Wagner boss Prigozhin vanishes days after mutiny as Kremlin cracks down on business empire
Normally prolific on social media, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was last heard from on Telegram a week ago after the aborted munity, despite a rumoured sighting in Moscow.
FollowYevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the private military contractor group known as Wagner, is facing new challenges as his media companies abruptly shut down and concerns over his whereabouts grow. Prigozhin, who has not been seen since a failed mutiny by Wagner Group fighters, was last active on Telegram a week ago, despite rumors of a sighting in Moscow.
According to the agreement that halted the rebellion, Prigozhin, a former ally and one-time chef to Vladimir Putin, was to be allowed to go into exile in Belarus. Meanwhile, his fighters, who have been involved in intense battles during the 16-month conflict in Ukraine, were given the option to join him, integrate into Russia's armed forces, or return home. The recent closure of Prigozhin's network of companies has raised doubts about whether he will actually be permitted to leave Russia.
Patriot Media, which operated the prominent RIA FAN news site, had a strongly nationalist and pro-Kremlin editorial stance while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner forces. The director of RIA FAN, Yevgeny Zubarev, announced the decision to shut down and withdraw from the country's information space in a video clip posted on Saturday, without providing a reason for the closure.
Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that Russia's communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, had blocked media outlets connected to Prigozhin, though the specific reasons were not elaborated upon. Russian media sources have also stated that a "troll factory" used by Prigozhin to influence public opinion in foreign countries, including the United States, had been disbanded.
In his video statement, Zubarev praised Patriot Media's track record, noting that it had defended both Prigozhin and Putin from attacks by representatives of the anti-Kremlin opposition, including jailed critic Alexei Navalny, who they claimed were attempting to undermine the country.
Although Russian authorities have not officially banned the Wagner Group following the failed mutiny, President Putin announced that the finances of Prigozhin's catering firm would be investigated. Putin revealed that Wagner and its founder had received nearly $2 billion (£1.5 billion) from Russia in the past year, despite denying any state connection to the group for years.
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Wagner's ranks have included thousands of individuals recruited from Russian prisons, and since its establishment in 2014, the group has expanded into a sprawling international business with mining interests and fighters deployed in Africa and the Middle East.
