Wagner's Prigozhin emerges from exile with thank-you note, guarantees future 'victories'

Russian warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin stepped out from the shadows of his exile in Belarus on Monday to thank supporters of his Wagner Group, which led an awkward mutiny against the Russian defence ministry that was squashed within hours last month. In an audio message uploaded to Telegram, Prigozhin remained hopeful of future victories for his private mercenary group.

“In the near future, I am sure that you will see our next victories at the front. Thanks guys!” he said in the 41-second-long clip, adding that the “March of Justice” by his men was “aimed at fighting traitors and mobilizing our society”. The Wagner chief's note of gratitude comes after he hatched a plan in June to topple the Russian military leadership over its poor handling of the war and allegedly targeting camps of his fighters in Ukraine.

On June 24, he ordered his servicemen to march along the city of Rostov all the way to the capital Moscow. But after a brief episode of fighting, the plan was abruptly abandoned as the leader struck a deal with Kremlin to drop all charges against him in exchange for being exiled to neighbouring Belarus. 

The many perils faced by Prigozhin 

With a botched rebellion and treason behind him, some officials fear that a possible assassination lies ahead for the 62-year-old. According to one Ukrainian spy, Russians are rapidly scheming an attempt. “I wouldn’t insure his life…Prigozhin clearly took a chance. If you’re going to take on the king, don’t do it with a Nerf bat. He did. It failed,” former US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on a radio show, the New York Post reported.

“And he is not likely to find grace from Vladimir Putin again. Whether that ends up with him drinking some bad tea, or just permanently in exile, it’s hard to know," he added. 

A cyber warfare against Prigozhin is also raging in the background, with Russia launching website blockers on several media outlets that support the Wagner leader and propagate his agenda. As per the St. Petersburg-based outlet Rotunda, his Internet Research Agency, a website that attempts to stir unrest and anger with inciteful content, has also been taken down.