Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin says he will resist Russian military efforts to take control of mercenary group

• The Wagner mercenary group has played a key role in the Ukraine War.
• But tensions over strategy with Russia's military leaders have escalated in recent months.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of the mercenary Wagner Group, was once a darling of Russian President Vladimir Putin.

But that relationship appears to be souring.

Russian Deputy Defense Minister Nikolai Pankov announced Saturday that "volunteer" groups fighting in the Ukraine War would be required to sign contracts with the country's defense ministry. The move is widely seen as an effort to bring the Wagner Group under official military control, the BBC reported.

"This will give volunteer formations the necessary legal status, create common approaches to the organization of comprehensive support and the fulfillment of their tasks," the ministry said in a statement.

Prigozhin, however, is not having it.

In response, the mercenary leader said he would not sign any contracts with the Defense Ministry, according to the BBC. "Shoigu cannot properly manage military formation," Prigozhin said, referring to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Prigozhin first rose to prominence by running a restaurant and catering group in Moscow that was a Putin favorite. He eventually became known as Putin's Chef before graduating to more consequential affairs and establishing the Wagner mercenary organization.

Prigozhin is well known for his exploits in Africa, where his mercenaries work to destabilize the region in Russia's favor — mostly in the form of gold mining. Wagner has also operated across the Middle East, including Syria and Libya, and dozens of other countries around the world.

His organization, however, became a near-household name across the world after the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Wagner forces led the charge for a period of time in the key Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, filling its ranks by offering freedom to Russian prisoners.

Prigozhin, however, eventually clashed with Russia's military leaders during the battle to control Bakhmut, accusing them of incompetence and withholding much-needed arms and ammunition.

The tensions have even led to battlefield clashes between Wagner and Russian forces. Last week Wagner forces detained a Russian army officer who it said fired on the mercenary group. Wagner has also accused the Russian military of mining the roads the mercenary group used to retreat from Bakhmut.