Wagner chief warned 'be very careful around open windows' as coup fails

26 June 2023 , 17:05

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Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group (Image: AP)

Wagner Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been warned by a former CIA director to "be careful around open windows" after he failed an attempted coup over the weekend.

On Saturday the mercenary warlord turned on his former ally Putin and marched on Russia's capital Moscow in what experts say was an attempted coup.

Wagner mercenaries left Ukraine to seize a military headquarters in a southern Russian city and rolled troops for hundreds of miles toward Moscow.

A series of dramatic hours followed but after less than 24 hours, they turned around.

Although he is not currently facing any criminal charges for the extraordinary threat to Putin's regime, former CIA director General David Petraeus says his life is likely in danger.

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Yevgeny Prigozhin with Russian President Vladimir Putin (AP)

The Kremlin said it had made a deal for Prigozhin to move to Belarus and receive amnesty, along with his soldiers.

There was no confirmation of his whereabouts Monday, although a popular Russian news channel on Telegram reported he was seen at a hotel in the Belarusian capital, Minsk.

David told the Times: "Prigozhin kept his life but lost his Wagner Group and he should be very careful around open windows in his new surroundings in Belarus, where he's going."

Another source told the paper: "This could be Chapter One of something new. We have to watch, wait and see what comes next."

And according to Ian Bremmer, president of the Eurasia Group, Prigozhin is a “dead man walking."

A feud between Prigozhin and Russia's top military brass had been bubbling throughout the war in Ukraine but erupted into a mutiny over the weekend.

Prigozhin finally broke his silence today and released an audio statement on his aborted armed rebellion, saying he did not want to overthrow Putin.

In an 11-minute audio statement, Prigozhin denied trying to attack the Russian state and said he acted in response to an attack on his force that killed some 30 of his fighters.

“We started our march because of an injustice,” Prigozhin said in a recording that gave no details about where he is or what his future plans are.

Ian told CNBC News that he "would be very surprised that he’s [Prigozhin] still with us in a few months’ time."

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"Putin has imprisoned and assassinated people for far less than what Prigozhin has done to him" Bremmer added, "It’s inconceivable to me that Putin will allow him to live any longer than is absolutely necessary."

Rachel Hagan