Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the mutinous Wagner mercenary group, is believed to be either dead or imprisoned, and his much-publicized meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin following the failed rebellion was likely staged, according to retired US General Robert Abrams, the New York Post reported this.
In an interview with ABC News, General Abrams, a former commander of US Forces Korea and current ABC News contributor, expressed his skepticism regarding Prigozhin’s fate in the aftermath of the Wagner Group’s armed insurrection last month. Abrams stated, “My personal assessment is that I doubt we’ll see Prigozhin ever again publicly. I think he’ll either be put in hiding, or sent to prison, or dealt with some other way, but I doubt we’ll ever see him again.”
When asked about Prigozhin’s survival after posing a significant challenge to Putin’s regime, Abrams replied, “I personally don’t think he is, and if he is, he’s in a prison somewhere.”
Additionally, General Abrams cast doubt on the authenticity of the meeting between Putin and Prigozhin, which was claimed to have taken place on June 29. Abrams suggested that it is highly likely that the meeting was staged, stating, “I’d be surprised if we actually see proof of life that Putin met with Prigozhin, and I think it’s highly staged.”
According to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov, the meeting involved Putin, Prigozhin, and other senior Wagner commanders. Peskov stated that Putin provided his assessment of the Wagner Group’s actions during the Ukrainian war, listened to the commanders’ explanations, and offered them options for future deployment and combat.
The rebel leader, Prigozhin, had been engaged in a public dispute with top Russian military officials, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, regarding the handling of the war in Ukraine. He led his fighters in a rebellion that resulted in the seizure of the city of Rostov-on-Don but ultimately changed course and accepted a truce brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko.
Under the agreement, Prigozhin was granted clemency from treason charges in exchange for going into exile in Belarus. However, Lukashenko announced that Prigozhin had returned to Russia, and flight tracking data revealed multiple trips between Belarus and Russia by one of Prigozhin’s private jets.
The current whereabouts and future plans of Yevgeny Prigozhin remain unknown, leaving the situation surrounding his fate and the authenticity of the Putin meeting shrouded in uncertainty.
