Russia appears to have moved to take direct control of Wagner, after months of infighting between defence officials and the private military group.

Deputy Defence Minister Nikolai Pankov said on Saturday “volunteer formations” will be asked to sign contracts directly with the ministry of defence.

The vaguely worded statement is widely believed to target the group.

But in a furious statement on Sunday, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin said his forces would boycott the contracts.

[This is worth watching to see whether it’s just a bureaucratic beef or something more significant. Both sides still claim to be working loyally for Vladimir Putin in support of the war effort. It looks like a power play by the Ministry of Defence, which has been at odds with Prigozhin for months and may be looking for a way to sideline him and his constant criticisms of the MoD. Needless to say, this wouldn’t be happening if the war was going well for Russia. — Ed]