Vladimir Putin: US general believes Wagner boss could be dead after failed 'mutiny'

Wagner’s mutiny came as a shock to the Russian elite and Vladimir Putin himself who took care of Yevgeny Prigozhin as his protege for many years and considered him as one of the closest allies.

But as a bitter feud between the warlord and Russian army top brass stood between the President and his 'chef', the latter ended up disgraced and exiled to Belarus.

Shockingly, Prigozhin didn’t stay there long as Minsk casually admitted the mercenaries' boss ‘sailed back’ to where he came from.

Ever since that statement was made, different sources reported sightings of Wagner chief in St Petersburg, although none was possible to confirm, leaving his whereabouts a mystery.

Kremlin spokesperson has recently said that Prigozhin was present at the meeting in Kremlin just days after his failed rebellion. This information is also hard to verify.

But this former US generalbelieves that he knows exactly what happened to the mutineer who is allegedly worth $1 billion.

Former US General: ‘I doubt we'll see Prigozhin ever again publicly’

Not many experts see Vladimir Putin as a forgiving leader, and it’s no wonder that the mystery surrounding the whereabouts of Yevgeny Prigozhin - the first man from his inner circle to publicly challenge Mr President's absolute power - sparked speculations of all kinds.

A former US General Robert Abrams joined the sceptics of Vladimir Putin’s good nature and openly expressed something many people have already thought about: the mutineer warlord is likely jailed or even dead.

Abrams, who had once served as the Commander of US Forces in Korea said:

I'd be surprised if we actually see proof of life that Putin met with Prigozhin, and I think it's highly staged.

He suggested there was no way Vladimir Putin would keep his ‘chef’ alive following a humiliating blow.

The war veteran added:

And 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.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov had earlier claimed that Wagner chief was amongst other 35 commanders present at the 3-hour-long meeting with Vladimir Putin on June 29, just a few days after the attempted rebellion.

The meeting aimed to discuss the aftermath 'of the events of June 24' - the day of the botched mutiny - and fighters' ‘options for further employment and further use in combat.’

Peskov said:

The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They stressed that they are staunch supporters and soldiers of the head of state and the commander-in-chief, and also said that they are ready to continue to fight for their homeland.

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Where is Mr Prigozhin?

Yevgeny Prigozhin gained fame amongst ordinary Russians after his damning videos addressing Russian Army top brass. Experts believe that even Vladimir Putin himself underestimates the respect people have for the warlord due to his rogue attitude, straightforwardness and lack of fear to fight alongside his mercenaries.

He has last been seen leaving the Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, which he briefly seized, for Belarus to the cheers of the locals who reportedly consider him a war hero.

In the days since then, one of Prigozhin’s private jets has been tracked by flight data making several trips between Belarus and Russia.

There were reports he showed up in the FSB's office in St Petersburgas recently as last week although this information is impossible to verify.

Wagner chief could arrive there to collect his numerous weapons that had been confiscated during a raid on his property.

Around the same time, he extended his thanks in an audio message to those who supported his group's failed rebellion.

So far there are no credible sources that can give further details about his location which makes Abrams’ assumption sound probable.

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Sources used:

- Express: 'Wagner boss Prigozhin likely dead and Putin meeting probably faked, says former US general'