Vladimir Putin and Mercenary Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Both Missing for More Than 36 Hours After Botched Moscow Coup
Both Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin have been missing in action for more than 36 hours after Prigozhin ordered his mercenaries to march on Moscow this weekend, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a startling development to come after Russia nearly collapsed into civil war on Saturday, neither the 70-year-old Russian leader nor his now-exiled chef-turned-mercenary chief have been seen in days.
According to the Sun, Putin was last seen in Moscow on Saturday morning but was suspected to have fled to a secret bunker after it was confirmed Prigozhin’s Wagner Private Military Company was marching toward the Russian capital.
Meanwhile, Prigozhin – who ultimately ordered his men to stand down after Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko intervened on Putin’s behalf – has also disappeared.
Although Prigozhin agreed to go to Belarus after telling his 25,000 mercenaries to stand down, there is currently no evidence the mercenary chief arrived in the Russian-allied country.
"He says 'hi' to everyone and will answer questions when he will get in touch normally,” Prigozhin’s press team said in a statement on Monday, while a number of Russian outlets reported that his whereabouts are “unknown.”
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Prigozhin’s Wagner Group rebelled against Putin this weekend shortly after an arrest warrant was issued against the mercenary chief for charges of treason on Friday.
25,000 Wagner troops then marched from Ukraine into Russia on Saturday morning and allegedly seized two Russian cities before marking their course toward Moscow.
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Although fighting quickly erupted between the Russian military and Prigozhin’s 25,000 mercenaries, Prigozhin ultimately agreed to stand down once Lukashenko intervened.
Prigozhin’s last communication was a Telegram post published on Saturday in which he ordered his men to stand down so as to avoid shedding Russian blood.
Still, many sources familiar with the botched coup indicated that Prigozhin’s life is still in danger despite the fact the mercenary chief made a deal to go to Belarus after the rebellion.
"Prigozhin would very much be a target for the Russian Secret police," Colonel Hamish de Bretton-Gordon, a retired British army officer, told the Sun this weekend. "And, he probably shouldn’t go near any balconies, I wouldn't be surprised if they try and take him out.”
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"Prigozhin is not safe, the situation has been diffused and he took the exit route to Belarus, but he broke the rules and he knows the consequences,” echoed Russia analyst Kier Giles. "The deal made was not in either side's interest."
"You should be baffled,” Giles added. “I cannot tell you what is going on, it makes no sense.”