Russian authorities have carried out a security raid against the residence of Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of the Wagner military group, according to Russian state media.
The Russian Federal Security has launched an investigation in which the office and residence of Prigozhin were inspected, where material demonstrating Prigozhin’s involvement in overseas military activities was found. The evidence collected by the security agency and published by official media displayed photographs, forged passports, disguise hairpieces, large amounts of gold and foreign currency, in addition to weapons and ammunition.
The photographs published included images of Prigozhin in the uniform and appearance of Haftar’s Salafi militant groups. Wagner has been active in Middle Eastern and African countries for years, and appeared publicly in Libya in 2019, during Haftar’s attack on the capital Tripoli. International and local reports assure that the group still holds control of significant locations in the central and southern regions of Libya including military bases, ports and oil fields.
The published findings of the security raid on Prigozhin’s residence showcased a control room with several devices that are assumed to have been used in systematic disinformation campaigns managed by Wagner in its fields of operation.
The group which was founded and led by Prigozhin to serve Russian covert military operations, recently carried out a rebellion against the Russian state after differences with the Russian military regarding the operations in Ukraine had accumulated for some time. Prigozhin was allowed to withdraw out of Russia after his rebellion, following mediation efforts initiated by the President of Belarus.
