Wagner Group Leader Prigozhin Undergoing Years of Stomach Cancer Treatment... "In a State of Having Nothing to Lose"

Pseudonym Appears on Saint Petersburg Hospital Patient List
Associate Says "Prigozhin Strictly Manages Alcohol Abstinence and Diet"

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group, has been undergoing treatment for stomach cancer for several years, and it is claimed that he launched an armed rebellion against the Russian government with the mindset that he had nothing to lose.

On the 12th (local time), the British daily newspaper The Times, citing the Russian investigative independent media outlet Proyekt, reported that Prigozhin had been receiving intensive treatment for stomach cancer for several years and is currently in an improved condition. Prigozhin was treated at the Sogaz Elite Clinic in Saint Petersburg, Russia, which is known to be connected to President Vladimir Putin. This is because the clinic is owned by Sogaz, a Russian insurance company operated by businessman Mikhail Putin, who is presumed to be a sixth cousin of President Putin.

Leader of the Russian mercenary company Wagner Group, Yevgeny Prigozhin
[Photo by AP]

The fact that Prigozhin received treatment at this clinic was confirmed last month when police raided his apartment in Saint Petersburg and found forged passports. Among the forged passports, one bore the name "Dmitry Geiler," which also appeared on the "Super VIP" patient list of the Sogaz hospital obtained in 2021.

Regarding the reason for the armed rebellion, a close associate of Prigozhin said that he told the mercenaries, "I am crazy." Additionally, a former Wagner mercenary said about Prigozhin's rebellion, "It was the act of a man who had nothing to lose," adding, "This man (Prigozhin) had his stomach and intestines removed."

Although he has improved after treatment, Prigozhin is known to strictly manage his diet, avoiding spicy foods except for a glass of lemonade. Marat Gabidullin, a former commander of the Wagner mercenary unit who left the group in 2019, told The Times, "Prigozhin does not even touch alcohol," and added, "I have never seen him even slightly intoxicated." He also said that little is known about Prigozhin's private life, but his undisclosed persona is not very different from his public image.

The Wagner Group, led by Prigozhin, launched an armed rebellion on the 24th of last month after the Russian Ministry of Defense demanded punishment, accusing them of attacking the ministry. Subsequently, the Wagner Group seized the military headquarters in Rostov-on-Don in southwestern Russia and advanced toward Moscow, but the rebellion was halted within a day through mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.

Five days after the end of the rebellion, on the 29th of last month, it was revealed that President Putin held a secret meeting with Prigozhin at the Kremlin. A Kremlin spokesperson said about the meeting, "The Wagner commanders told President Putin that they are his supporters and that the soldiers will continue to fight for the president in the future."

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