Last Updated: August 31, 2023, 21:31 IST
Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of Russian private mercenary group Wagner, reportedly died in a plane crash. (Reuters File Photo)
This comes days after he was declared dead in a plane crash north of Moscow that killed all 10 people on board. Russia’s Investigative Committee had confirmed this development
After his death was confirmed by Russia’s Investigative Committee, Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin — who led a brief mutiny against Moscow’s top army brass — was seen “alive” in a recent video.
A purported video of Prigozhin, posted by advisor to the minister of internal affairs of Ukraine, Anton Gerashchenko, showed the Wagner chief refuting claims of his death, days after his funeral was held.
“For those discussing whether I’m alive or not, how I’m doing … right now it’s the weekend, second half of August 2023, I’m in Africa,” Prigozhin is heard in the video posted on X (formally Twitter).
“Everything’s okay,” Prigozhin said to those people who like to “wipe him out” or discuss his private life. He then waved his hand towards the camera.
A video of Prigozhin appeared that is reportedly filmed in Africa not long before his death.“So, fans of discussing my death, intimate life, earnings, etc., I am doing fine,” Prigozhin says. pic.twitter.com/UcIKpgLNZi— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 31, 2023
The exact time and location of his video is not verified till now.
This comes days after he was declared dead in a plane crash north of Moscow that killed all 10 people on board. Russia’s Investigative Committee had confirmed this development.
In a statement, the committee said that all 10 bodies that recovered at the site underwent forensic testing and were identified. Their identities “conform to the manifest,” it added.
A private funeral was also held for him n his native city Saint Petersburg.
“Yevgeny Viktorovich’s farewell was held in a closed setting. Those wishing to say goodbye can visit the Porokhovskoye cemetery,” Prigozhin’s press service said in a statement, without specifying whether the mercenary chief, who was 62, had been buried.
Prigozhin was a key ally of Putin, but their relationship soured after the Wagner chief, heading the country’s most powerful mercenary group, staged a failed mutiny against military leaders in June.
Although the issue was resolved, defence experts believed that the episode remained a significant event that seemingly undermined Putin’s leadership amid the Russia-Ukraine war.
WHO WAS YEVGENY PRIGOZHIN?
Prigozhin was the chief of Kremlin-allied Wagner Group, and depicted himself as a mercenary fighting many of Russian military’s toughest battles in Ukraine and some other countries.
Wagner group has played a central role in Putin’s projection of the Russian influence across the world, especially in terms of hard power, according to Associated Press.
Prigozhin as also served in prison for at least 10 years during the final years of Soviet Union. It is not publicly known why he was in jail.
