The Akhmat military unit of Ramzan Kadyrov, the Kremlin-backed authoritarian ruler of the North Caucasus region of Chechnya, signed a contract with Russia's Defense Ministry on June 12. The move comes two days after Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu ordered all "volunteers units" involved in Moscow's ongoing invasion of Ukraine to sign such contracts by July 1. The leader of the private Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has said he will not sign such a contract. In recent days, Kadyrov's associates and Prigozhin have publicly exchanged accusations as Prigozhin continued to accuse the Defense Ministry of corruption and unprofessionalism. To read the original story by RFE/RL's Russian Service, click here.
