July 10, 2023

The Palace and Its Thousand Prigozhins


The Palace and Its Thousand Prigozhins
Wigs and money found at Yevgeny Pregozhin's Palace. Meduza, Telegram.

Following the failed mutiny by Yevgeny Pregozhin and his mercenary Wagner Group, Russian authorities began investigating the billionaire. The FSB raided his palace on the outskirts of St. Petersburg. Photos of what was inside the raided mansion were leaked, revealing a new side of "Putin's chef."

The former hotdog salesman's mansion was filled with luxuries, including an iconostasis and a "hospital room" equipped with a respirator – scarce in Russia during the COVID pandemic. Walls in the mansion were decorated with diplomas and awards, including one from St. Petersburg governor Alexander Beglov. A picture was leaked of a military coat on a mannequin bearing the "Hero of Russia" star, the country's highest honorary title. However, unlike other recipients of this medal, Prigozhin's award event was not publicized. Fontanka estimated that Prigozhin received it on June 20, 2022, slightly over a year before his uprising.

Despite having his house embellished with Kremlin praise, a sledgehammer engraved with "for important negotiations," and a map with pictures of decapitated heads were also found in Prigozhin's palace. Authorities found stacks of dollars, gold, guns, wigs, and fake passports.

Images of Prigozhin
Montage from RT's Twitter

Kremlin-affiliated media have leaked pictures of Prigozhin wearing multiple disguises. Social media users quickly compared his costumes to a Borat-knockoff. Russia Today, a government-sponsored media outlettweeted a meme with many Prigozhin disguises with the caption, "Choose your fighter (or new Tinder profile pic)." 

Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko has confirmed Prigozhin's return to Russia.

 

You Might Also Like

Scared and Suspicious
  • July 04, 2023

Scared and Suspicious

Nearly half of Russians distrust official information regarding the war in Ukraine.
Wagner Group Still Allowed
  • June 26, 2023

Wagner Group Still Allowed

After Wagner Group's uprising, the State Duma announced new regulations, but did not ban the organization.
Prigozhin's Uprising
  • June 24, 2023

Prigozhin's Uprising

Russia's home-grown mercenaries have taken over Rostov-on-Don and threaten to march on the capital.
Like this post? Get a weekly email digest + member-only deals

Some of Our Books

The Samovar Murders

The Samovar Murders

The murder of a poet is always more than a murder. When a famous writer is brutally stabbed on the campus of Moscow’s Lumumba University, the son of a recently deposed African president confesses, and the case assumes political implications that no one wants any part of.
Jews in Service to the Tsar

Jews in Service to the Tsar

Benjamin Disraeli advised, “Read no history: nothing but biography, for that is life without theory.” With Jews in Service to the Tsar, Lev Berdnikov offers us 28 biographies spanning five centuries of Russian Jewish history, and each portrait opens a new window onto the history of Eastern Europe’s Jews, illuminating dark corners and challenging widely-held conceptions about the role of Jews in Russian history.
Murder and the Muse

Murder and the Muse

KGB Chief Andropov has tapped Matyushkin to solve a brazen jewel heist from Picasso’s wife at the posh Metropole Hotel. But when the case bleeds over into murder, machinations, and international intrigue, not everyone is eager to see where the clues might lead.
Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

Steppe / Степь (bilingual)

This is the work that made Chekhov, launching his career as a writer and playwright of national and international renown. Retranslated and updated, this new bilingual edition is a super way to improve your Russian.
Russian Rules

Russian Rules

From the shores of the White Sea to Moscow and the Northern Caucasus, Russian Rules is a high-speed thriller based on actual events, terrifying possibilities, and some really stupid decisions.
Chekhov Bilingual

Chekhov Bilingual

Some of Chekhov's most beloved stories, with English and accented Russian on facing pages throughout. 
A Taste of Chekhov

A Taste of Chekhov

This compact volume is an introduction to the works of Chekhov the master storyteller, via nine stories spanning the last twenty years of his life.
Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

Maria's War: A Soldier's Autobiography

This astonishingly gripping autobiography by the founder of the Russian Women’s Death Battallion in World War I is an eye-opening documentary of life before, during and after the Bolshevik Revolution.
Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar

Bears in the Caviar is a hilarious and insightful memoir by a diplomat who was “present at the creation” of US-Soviet relations. Charles Thayer headed off to Russia in 1933, calculating that if he could just learn Russian and be on the spot when the US and USSR established relations, he could make himself indispensable and start a career in the foreign service. Remarkably, he pulled it of.

About Us

Russian Life is a publication of a 30-year-young, award-winning publishing house that creates a bimonthly magazine, books, maps, and other products for Russophiles the world over.

Latest Posts

Our Contacts

Russian Life
73 Main Street, Suite 402
Montpelier VT 05602

802-223-4955