Prigozhin’s final months were clouded by questions about what the Kremlin had in store for him.

Tallinn, Estonia — Yevgeny Prigozhin smiled as a crowd of fans surrounded his black SUV June 24 in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, cheering him on.

“You Rock!” shouted fans while taking selfies with the head of the Wagner mercenary group, who was sitting in the vehicle after dark. “You are a lion! Hang there!”

Prigozhin and his masked and camouflaged fighters were leaving the city after a day-long mutiny against the country’s military leadership. President Vladimir Putin condemned it as “treason” and promised punishment, but later reached an agreement not to prosecute Prigozhin. Beyond that, his fate seemed uncertain.

Two months later, on August 23, Prigozhin’s commercial plane fell from the sky and crashed in a field halfway between Moscow and Saint Petersburg. Everyone on board was killed, presumably including Prigozhin and some of his top lieutenants.

The two scenes, which took place just two months apart, complete the last days shrouded in mystery of the outspoken and brutal mercenary leader who initially seemed to have escaped any reprisal for the rebellion that posed the greatest challenge to Putin’s authority in his 23 year government. rule of the year

Suspicions immediately arose that the Kremlin was behind the accident and that it was revenge. The Kremlin denied it.

Speaking on camera praising Prigozhin, the Russian president tried to show that there was no bad blood between them. He described Wagner’s boss as “a talented man” whom he had known for a long time and who made “serious mistakes” but apparently continued to do business with the government.

The last weeks of Prigozhin’s life were clouded by questions about what the Kremlin really had in store for him. He had already dodged a bullet? Or was his comeuppance later?

Shortly before footage surfaced of Prigozhin driving into the night in Rostov-on-Don, the Kremlin announced an agreement to end the riot. Prigozhin would “retire to Belarus,” Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, without elaborating on whether that would mean permanent exile.

Prigozhin himself was silent, which was unusual for a man who used to post multiple written and spoken statements every day. In response to an email from The Associated Press on June 25, the day after the riot, Prigozhin’s press service said only that he “greets everyone” and that he would answer all questions once he got the ” proper connection.

An elaborate 11-minute statement from Prigozhin appeared the next day, but it contained nothing about where he was or what was next for him and his forces. Instead, he defended himself and the mutiny in his usual defiant and optimistic way.

He said his march on Moscow began because of an injustice: an alleged attack on his fighters in Ukraine by the Russian military. He mocked the military, calling Wagner’s march a “master class” in how government soldiers should have carried out the February 2022 invasion of Ukraine. He pointed to the security breaches that allowed Wagner to advance 780 kilometers (780 kilometers). 500 miles) without resistance and block all military units in its path.

The next morning, June 27, the Russian authorities announced they were dropping the criminal investigation into the revolt, with no charges brought against Wagner’s leader or any other participants, despite the fact that around a dozen Russian soldiers were killed in clashes. and several military planes were shot down. below.

Later that day, Putin hinted that there might be a new investigation, this time into Prigozhin’s finances. The Russian leader told a military meeting that the state paid Wagner nearly $1 billion in just one year, while Prigozhin’s other company earned about the same from government contracts. Putin wondered aloud if something was stolen and vowed to “figure it out.”

On the day the charges were dropped, Prigozhin’s plane was spotted in Belarus, and authoritarian Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko, who helped broker the deal to end the riot, said Wagner’s boss had arrived. Belarusian activists soon reported that a camp was being set up there for the fighters who decided to follow him.

In Russia, Prigozhin’s main business asset, a media company called Patriot, went out of business and many of the news agencies he owned were blocked by the authorities. Prigozhin’s media operations included the infamous “troll factory” that led to his indictment in the United States for meddling in the 2016 presidential election.

Wagner also announced the cessation of the recruitment of new mercenaries “due to the transfer to Belarus.”

However, on July 6, Lukashenko told reporters that Prigozhin was in St. Petersburg, or “maybe he went to Moscow, or maybe somewhere else, but he is not in Belarus.” The comments came amid media reports that cash and equipment seized during police searches of Prigozhin’s property had been returned to him.

“What will happen to him after? Well, anything can happen in life. But if you think that Putin is so malicious and vindictive that tomorrow he will be executed somewhere. … No, this will not happen,” Lukashenko said.

As it turned out, Putin met with Prigozhin several days after the revolt.

Peskov, Putin’s spokesman, told reporters on July 10 that the meeting took place in the Kremlin and was attended by more than 30 Wagner commanders in addition to Prigozhin. The disclosure came after Peskov repeatedly said that the Kremlin knew nothing about Prigozhin’s whereabouts, even on the day of the meeting with Putin on June 29.

Putin’s spokesman did not offer any details about the meeting, saying only that the commanders pledged allegiance to the Russian president.

Putin later echoed that idea, saying in a July 13 interview that “many nodded” when he offered to allow them to continue serving under one of Wagner’s commanders. But a defiant Prigozhin spoke for them, saying they did not like the proposal, according to the Russian president.

Chief Wagner’s own comments got weird. His spokespersons did not release anything beyond the 11-minute audio message issued two days after the riot.

Instead, words or images of Prigozhin appeared on one of several Telegram channels believed to be linked to Wagner. The relative silence raised questions about whether keeping a low public profile was part of his deal with the Kremlin.

One such video on July 19 reportedly came from Belarus. Blurry images showed the silhouette of a man resembling Prigozhin against the evening sky, and his distinctive gruff voice was heard addressing ranks of uniformed men.

“Welcome guys! I am happy to greet you all. Welcome to Belarusian land!” he said.

Prigozhin reiterated his criticism of the conduct of the fighting in Ukraine. “What is happening at the front today is an embarrassment in which we should not participate,” he said, adding that Wagner’s forces could return to Ukraine in the future.

In the meantime, Prigozhin said, Wagner would train in Belarus and then embark on a new trip to Africa, where his mercenaries have been active in several countries.

Another video, posted on another Telegram channel on August 21, showed a close-up of Prigozhin holding a rifle while standing on a dusty plain. Prigozhin did not say where the video was taken, but did refer to the temperature as 50 degrees Celsius (122 degrees Fahrenheit).

“Just the way we like it,” he boasted. She said that Wagner was “making Russia even greater on all continents and Africa even freer.”

Two days later the plane crash occurred, exactly two months after Priogzhin first announced his revolt.

Although the Kremlin has denied accusations that it was behind the accident, the reality of those two months probably did not sit well with Putin, said political analyst Abbas Gallyamov.

The riot “showed Putin’s weakness to everyone,” said Gallyamov, who once worked as a speechwriter in the Kremlin. After that, Prigozhin “felt normal.” He was working on projects in Belarus and Africa and the case against him was closed.

That reality “left Putin completely unsatisfied because it was an open invitation to potential mutineers,” Gallyamov said.