A new video of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of PMC Wagner Group, has been released shortly after his funeral, according to a report from Fox News.
The previously private footage was shared on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel and shows Prigozhin addressing the camera from inside a vehicle, discussing rumors surrounding his demise, the report noted.
“To those who talk about my liquidation, private life and earnings or whatever else, strictly speaking, everything’s alright,” Prigozhin said in the video, as translated by The Moscow Times.
“For anyone discussing whether I’m alive or not and how I’m doing,” the private army leader added, “it’s a weekend in the second half of August 2023. I’m in Africa.”
Several Russian media outlets have highlighted that Prigozhin’s attire in this video matches the tactical uniform he wore in another video released August 21.
This earlier video was from the time of the Wagner Group’s operations in Africa between the reported coup attempt and his alleged death.
The timing of this video’s release by the Telegram channel Grey Zone sparked further discussions about the possibility of Prigozhin still being alive.
Speculations regarding the staging of Prigozhin’s death have been circulating since the news of his plane being destroyed on August 23, taking with it several top members of the Wagner Group.
Russia’s government is the sole investigator of the crash and the international community has limited access to evidence from the site. Russian authorities confirmed Prigozhin’s death through DNA testing of remains.
Earlier this year, Prigozhin led a brief insurrection against President Vladimir Putin’s administration.
As head of PMC Wagner, he expressed dissatisfaction with the treatment of his forces and initiated a march toward Moscow.
The recent video does not offer any substantial evidence to counter the official account of Prigozhin’s death in the plane explosion.
Russian officials have largely denied speculation that Russian Federation President Vladimir Putin might have ordered Prigozhin’s plane destroyed.
Kremlin officials conceded that intentional misconduct might have been a factor, though. As stated by Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov, the crash could have been a result of “deliberate wrongdoing.”
Scroll down to leave a comment and share your thoughts.
