28 July 2023 , 07:47
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Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has been spotted in Russia for the first time since leading a failed coup against Russia's president Vladimir Putin.
The mercenary chief was pictured shaking hands with the Ambassador of the Central African Republic during the Russia-Africa summit, which reportedly took place at the Trezzini Palace Hotel in St. Petersburg.
Prigozhin's appearance comes after rumours of his death were sparked by retired General Robert Abrams, who said that Putin meeting him five days after the rebellion was "likely staged".
Mr Abrams, who served as the commander of US Forces Korea, previously told ABC News: “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."
However, two weeks ago, an undated photograph emerged on a Wagner-affiliated Telegram channel showing Prigozhin sitting in his underwear inside a field tent while waving to the camera.
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Analysts suggested the photo could have been taken in Osipovichi, Belarus, where he was exiled to after his failed coup in June.
The appearance comes after he led a failed coup against Russia's president Vladimir Putin (AP)His latest appearance came as Putin made a speech at the Russia-Africa summit's opening session, which was attended by a sharply lower number of African heads of state and government compared with a previous summit in 2019.
The Russian President said on Thursday: "Our country will continue supporting needy states and regions, in particular, with its humanitarian deliveries. We seek to actively participate in building a fairer system of distribution of resources.
"We are taking maximum efforts to avert a global food crisis. I have already said that our country can replace Ukrainian grain, both on a commercial basis and as grant aid to the neediest African countries, more so since we expect another record harvest this year."
Russia intends to ship up to 50,000 tons of grain aid to Burkina Faso, Zimbabwe, Mali, Somalia, Eritrea and the Central African Republic in the next three to four months, Putin said.
The Wagner mercenary group has been active in Mali and Central African Republic, and Eritrea has voted against more UN General Assembly resolutions criticising Russia's invasion than any other African nation.
Burkina Faso is seen by some observers as a likely next target for Wagner, and Zimbabwe has long been bitter about US sanctions against it. Somalia, while a US ally, is often held up as an African country most affected by any restrictions on grain supplies related to the conflict in Ukraine.
Putin at a meeting with Qatar's Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister in Moscow on June 22 (SPUTNIK/AFP via Getty Images)Russia and Ukraine agreed a year ago on a UN and Turkey-brokered deal that reopened three Ukrainian Black Sea ports that had been blocked by Russia-Ukraine fighting and provided assurances that ships entering the ports would not be attacked.
Russia declined to renew the agreement this month, complaining its own exports were being held up. Both Russia and Ukraine are major grain suppliers. Promising Russian food exports to Africa is key to Mr Putin's stated goal of using the summit to bolster ties with a continent of 1.3 billion people that is increasingly assertive on the global stage.
Putin also announced other moves to deepen relations with Africa, including increased enrolment of African students in Russian universities, the opening of Russian state news media bureaus in many African countries and a proposed "common information space in Russia and Africa, within which objective, unbiased information about events taking place in the world will be broadcast to Russian and African audiences".
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Africa's 54 nations make up the largest voting bloc at the United Nations and have been more divided than any other region on General Assembly resolutions criticising Russia's actions in Ukraine. This is the second Russia-Africa summit since 2019.
The number of heads of state attending has dropped from 43 three years ago to 17 now because of what the Kremlin described as crude western pressure to discourage African nations from taking part. Putin's foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said that while only 17 heads of state are attending the summit, 32 other African countries are represented by senior officials or ambassadors.
Along with grain, another issue likely to be on the agenda is the fate of the Wagner following its brief rebellion last month. Wagner's future will be an urgent issue for countries such as Sudan, Mali and others who have deals with the mercenary group.
Russian officials and Mr Prigozhin have said the company will continue working in Africa. A peace proposal for Ukraine that African leaders have tried to pursue is set to be discussed as well..