Vladimir Putin signed a decree calling for "volunteer formations" to swear loyalty to the Kremlin

Russian President Vladimir Putin speaks during his press conference at the Konstantin Palace on July 29, in Saint Petersburg, Russia. Contributor/Getty Images

Russian volunteer forces and those defending the country's territory are now required to swear their allegiance to the Kremlin thanks to a new presidential decree signed by President Vladimir Putin on Friday.

The order, which took immediate effect, obliges military "volunteer formations" and those involved in territorial defense to swear loyalty to the Russian Federation by taking an oath before the Russian flag.

Key context: Though no specific groups are named in the decree, its timing is noteworthy.

The order comes as questions swirl around the future of the Wagner private military company. Russia has confirmed that Wagner's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed in a plane crash on Wednesday — two months to the day after leading his forces on a short-lived mutiny against the Moscow military establishment.

The mutiny lasted fewer than 24 hours, but it revealed the intensity of the discord between various factions fighting in Ukraine on behalf of Moscow.

Putin signed the loyalty decree just two days after the crash.

Who this affects: The new measure applies to members of “volunteer formations,” as well as “other persons assisting in the performance of tasks assigned to the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, other troops, military formations and agencies."

Some state enterprises employees and “persons brought in for the implementation of territorial defense measures,” will also take the oath. 

It's unclear if this will affect Wagner troops or other forces fighting on behalf of Russia, such as those aligned with the breakaway republics in Donetsk and Luhansk.

Though Wagner has a global presence, Putin has said it has no legal right to exist in Russia, as private military companies are technically outlawed there. Despite that, he cultivated a close relationship with Prigozhin, and Wagner's convoluted legal status hasn't stopped it from operating across Africa or fighting the war in Ukraine under the umbrella of the Russian Ministry of Defense.