Nearly a week after infamous Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was said to have been killed in a plane crash, a video uploaded by a Telegram account affiliated with the Wagner Group has called reports of his death into question. The footage posted to the messaging app on Wednesday shows a very much alive Prigozhin driving through Africa and bragging about surviving attempts on his life—but whether this video was taken before or after the crash has so far been difficult to determine.
“For those who are 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,” the 62-year-old mercenary boss said in the video posted to the Wager Group’s Grey Zone Telegram channel. “So for people who like to discuss my liquidation or my private life, how much I earn or whatever else — everything’s OK.”
But while footage of Prigozhin alive and well is shocking, the vagueness of his remarks and the fact that all metadata was scrubbed from the video makes it difficult to establish exactly when it was taken.
However, his clothes and watch have been determined to be the same ones he was seen wearing in another video—also allegedly from Africa—released on August 21, two days before his plane went down.
Learn the benefits of becoming a Valuetainment Member and subscribe today!
As Valuetainment reported at the time, an aircraft identified as Prigozhin’s private jet was flying north of Moscow in the Tver Region with seven passengers and three crew members on board when it mysteriously exploded and crashed to the ground. Flight manifests filed before takeoff listed Prigozhin’ and his second in command, Dmitry Utkin, among the passengers.
Following the news of the crash, Russian President Vladimir Putin, against whom Prigozhin had notably led a short-lived coup in July, spoke to the press about the incident, calling the deceased mercenary “a man of complicated fates,” but also “a talented person, a talented businessman.”
The ensuing investigation into the crash confirmed Prigozhin’s death via genetic testing on remains found at the scene…but the latest video has called that report into question.
While the Kremlin has not issued a comment on the latest rumors of the mercenary’s survival, representatives rejected the “absolute lie” that Putin had been behind the hit as payback for the coup attempt. However, they did confirm that foul play was suspected in the explosion.
In a recent sit-down on the PBD Podcast, former National Security Advisor Gen. Michael Flynn discussed the Prigozhin hit, addressing the ramifications for the intelligence community.
Add comment