Is Wagner Warlord Prigozhin Dead? 'Five Clues' Emerge As Mystery Deepens Over 'Purged' Rebel
Speculation over the fate of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the private military company Wagner, has intensified in recent weeks, RadarOnline.com has learned.
Multiple clues and sources point towards his potential demise or imprisonment, leaving the whereabouts of the mutinous leader shrouded in mystery.
The controversy surrounding Prigozhin began when his rebellion against the Russian government was brought to an abrupt end, leading to a bitter but unclear deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin. The uprising, which saw Wagner forces get within 125 miles of the capital, exposed the fault lines within Putin's regime.
Former US Army leader Robert Abrams claimed that Prigozhin would never be seen again in public, hinting at the militia leader possibly being dead or imprisoned. Meanwhile, the Kremlin has remained tight-lipped about Prigozhin's location, peddling a series of contradicting statements.
One of the most surprising claims made by Putin's cronies was a secret meeting between Putin and Prigozhin on June 29, just five days after the rebellion. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov announced the meeting, stating that 35 people were invited, including senior field commanders of the Wagner Group.
The discussions reportedly centered around the reasons for the mutiny, with Putin allegedly giving an "assessment" of the group's efforts in Bakhmut.
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The lack of published photos from the alleged meeting further casts doubt on its occurrence. Nonetheless, if true, it suggests a U-turn in Putin's opinion of Prigozhin, as he had previously condemned him as a "traitor."
"We just don't know how this is playing out," Keir Giles, a Russian security expert from Chatham House, told The Sun.
He referenced Winston Churchill's iconic quote that looking at Russian politics is "comparable to a bulldog fight under a rug."
Rumors of Prigozhin’s alleged cancer diagnosis have also circulated, with sources claiming that he underwent extensive therapy for stomach cancer before going into remission.
During an FSB raid on Prigozhin's St. Petersburg mansion, documents related to his cancer treatment were discovered, along with a passport belonging to a patient at a clinic linked to Putin.
As the fate of Prigozhin remains uncertain, the Russian Defense Ministry has announced that Wagner is handing over its weapons to the Russian military. Meanwhile, Russia's military leadership seems to be undergoing a significant shift, with generals such as Valery Gerasimov fading from view.
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