MOSCOW, June 26 (Reuters) - President Vladimir Putin's former chief strategist on Monday urged an end to mercenary groups in Russia after a mutiny by Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner militia, cautioning that they interfered with the chain of command.
Vladislav Surkov, once known as the Kremlin’s ‘puppet master’ by friends and foes alike, said "private military companies" were an idea imported from the U.S., created to engage in proxy wars.
This is not a proxy war, this is the SVO," Surkov said.
As first deputy chief of the Kremlin administration from 1999 to 2011, Surkov helped Putin forge his tightly controlled political system.
Prigozhin last month said his nickname "Putin's chef" was stupid as he could not cook, quipping that "Putin's butcher" might be more apt.
Persons:
Vladimir Putin's, Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner, Vladislav Surkov, Surkov, Alexei Chesnakov, Putin, Prigozhin, Wagner, Russia's, Guy Faulconbridge, Kevin Liffey
Organizations:
Kremlin, Thomson
Locations:
MOSCOW, Russia, U.S, Ukraine, St Petersburg, Prigozhin