Presidential decree issued two days after the presumed death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin MOSCOW: Members of Russian paramilitary groups will have to swear an oath to the Russian flag, according to a presidential decree signed Friday, two days after the presumed death of mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin. The measure, aimed at “forming the spiritual and moral foundations for the defense of the Russian Federation,” applies to members of volunteer formations — a term usually describing mercenary groups — according to the decree published on the presidential website.