Prigozhin's 'Survival Report' "March of Justice Fighting Against Treason... Will See the Next Victory"

Assassination Rumors Denied
Putin Begins Full Seizure of Wagner Group Businesses

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group, who went into exile in Belarus after a failed armed rebellion and was rumored to have been assassinated, expressed gratitude to his supporters and made a "survival report."

On the 3rd (local time), according to the American political media outlet Politico, Prigozhin released a 41-second voice message on Telegram. He said, "I hope you understand that our 'march of justice' was to fight against traitors and to unite our society," adding, "I am confident that we will soon see our next victory on the front lines. Thank you."

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group. [Image source=Yonhap News]

After the failed rebellion, Prigozhin went into exile in Belarus and did not appear publicly, leading to rumors of "disappearance" and "assassination." There were even claims that Russian President Vladimir Putin had secretly assassinated Prigozhin.

His last statement was an 11-minute voice message posted on Telegram on the 26th of last month. At that time, he said, "I ordered the soldiers to return to base to stop the bloodshed," and denied attempting to overthrow the Russian government. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko announced the next day that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus.

However, with the release of the voice message containing Prigozhin's voice on this day, the assassination rumors are presumed to be false. Rather, since he mentioned the "next victory," it can be interpreted that he intends to be involved in the war in Ukraine going forward.

Meanwhile, according to the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) and others on the 2nd, there are observations that Putin's full-scale retaliation has begun, including the seizure of Prigozhin's businesses and the dismantling of the Wagner Group. In particular, it is reported that the new owner of the "Patriot Media Group," owned by Prigozhin, is likely to be Alina Kabaeva, known as Putin's lover who is 31 years his junior.

The businesses managed by the Wagner Group are estimated to number over 100. The WSJ analyzed, "If President Putin takes control of the Wagner Group, including Patriot Media, it would be one of the few cases in recent history where a government has swallowed up a massive corporate empire."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.