The Wagner Group threatened Putin’s leadership with an attempted coup on 23 June 2023. Exactly two months later their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, reportedly died in a plane crash. There has been a lot of speculation around whether or not this is really what happened - some even believe Prigozhin is hiding out in the Caribbean as he waits for Putin to die.
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Following Prigozhin’s death - which was confirmed by Russian officials who claim his DNA was found at the crash site - the Wagner Group have continued their activity but without a leader. So, who are the potential candidates to take over as Wagner leader?
Prigozhin’s son to inherit his fortune
We know that Prigozhin was a very rich man. And it seems he wanted everything to go to his son once he died. An unverified photo of a document shared on a Telegram channel seems to confirm this. According to The Times, Prigozhin’s wishes are detailed in the paper:
All my property . . . as well as property that may be acquired by me in the future I bequeath to Pavel Evgenyevich Prigozhin
Pavel could therefore be set to inherit £100 million, a three-storey house in St Petersburg, several joint stock companies and shares, and his father’s catering empire.
But will he inherit the Wagner Group as well?
Putin’s meeting with Russian Ministry of Defence employee
The inheritance of the Wagner Group has been brought under the spotlight as Putin recently publicly embraced a former Wagner commander who is currently working for the Russian Ministry of Defence. His name is Andrey Troshev.
The Russian President said that he and Troshev had discussed the development of new Wagner volunteer detachments that would carry out combat missions, mostly in Ukraine. The crucial point is that this would happen under Troshev’s leadership.
However, Troshev is not necessarily a popular candidate.
Prigozhin’s son put forward as candidate
As an alternative to Troshev, some Wagner Group members have suggested a different candidate to lead their mercenary group: Prigozhin’s son. Pavel Prigozhin is 25 years old and, according to a prominent Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel, he has taken over ‘command’ of the Wagner Group.
The announcement was posted on 1 October 2023 and states that Pavel is already negotiating with the National Guard of Russia about rejoining the combat in Ukraine.
Read more:
⋙ Vladimir Putin’s embarrassing blunder caught on satellite images
⋙ Putin’s absurd plans for the UK after WWIII victory revealed: 'The Union Jack will be over'
Sources used:
Express: The £100m prize for new boss of Wagner private army - Lt Col Stuart Crawford
The New York Times: 'Inside Yevgeny Prigozhin’s Money-Making Machine'
