'Wagner does not exist': Putin's chilling message amid fears Prigozhin is dead or jailed

In a chilling statement, Russian President Vladimir Putin has denied the existence of the Wagner Group, just weeks after their failed coup attempt unsettled his regime. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the notorious leader of this feared private army, has mysteriously disappeared from public view, leading to concerns that he may have been killed or imprisoned.

With no information available regarding the whereabouts of the enigmatic warlord, Putin, infuriated by the audacious plot to overthrow him, has now fueled speculation about Prigozhin's potential demise. During an interview with Russian newspaper Kommersant, Putin boldly claimed, "But Wagner does not exist. There is no law on private military organizations. It just doesn't exist."

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Following the march of Wagner's troops towards Moscow on June 23, President Putin pledged to quash the mutiny and exact his revenge. However, the fervent rebellion was abruptly extinguished when Prigozhin struck a bitter deal with the dictator, abruptly ending an astonishing 36-hour period that witnessed Wagner forces advancing to within 125 miles of the capital.

Yet, the fate of this deal, as well as that of Wagner and Putin's former loyalist Prigozhin, remains shrouded in mystery. The Kremlin stated that Russia's volatile president met with Prigozhin and senior commanders from the Wagner Group in late June to listen to their justifications for the short-lived armed insurrection. Strangely, no visual evidence of this reported meeting has been made public, leading experts to question its authenticity.

Retired General Robert Abrams, who previously served as the commander of US Forces in Korea, speculates that Prigozhin may have met a grim fate, either perishing or languishing in a Russian gulag. In an interview with a news organisation, Abrams expressed his doubt about Prigozhin reappearing publicly, stating, "I think he'll either be put in hiding, or sent to prison, or dealt with some other way, but I doubt we'll ever see him again."

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Meanwhile, reports emerged on Thursday suggesting that Wagner mercenaries were disbanding and laying down their arms. Footage surfaced showing a convoy of Wagner troops in motion within Russia, heading north along the M4 highway. However, due to the presence of Belarusian number plates on their vehicles, a military expert speculated that these contract-killers might be en route to encampments in Belarus.

Prigozhin had spearheaded a failed rebellion, resulting in his mercenaries seizing control of Rostov-on-Don on June 24. Subsequently, he ordered his forces to march towards Moscow but abruptly called off the advance after a truce was brokered by Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko, causing fury among Kremlin officials.

According to the agreement, Prigozhin would have avoided charges of treason if he agreed to be exiled to Belarus. However, Belarusian leader Lukashenko has now made the surprising claim that Prigozhin has returned to Russia.

• Kremlin
• Prigozhin
• Robert Abrams
• Russia
• Russian President
• Russian gulag
• Vladimir Putin
• Wagner
• Wagner Group