Yevgeny Prigozhin simply won't give up. Instead of backing down after his attempted coup against the Kremlin - from which he got off unexpectedly lightly - the Wagner chief continues to fire back at Russian President Vladimir Putin's government, revealing confidential information about Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
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Prigozhin continues feud against Russian government
A bitter feud between Prigozhin and the Russian military had led to the Wagner military group declaring rebellion in mid-June and the mercenaries being ordered to march directly to the Kremlin. Although the action was called off at the last moment, President Putin and his government have been struggling with their image within the population ever since.
Prigozhin, on the other hand, continues his personal feud against the Russian government, lashing out at Shoigu. On his own Telegram channel in mid-July, he published an exposé titled:
How fabulously rich the Shoigu family is and how the minister is trying to hide billions in assets
In the Telegram post he reveals the politician's wealth, confirming what the now imprisoned oppositionist Alexei Navalny already revealed in 2015.
Generous gifts from a billionaire
In it, Prigozhin states that Shoigu's daughter Julia owns two properties worth 200 million rubles (about 2 million euros) in the heart of Moscow. She had not acquired them herself, but had received them free of charge from Dmitry Bossov, a metallurgy and oil billionaire 'close to the family'.
Moreover, Prigozhin, who is himself a billionaire, further claims that in 2017 Bossov allegedly handed over to Shoigu's youngest daughter, Ksenia, a port on the North Sea route through which coal from Arctic deposits was to be exported. In addition, there is an enormous fortune of Shoigu's sister-in-law, who is said to have more than 1.5 billion rubles (about 14.5 million euros) in her account and owns several properties in Moscow.
Read more: Vladimir Putin’s close ally betrays the Kremlin as feud with Russian President heats up
This article has been translated from Gentside DE.
Sources used:
Berliner Zeitung: Wagner-Chef Prigoschin spielt Nawalny: Jetzt „enthüllt“ er den Reichtum von Schoigu
Frankfurter Rundschau: Es gärt in Russlands Elite
