Wagner rebel Prigozhin is either dead or in one of Putin’s gulags, says ex US general says

Wagner rebel Yevgeny Prigozhin is either dead or in one of Putin’s gulags after his failed coup, a former US general claims.

Retired General Robert Abrams, who was commander of US Forces Korea, said Prigozhin is most likely dead and likely never to be seen in public again.

He told ABC news“I think he’s either going into hiding or sent to prison or dealt with in some other way, but I doubt we’ll ever see him again.”

After being asked if he thinks Prigozhin is alive, Abrams replied, “Personally, I don’t think so, and if he is, he’s in a prison somewhere.”

Prigozhin was one of Putin’s trusted confidants, but had developed into a powerful threat, culminating in the attempted mutiny.

The alleged meeting between Putin and Prigozhin afterward was “highly staged,” Abrams suggested, adding, “I’d be surprised if we see any real evidence that Putin met Prigozhin.”

Retired General Robert Abrams (pictured), who was the commander of US Forces Korea, said Prigozhin is most likely dead and likely never to be seen in public again.

The alleged meeting between Putin (pictured) and Prigozhin afterward was “highly staged,” Abrams suggested, adding: “I’d be surprised if we see any real evidence that Putin met Prigozhin”

Prigozhin reportedly left Russia to live in exile in Belarus after the failed coup last month, but has not been seen since.

The leader’s mutiny, which began on June 23, was declared a “march for justice” with the aim of removing Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov from their posts.

Prigozhin clashed with the National Armed Forces of Russia during the war, sending his private mercenaries to the front to die.

The advance made rapid progress, seizing Rostov and crossing into Russian regions.

Six Russian army helicopters and an aircraft were reportedly shot down in the clashes.

But the mutiny failed in its objectives, as Prigozhin negotiated peace through Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko before reaching Moscow.

All charges against the leader of the Wagner group were eventually dropped so that he could move to Belarus.

The coup attempt began on June 23 and was called off a day later as the Wagner soldiers headed for Moscow (Photo: Wagner men in Rostov-on-Don on June 24

Members of the Wagner Group military company guard an area in front of a tank on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, Saturday, June 24

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the military company Wagner Group, looked out from a military vehicle on a street in Rostov-on-Don, Russia, on June 24, 2023, as he reportedly made his way to Belarus

Two weeks ago, Putin allegedly had a secret meeting with Prigozhin.

The unannounced meeting took place on June 29 — less than a week after the Wagner uprising — and was attended by some 35 people, including top Kremlin leaders and several Prigozhin commanders, the Kremlin admitted.

The French publication Libération had previously quoted Secret Service sources as claiming the meeting had taken place, but cited the date as July 1.

Since the meeting, Prigozhin appears to be staying in Russia rather than being forced into exile in neighboring Belarus, as his fate had previously seemed.

This comes after it emerged yesterday that Prigozhin had been treated for stomach cancer and that his illness may have played a role in his decision to launch the mutiny, a report said.

Fighters of the private mercenary group Wagner, including Roman Yamalutdinov (L), withdraw from the headquarters of the Southern Military District to return to base in the city of Rostov-on-Don, Russia, June 24, 2023

Proekt, a Russian outlet now banned by Russia, originally cited claims by former employees of Prigozhin that he had undergone treatment for cancer.

They said his stomach cancer was now in remission after a “long time” undergoing “severe therapy.”

A former worker said the march on Moscow late last month could show the mentality of a man with little to lose.

Asked what might have been the reason for the armed uprising, one anonymous source said, ‘This is a man with a stomach and intestines cut out!’

A former employee said:[Prigozhin] had cancer. Now the process of tumor formation seems to have stopped.’