Vanished: Vladimir Putin's Exiled Mercenary Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Missing Eight Days After Botched Moscow Coup
July 3 2023, Published 11:30 a.m. ET
Vladimir Putin’s exiled mercenary chief, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has reportedly vanished eight days after launching a failed coup against the Russian leader, RadarOnline.com has learned.
In a sudden development to come after Prigozhin ordered his Wagner Private Military Company to march on Moscow on Saturday, June 24, Russian sources claimed the 62-year-old warlord has not been seen since arriving in Belarus on June 26.
Meanwhile, a number of Prigozhin’s media companies suddenly went dark over the weekend – indicating the exiled Wagner chief’s business empire is under assault.
“I am announcing our decision to close down and to leave the country's information space,” said Yevgeny Zubarev, the director of Prigozhin’s Patriot Media, on Saturday.
At least one Russian newspaper also reported that every Russian media outlet linked to Prigozhin was blocked over the weekend, according to Daily Mail.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Prigozhin was exiled from Russia and subsequently fled to Belarus last week after the mercenary chief launched a botched rebellion against Putin and Moscow.
Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko – on Putin’s behalf – brokered the deal that saw Prigozhin accept amnesty in Minsk. Prigozhin reportedly arrived in Minsk on Monday, June 26.
In his last point of communication since arriving in Belarus last week, Prigozhin insisted that the Moscow rebellion was not “to overthrow Russia’s leadership” but rather to “avoid destruction of Wagner.”
"We didn't march to overthrow Russia's leadership,” the Wagner chief said after arriving in Minsk. “The aim of the march was to avoid destruction of Wagner and to hold to account the officials who through their unprofessional actions have committed a massive number of errors.”
Still, a number of sources familiar with Putin’s attitude toward traitors indicated that Prigozhin’s life is not safe despite receiving amnesty in Belarus.
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“If I was him, I would be very careful what I ate and where I went,” British MP Tobias Ellwood warned last week. “Putin mops up any dissenting voices himself – he will be plotting.”
"Prigozhin kept his life, but lost his Wagner Group,” added former CIA Director David Petraeus. “And he should be very careful around open windows in his new surroundings.”
