Shoigu Orders Russian Volunteer Formations to Contract with Ministry of Defense by July 1

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu has instructed all Russian volunteer formations to sign contracts with the Russian Ministry of Defense by July 1, 2023.

The document states that this will provide the "volunteer formations with the necessary legal status and create unified approaches for organizing comprehensive support and addressing their tasks."

While it is not specified which volunteer formations are being referenced, several media outlets note that earlier the ministry referred to the fighters of the private military company "Wagner" as "volunteers."