PMC Wagner Group reportedly receives $10 billion from the Kremlin

PMC Wagner Group has received over RUB 858 billion ($9.755 billion) in Russian budget funds May 2022 through May 2023 within the signed contracts, Russian propagandist and Vesti Nedeli TV program host on Russia 1 TV, Dmitriy Kiselyov, said on July 2.

The Concord company group, owned by the family of Prigozhin, has received another RUB 845 billion ($9.607 billion) from the Russian budget.

Read also: Prigozhin's rebellion could have split Russia into two, Ukraine’s spy chief says

"Founded by Yevgeny Prigozhin, PMC Wagner received just over RUB 858 billion within contracts with the state. That's close to a trillion," Russian RIA Novosti quoted Kiselyov as saying on Telegram.

"Under other contracts, Prigozhin's Concord holding provided services (to the state) worth RUB 845 billion. This does not mean that they have earned that much, but it still shows the scale of the business and the scope of their ambitions."

Therefore, he brought to light another Russian dictator Vladimir Putin's piece of lie, who admitted that the Kremlin funded mercenaries, however lowering the sum tenfold.

Read also: Wagner rebels enter Moscow Oblast, heading for Russian capital

Putin said during a meeting with military officials on June 27 that PMC Wagner is fully funded by the Russian state. Wagner mercenaries received for the said yearly period over RUB 86 billion (over $978 million), including RUB 70 billion ($820 million) for fighters' needs and RUB 15 billion ($180 million) for "incentive payments." Another RUB 110 billion ($1.3 billion) took so-called "insurance payments."

Prigozhin announced the beginning of an armed conflict with the Russian Defense Ministry on the evening of June 23, claiming that he wanted to "restore justice" in Russia.

He said that the Russian army struck the mercenaries’ "rear camp." However, a conflict between Prigozhin and Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu had started months earlier.

For the past few months, the Wagner leader has been persistently demanding the resignation of the Russian defense minister, accusing him of poor management of the Russian armed forces and of not supplying enough ammunition to Wagner forces.

On June 24, Wagner forces seized control over the main military facilities in the cities of Rostov-on-Don and Voronezh. They also shot down seven Russian Air Force aircraft.

The FSB charged Prigozhin with "inciting insurrection," while the security forces were preparing to defend Moscow. Putin is believed to have fled the capital, perhaps to his residence in Valdai, northwest of Moscow.

Read also: What happened between Putin and Prigozhin

Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko held talks with Prigozhin as his mercenaries closed in on Moscow, Lukashenko’s press office stated, culminating in a deal where Prigozhin agreed to halt his forces’ advance on the Russian capital – in exchange for dropping charges and changes at the Russian Ministry of Defense.

Soon after, Prigozhin ordered Wagner mercenaries to turn back from Moscow and return to their combat positions.

Reportedly, according to the terms of the deal struck between Prigozhin and Putin, the mercenary leader is meant to decamp to Belarus for the time being.

Prigozhin's jet has been spotted twice in Belarus since then.

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Read the original article on The New Voice of Ukraine