The court in Kalmykia did not recognize the fighter of PMC “Wagner” as a veteran of the war in Ukraine

The Supreme Court in Kalmykia refused to recognize the deceased mercenary of PMC “Wagner” as a veteran of hostilities in Ukraine. At the same time, he was awarded a state medal and a diploma during his lifetime.

The court came to the conclusion that the private military company did not fulfill the assigned tasks and does not belong to the Ministry of Defense of Russia. This is reported by “Kavkaz.Realii”.

In July 2023, the military enlistment office of Kalmykia issued to the parents of PMC “Wagner” fighter Alexey and Tatyana Bezruk certificates of family members of the deceased serviceman. Later, the documents were required to be returned – the Bezruk spouses refused. The Military Enrollment Office sued them, and in November 2023, the certificates were declared illegal.

In court, Bezruk stated that PMC “Wagner” performed tasks assisting the Russian Armed Forces and was financed from the budget. Earlier, President Vladimir Putin stated that PMC “Wagner” received 86 billion rubles from the budget over several years. The parents of the dead mercenary also noted that their son was awarded the “For Courage” medal and a letter of thanks from the head of the LPR for his participation in hostilities in June 2023.

Representatives of the Ministry of Social Development of Kalmykia objected that PMC “Wagner” does not belong to the Ministry of Defense, it is not registered as a legal entity, and the law does not provide for the provision of assistance to family members of deceased members of private military companies. The military enlistment office of the region gave the same arguments and advised the Bezruk family to seek help from the organization with which their son signed a contract. The prosecutor’s office supported the same position.

Thus, the Supreme Court of Kalmykia approved the decision of the district court to deny the parents of the deceased PMC “Wagner” fighter the status of family members of the deceased serviceman.

• PMC “Wagner” is an unofficial Russian military formation, founded earlier by a businessman close to Vladimir Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Fighters of PMC “Wagner” in Ukraine were actually mercenaries, although in Russia the provision of military services by private companies (hiring) is prohibited by law. Representatives of the Russian authorities called PMCs “Wagner assault squads” or “volunteer formations.”
• After the demand for armed rebellion in the summer of last year and the subsequent death of Prigozhin 2 months later, a significant part of the fighters of the PMC “Wagner” allegedly concluded a contract with the Ministry of Defense.