Yevgeny Prigozhin is in St Petersburg, and his Wagner troops have remained at the camps where they had stayed before an abortive mutiny, the president of Belarus said Thursday. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko helped broker a deal for the mercenary chief to end his rebellion on June 24 in exchange for security guarantees for himself and his soldiers and permission to move to Belarus.
But Prigozhin has yet to leave Russia, and many doubt whether he will honor the agreement. He has continued to slam top Russian military officials for a series of intrigues that have left his fighters without equipment and supplies. Still, he stopped short of saying he would dissolve the Wagner army. Prigozhin also denies any attempt to overthrow the Kremlin, saying his U-turn was a selfless act that averted a bloodbath.
The 62-year-old former petty criminal-turned-restauranteur-billionaire warlord has tackled numerous challenging assignments as a Kremlin fixer, from propping up kleptocratic African rulers to sacking Ukraine cities. But his failed revolt has raised questions about Putin’s hold on power, as the 16-month-old war in Ukraine saps Russia’s economy and military.
During the short-lived mutiny, he sent out audio and video updates, describing armed clashes with Moscow police and military officials and threatening to bring down Putin’s regime. But since he ended the rebellion, his public appearances have been sparse, and the Kremlin has been mum on his whereabouts.
In a televised address Monday evening, Putin condemned the mutiny but stopped short of calling for legal retribution against the rebels, whom he branded traitors. The next day, he met with military commanders and called for loyalty to the government. He also urged the public to show more love for the military, which was criticized as stifling the freedom of expression so popular in Russia.
After firing his old one after the crisis, Putin appointed a new prime minister to lead the country. Mikhail Mishustin, who is known as a close ally of the president, said that he would meet with mercenary chief Prigozhin and other rebels to listen to their complaints.
Mishustin acknowledged that Russia was facing a challenge to its stability and called for people to rally around the president but insisted that the country needs to stick together “as one team.”
In a rare interview, Prigozhin told The Times of London newspaper that he has not broken any laws or made threats to top Russian officials. He also said he has no intention of dissolving the Wagner army, which has been a source of revenue for him for decades through lucrative catering contracts with schools, hospitals, and prisons. He has also been involved in real estate, sports clubs, and a chain of luxury restaurants catering to government events. Prigozhin was arrested in 1979 on a robbery charge at 18. He served two-and-a-half years behind bars, then started his restaurant business in St Petersburg that eventually expanded into catering for government events and private parties.
