Yevgeny Prigozhin says Wagner will ‘be here in Belarus for some time’
Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin is being kept alive by Vladimir Putin for one specific reason, an author and expert in Russian history believes – namely the vast resources which the mercenary army controls outside of Russia.
The 62-year-old appears to have resurfaced today, with an unverified video shared via his Telegram channel appearing to show him talking to Wagner troops in Belarus.
Earlier today, M16 chief Richard Moore likewise suggested Prigozhin was “still floating around”, and had even had tea with Putin at the Kremlin – days after his failed rebellion which saw him lead Wagner soldiers to within 130 miles of Moscow before calling the operation off.
Prigozhin’s bold manoeuvre prompted many to predict his swift demise – and Owen Matthews previously told Express.co.uk it was “extraordinary” that the man once referred to as “Putin’s chef” was still walking the Earth.
Asked why, more than three weeks later, Prigozhin had apparently escaped punishment, Mr Matthews said: “My guess is that it’s about the money.
READ MORE: Wagner chief Prigozhin has ‘gone for tea with Putin’, says MI6 boss
“Wagner has vast business interests across Africa and Putin and his cronies want to get their hands on them. They can’t afford to alienate Wagner’s top brass.”
Mr Matthews, whose book, Overreach: The Inside Story of Putin’s War Against Ukraine, was published last month, continued: “Putin can help himself to Wagner’s assets inside Russia, but not outside.”
Assets included gold, oil and other businesses, he stressed.
Speaking before the footage of Prigozhin apparently in Belarus surfaced, Mr Matthews said it was entirely plausible that he would end up there, as previously suggested by President Alexander Lukashenko.
He added: “Prigozhin seems to be in charge of his own movements.
“Wagner people are already there as we see from state TV.”
Referring to Putin’s apparent failure to punish him, Mr Matthews said: “It is intriguing, but the problem is we can’t say definitely whether it’s a sign of Putin’s strength or Putin’s weakness.
“Does allowing him to escape unpunished show that Putin is confident or too weak to move against him? We just don’t know.
“As Churchill said, it’s dogs fighting under a rug, we just see the bones flying out.”
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It was also very difficult to assess what was going on behind the scenes in Russia, Mr Matthews emphasised.
He explained: “Putin’s close circle don’t even use the Internet let alone social media
“State TV is a better barometer but they’re all over the place on Wagner.”
In the video, featuring the silhouette of a man resembling Prigozhin, a voice can be heard telling troops to remain in Belarus while calling what was happening on the frontlines in Ukraine a “disgrace”.
The speaker says: “Welcome, lads…Welcome to Belarusian soil.
“We fought honourably. You have done a great deal for Russia.
“What is going on at the front is a disgrace that we do not need to get involved in.”
Wagner Private Military Company (PMC) is a Russian, state-funded paramilitary organisation, founded by Prigozhin and former GRU officer Dmitry Utkin in 2014.
While not driven by ideology, many of its members have far-right views.
Mercenaries have been active in Syria since 2015, and have also been involved in operations in Africa and the Middle East.
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