Prigozhin is 'alive' and 'preparing for revenge', in wild claim from Russian analyst

Dr Valery Solovey, a former professor at Moscow’s Institute of International Relations, has claimed that the Wagner Group chief is not only ‘alive, well and free’, but that he is plotting his revenge against Putin.

According to this analyst, Prigozhin survived the alleged assassination attempt carried out last Wednesday 23 August, exactly two months after the Wagner Group’s failed coup. There has been some speculation about how the plane crash came about; Solovey states that ‘there was no explosion on board. It was downed from the outside’.

Russian authorities reported that Wagner had been on board, and later announced that DNA tests confirmed he had died along with 9 of his closest allies. They are still sticking to this story and yesterday, on Tuesday 29 August, they even had a funeral for Prigozhin. The Kremlin rejected allegations Putin was behind the crash, calling the accusation an 'absolute lie'. Solovey's reaction?

If you believe official statements of the Russian authorities, then what can I say…?

Does Putin know Prigozhin is alive?

According to Solovey, the plan to bring down Prigozhin’s plane ‘was developed in [Russia's] Security Council, and was sanctioned personally by the Russian president’.

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However, the analyst goes on to say that 'Prigozhin himself was not on board. His double was flying instead of him. By the way, Vladimir Putin is perfectly aware of that.’

It has already been widely reported that the Wagner chief, just like the Russian President, used a body double to avoid exactly this kind of attack.

The motive behind Solovey’s post, or whether Prigozhin is indeed alive, is unknown. The Kremlin has denied any reports of the Wagner leader's death being fake.

Who attended the funeral?

Anton Gerashchenko, Advisor to the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, agreed with Solovey’s opinion. He shared a post on X yesterday that showed a video of the funeral procession preparations and stated:

The funeral of the hero of Russia Prigozhin, continues - that is, its staging continues.

Later, Gerashchenko took to X again to share what the Russian publication Agency had said about Prigozhin’s funeral. According to a cemetery worker, about 30 people attended the 40-minute funeral of Prigozhin at Porokhovskoye cemetery in St. Petersburg.

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The choice of poem for his grave is only adding fuel to the fire. It's Still Life, by Brodsky:

How I step on the threshold,

not understanding, not deciding:

are you my son or god?

That is, dead or alive?

He speaks back:

- Dead or Alive,

differences, wife, not.

Son or God, I am yours.

Where is Prigozhin now?

Solovey has said he will reveal the Wagner chief’s hiding place next month, but that it is not Africa, where the mercenary group has multiple projects. Solovey seems adamant that Prigozhin has access to £1.6 billion in bitcoin which he will use to fund his revenge against the Russian President who tried to kill him, killed many of those closest to him, and did not even attend his ‘funeral’.

Read more:

⋙ Could the Kremlin turn on Vladimir Putin? Expert says Russian officials jostling for his position

⋙ Vladimir Putin's body language shows even he doesn't believe his own propaganda

Sources used:

Daily Mail:Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive and plotting his revenge on Putin after body double was killed in plane assassination plot, Russian analyst claims

Express: Prigozhin is 'alive and well' claims Russian analyst - even as his funeral takes place