The video was published by the channel “Grey Zone”, which is a Telegram channel associated with the paramilitary Wagner Group. The video is said to have been made just days before Prigozhin died on Wednesday 23 August, when the private plane carrying him and several others associated with the Wagner group crashed between Moscow and St Petersburg. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin suggested that Prigozhin had returned from Africa on the same day as the plane crash, according to the BBC. On August 30, a new video of the Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin appeared. In the clip, we see a camouflage-clad Prigozhin, sitting in a vehicle, assuring viewers that he is in Africa and doing well. “For anyone debating whether or not I’m alive and well – it’s currently the weekend in the second half of August 2023 and I’m in Africa. So for those who like to speculate about my passing, my private life, my work or anything else, everything is fine, actually,” Prigozhin says in the video. Likely recorded on August 19 or 20, Bellingcat investigator Aric Toler believes the video has not been published anywhere previously. Toler notes on X/Twitter that in the video, Prigozhin appears to be wearing the same gear he wore in the only other video of him in Africa, which surfaced on August 21. Aric Toler also points out that Prigozhin says “it’s a weekend in the second half of August”, and that the video was probably recorded on either 19 or 20 August – i.e. only three or four days before the plane crash. The second video of Prigozhin in Africa, published on August 21, was shared by Russian media. It was the first time Prigozhin could be seen in clear images since the brief Wagner uprising in Russia this summer, according to Sky News. Prigozhin generally kept a low profile after the uprising. Rejects revenge from Putin After the uprising in June, Prigozhin was referred to as a “traitor” by President Putin. Many have been waiting for Putin to take revenge on Prigozhin and kill him. It is not the first time that people who oppose Putin end up dying. Russian authorities have rejected claims that Putin is behind the plane crash, calling it “an absolute lie” that President Vladimir Putin took revenge on Prigozhin by having him killed. However, they have said that they will investigate the plane crash to see if anything criminal has happened. Earlier this week, Russian authorities also said the accident would not be investigated according to international rules. Russian President Vladimir Putin is accused by many of being behind the plane crash on 23 August. Photo: AP Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will be among those buried outside St. Petersburg on Tuesday. Large presence in Africa The Wagner group has been present and active in 19 African countries, according to the American research organization RAND. It concerns both “consulting” and direct military activity. It has been speculated whether the business in Africa is helping to finance the war in Ukraine, among other things by making big money from gold in Sudan and diamonds in the Central African Republic.
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Prigozhin commented on death rumors days before the plane crash – news Urix – Foreign news and documentaries
