Putin Signs Decree Obliging Paramilitary Fighters To Swear Oath To Russian Flag

Two days after the presumed death of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, Russian President Vladimir Putin has signed a decree obliging paramilitary troops to swear an oath to Russia's national flag. The decree applies to all members of volunteer formations -- a term used by officials to describe mercenary groups, as they are officially outlawed in the country. The decree comes two months after Prigozhin-led Wagner troops held a short-lived mutiny against the country's top military officials in what was the biggest threat to Putin’s almost 24 years in power.