Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, made a public appearance in Russia on Thursday for the first time since he led an armed rebellion against the Russian military last month. He was spotted in St. Petersburg, where he met with an African dignitary on the sidelines of the Russia Africa summit. Wagner has had a presence in the Central African Republic for several years.
The photograph of Prigozhin and the dignitary was geolocated to the Trezzini Palace Hotel in St. Petersburg, where he is known to have kept an office. This hotel was one of the locations searched by Russian authorities after the rebellion. Prior to this appearance, Prigozhin had only been seen in public on July 19 in Belarus, where he greeted Wagner fighters at a base in Asipovichy.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin, claimed that he convinced Putin not to “destroy” Wagner and Prigozhin during the rebellion. Prigozhin’s rebellion posed a significant challenge to Putin’s long rule.
Prigozhin, also known as “Putin’s chef,” was a wealthy oligarch who gained prominence by winning lucrative catering contracts with the Kremlin. After the 2014 Russian-backed separatist movement in eastern Ukraine, he transformed into a warlord and founded Wagner, a mercenary outfit involved in conflicts around the world.
Wagner mercenaries have been tracked in various countries, including the Central African Republic, Sudan, Libya, Mozambique, Ukraine, and Syria, where they have been linked to human rights abuses. After Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Wagner forces played a crucial role in taking Ukrainian cities. However, Prigozhin was critical of Russian military leadership and their support for his troops.
In a video from early May, Prigozhin stood next to dead Wagner fighters and criticized Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the Russian Armed Forces Gen. Valery Gerasimov, accusing them of neglecting the welfare of his mercenaries.