Kremlin spokesman: Legal status of PMC "Wagner" to be considered

Kremlin spokesman Russian Dmitry Peskov has said that the issue of the official status of PMC “Wager” will be reviewed.

He made the remarks in response to Russian President Vladimir Putin's words that the legal entity of PMC Wagner does not exist, as there is no law on private military companies in Russia, Kommersant reports.

"Yesterday, the President said that such a legal entity as PMC ‘Wagner’ de jure does not exist and did not exist, that it is a matter for additional study and consideration. This is a rather complex question about the legal status of such companies, which must be studied,” he said.

The was then asked whether legislative changes on the status of PMCs were possible in this regard. "At least this issue will be under consideration," Peskov replied.

At the same time, the spokesman refused to comment on the details of Vladimir Putin's meeting with the commanders of the PMC "Wagner.”

"We do not comment on this. After all, we are talking about the military, about the Defence Ministry, so we recommend to contact them," he noted, adding that the authorities had already made public the information that could be shared.

When asked about the possibility of preserving PMC "Wagner" as a combat unit, the president replied: "There is a group, but legally it does not exist."

According to him, the "difficult issue" of the legalisation of private military companies should be discussed in the State Duma.