The indispensable Evgueni Prigojine, the leader of the Wagner militia, has not appeared since the failed coup attempt at the end of June. How is this silence to be interpreted? response items.
Three weeks away and a lot of guesswork. Since his failed coup attempt on June 24, Evgueni Prigojine has disappeared from the radar. We thought he was in Belarus or Saint Petersburg, but he ended up in Moscow, at the heart of Vladimir Putin’s power. Citing Western intelligence sources, Liberation said last week that the head of the Wagner militia had been “detained” in the Kremlin along with about thirty of his top commanders. All would have been convened by the Russian President and his guard.
radio silence
In response to this information, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov parted the veil on this meeting earlier in the week, stating that it took place on June 29. “The exchange would have lasted three hours, during which the two camps would have exchanged views on the situation in Ukraine, but also on “the events of June 24th”. According to Peskov, the militia “emphasized that they were staunch supporters” of the head of state and confirmed that they were ready to continue fighting for the fatherland.
In an interview with the Russian press on Thursday, Vladimir Putin himself said he had suggested that Wagner’s staff be led by a commander other than Prigoyine, but the latter officially refused. So since that episode, if there really was one, there has been radio silence. How is it to be interpreted?
“Putin covers his tracks”
“It’s a big secret being kept by Vladimir Putin. He is currently playing with covering the tracks and manipulating everyone,” testifies La Dépêche du Midi, former KGB spy Sergei Jirnov. For this observer of Russian power, the Kremlin chief is “discreetly conducting an investigation to eliminate any possible adversary that might be within Wagner.” Starting with the head of the militia? “You should know that Evgueni Prigoyine has every chance of becoming the future president of Russia if he is not dead,” our interlocutor bluntly replies.
Meanwhile, discrediting work appears to be underway in Russia against Vladimir Putin’s former friend. Last week, the media greedily revealed the results of the search of Prigojine’s magnificent estate in Saint-Pétersoubrg. The circulating pictures showed the swanky luxury in which the pack leader lived. Between wads of banknotes and found gold bars are macabre details, like a photo of severed heads, or even more astonishing, like a set of wigs that caused quite a stir.