Russia's Prigozhin told he will lose financing without defmin contracts -RIA cites lawmaker

Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of Russia's Wagner mercenary group, has been told that he will be deprived of financing if his fighters do not sign contracts with the defence ministry, the RIA news agency cited a senior lawmaker as saying on Thursday.

Colonel-General Andrei Kartapolov, an influential lawmaker who chairs the lower house of parliament's defence committee, said Prigozhin had refused to sign the contracts and was subsequently told that his mercenaries would no longer fight in Ukraine, TASS reported.