“I won’t draw such quick conclusions”: Ukrainian intelligence chief questions Prigozhin’s death

The news of his death in a plane crash last August was not really a surprise. But the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin is not a certainty for everyone. Ukrainian intelligence chief Kirill Budanov expressed doubt over the death of Wagner’s boss in an interview with the British newspaper The Financial Times.

Asked about the death of the billionaire, the mercenary boss who briefly rebelled against the Kremlin in June 2023, Kyrillo Boudanov said “not to draw such quick conclusions”. “I’m not saying he’s not dead or he’s dead,” said a shadowy figure from the Ukrainian General Staff. “I say there is not one shred of evidence that he is dead.”

Prigozhin was pronounced dead last August, when his private plane crashed shortly after takeoff from Moscow. According to Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency, all aboard the plane died in the crash and Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger list. Genetic testing of the bodies by Russian investigators then confirmed the death of Wagner’s boss.

The passport was recovered from his house

A few months earlier, in June 2023, the sulphurous billionaire of St. Petersburg launched his mercenaries to attack Moscow with the aim of overthrowing the Russian military command with which he was in conflict. Prigozhin criticized the General Staff for not providing his troops with enough ammunition and for targeting his men during bombing raids. A few hours later and as they prepared to enter Moscow, Wagner’s mercenaries suddenly returned and a secret agreement was made between Prigozhin and the Kremlin.

During a search of Prigozhin’s home after the abortive coup, the Russian secret services found several passports with different names and a cabinet full of wigs.

In his interview with the Financial Times, Kyrillo Baudanov also discusses Vladimir Putin’s health, a topic that regularly fuels wild theories. According to him, the master of the Kremlin regularly uses “clones” to replace him during his appearances on television.

Asked about the evidence for what he said, the head of Ukrainian intelligence confirmed that his analysts were studying Putin’s “physiognomy”: “eyelobes, the gap between the eyebrows, etc.” “It’s not that hard. You can easily do it yourself,” he added.