earned almost the same amount in his food and catering business in the same period. Prigozhin, on the other hand, claimed on several occasions that his forces did not receive enough resources and ammunition, which is why they suffered greater losses.
Despite this, he previously stated that "Wagner" is "probably the most experienced army that exists in the world today."
At the time of the uprising on Saturday, June 24, according to Prigozhin, his soldiers covered 780 kilometers in one day and came within 200 kilometers of Moscow, "demonstrating how the Russian army should have conducted the war in Ukraine."
On that occasion, they shot down six helicopters and one plane of the Russian army, thanks to their military skills and excellent weapons, which they received from the state, but also bought around the world.
You can read the entire text at RFE/RL portal.
JH/RSE
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