Prigozhin says Wagner will not sign contracts with Russia defence minister

Summary Prigozhin says Shoigu’s order does not apply to Wagner
Prigozhin: Shoigu can’t manage military formations
Shoigu had ordered volunteer detachments to sign contracts
MOSCOW, June 11 (Reuters) – Russia’s most powerful mercenary said on Sunday that his Wagner fighters would not sign any contract with Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, publicly refusing an attempt by the defence ministry to bring his fighting force under its sway.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner group, has repeatedly attacked President Vladimir Putin’s top military brass for what he casts as treachery for failing to fight the war in Ukraine properly.
Neither Shoigu nor Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov have commented in public on the insults from Prigozhin, whose forces in May took the Ukrainian city of Bakhmut after a battle in which tens of thousands perished.
The defence ministry on Saturday said Shoigu had ordered all