Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin Likely Alive: Former US Army General

• A former US Army common advised Insider that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin possible is just not useless or jailed.
• If he had been, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be protecting it a secret, the retired common mentioned. 
• “What’s the point of doing that and not saying that you’ve done that?” mentioned Kevin Ryan. 

Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin might be not useless or jailed after lately staging a short-lived mutiny towards Russia’s army — and if he had been, Russian President Vladimir Putin would not be protecting it a secret, in line with a former United States Army common. 

“I don’t see any evidence that he’s been killed,” retired US Army Brig. Gen. Kevin Ryan advised Insider on Wednesday of Prigozhin, including that he additionally doesn’t suspect the financier and founding father of the Russian paramilitary group to be at present locked up. 

“What’s the point of doing that and not saying that you’ve done that?” mentioned Ryan, who served because the protection attaché to Russia for the US.

Ryan defined that within the aftermath of Wagner’s temporary armed riot, Putin “looks weak,” and if Prigozhin was tossed in jail or useless, it might truly make Putin seem “stronger” to make that identified. 

“It would look like [Putin’s] got it under control,” Ryan mentioned. “If he had him killed, he can do that. He’s done it, of course, or he’s allowed it to be attempted on other people.”

“But the big names, the big faces,” Ryan mentioned, “Generally don’t get killed because they made some sort of threat.”

Still, Prigozhin’s whereabouts stay unclear as he has primarily vanished from the general public eye amid the Kremlin’s try to curb the fallout from his revolt final month. 

“It is true that we really don’t know where Prigozhin is or what his situation is,” Ryan mentioned. “We are getting bits and pieces from different people, not from Putin directly and not from Prigozhin directly.”

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov advised reporters this week that Putin met face-to-face with Prigozhin and his commanders on June 29, 5 days after Wagner’s riot. However, no pictures or movies of the assembly have been launched. 

Peskov mentioned that in the course of the assembly, Putin “gave his assessment” of Wagner’s actions on the battlefield in Ukraine amid Russia’s conflict with the nation “and the June 24 events,” whereas additionally listening to out Wagner’s explanations for the mutiny.

“The commanders themselves presented their version of what happened. They underscored 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,” Peskov said. 

It’s potential Prigozhin might be headed for jail sooner or later, however what appears extra sure for Prigozhin’s future is that he will not have the facility he beforehand had, Ryan advised Insider. 

“Certainly in his future is not having the power that he had before,” Ryan mentioned. 

The retired US Army surmised that it’s almost definitely the Kremlin is protecting Prigozhin, a billionaire businessman, round whereas it “dismantles” Prigozhin’s huge empire. 

“They need him to do it,” Ryan mentioned. 

“It’s easy to kind of fall into the Hollywood version of what might have gone down, but the reality is much more pragmatic here,” Ryan mentioned. “You kill somebody when that’s what you have to do. Otherwise, there’s ways to use them.”