Vladimir Putin orders Wagner troops to swear oath of loyalty to him
Vladimir Putin orders Wagner troops to swear oath of loyalty to him as flight recorders are recovered from plane crash that killed their leader Yevgeny Prigozhin
- Mercenaries have now been urged to follow the commands of Russian leaders
- Investigators are conducting DNA tests to identify the bodies from the plane
Vladimir Putin has demanded that Wagner troops swear an oath of loyalty him just days after the plane crash that killed their leader, a report claims.
Mercenaries have been urged to ‘strictly’ follow the commands of Russian leaders in the hopes of building ‘the spiritual and moral foundations for the defence of the Russian Federation’, according to The Telegraph.
The new oath comes amid speculation that Yevgeny Prigozhin was assassinated by the Kremlin, as he and nine others reportedly died when a private jet crashed near Moscow on Wednesday.
Ten charred bodies and flight recorders have now been recovered from the scene, with investigators conducting DNA tests to determine their identities.
Mercenaries have been urged to ‘strictly’ follow the commands of Russian leaders
READ MORE: ‘Assassination’ of Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin could plunge Russia into civil war, jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny warns
Jailed opposition leader Alexei Navalny accused Vladimir Putin of ordering the murder of the mercenary group boss months after he led an aborted rebellion against the Kremlin
‘The investigation will carefully check all possible versions of what happened,’ the Russian Investigative Committee said.
The Ministry of Defence said there was ‘not yet definitive proof’ that Prigozhin was on the private jet that crashed after an explosion on board but it was ‘highly likely’.
It also warned that his death would have ‘a deeply destabilising effect’ on his mercenary group, which operates in hotspots around the world including Ukraine, Syria and several African countries.
Meanwhile, an engineer who carried out last minute repairs to the doomed plane is also under interrogation by the Russian authorities, a Telegram channel has reported.
Sergey Kitrish was said to have ‘constantly worked’ with Prigozhin’s aircraft and replaced his landing gear brake and turbo cooler before the crash.
‘He was interrogated and now the fate of Kitrash is being decided,’ the channel read.
‘The fate of two more engineers who participated in the installation of equipment is not known.’
Amid the speculation, Wagner soldiers have threatened to storm the Kremlin and exact revenge for the presumed death of their leader.
Investigators are now conducting DNA tests to identify the bodies from the plane
The Ministry of Defence said there was ‘not yet definitive proof’ that Prigozhin was on the private jet
In Russia, the Kremlin announced that all paramilitary fighters would now be obliged to swear an oath to the Russian flag
Russian social media channels are awash with allegations that a case of fine wine onboard may in fact have been a bomb in disguise.
Moscow has denied it was behind the plane crash and said allegations that it was involved are a ‘complete lie’.
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