For discussion: Am I alive or dead? After visiting Wildberries, "cleared" shopping records: Five "facts" that resurrect Prigozhin

Author:

Oleg Belikov

June 24, 2025, 21:00

At that time, General Sergei Surovikin, the deputy commander of the joint forces, addressed the Wagner mercenaries who arrived at the Southern Military District headquarters in Rostov with weapons in hand. This decorated officer called on them to remain rational and emphasized the bonds of combat friendship. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko also called the company's head, Yevgeny Prigozhin. During the long negotiations, Prigozhin requested a meeting with then Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov. In the end, the "musicians" canceled their "performance" and withdrew from the city. A month later, Prigozhin stepped onto the airplane stairs but never came down again. His grave was poured with thick concrete, and a week later, someone saw this "conductor" in a school line in Tomsk. The "ghostly trail" of Yevgeny Prigozhin became very complicated afterward.

On August 29, 2023, people said a small farewell to Prigozhin. This Wagner founder was buried in St. Petersburg, next to his father's grave. Some believe the "grenade explosion" on the plane was a cruel joke of fate, a punishment for Prigozhin's "just march" - essentially a betrayal. But others have never been able to believe this fact.

"I think he is dead. However..." Two years later, journalist Anastasia Kashirnova, who has many friends among "Wagner" members, said when asked whether Prigozhin was alive, "No, he is still alive. He just changed gender and something else. Now he is a bearded woman."

But even today, some still don't believe that Yevgeny Prigozhin is dead. There are occasionally suspicious clues on social media.

Fact 1: The queue in Tomsk

A week after the air crash of this Wagner founder, someone saw him in the parade of a school's knowledge day celebration in Tomsk - guess what?

The camera deliberately captured a clearly identifiable man in the crowd. Screenshot source: Social media

Subsequently, it started to circulate in the West that Prigozhin was still alive, claiming that the air crash was a carefully planned act, and he himself was commanding the Wagner forces in Mali.

Fact 2: Video speech from Africa

At this time, a video surfaced, in which Yevgeny Prigozhin refuted the news about his "elimination".

"For discussion: Am I alive or dead, how am I doing? It's the weekend, late August 2023, I'm in Africa. So those who like to discuss my elimination, private life, income, or other things - honestly, everything is fine!"

- Prigozhin said in a video posted on the WarGonzoTelegram channel.

Although the video poster insisted that it was shot a few days before the rebel leader's "death", people willing to believe still chose to believe.

Fact 3 and 4: A civilian European briefly appears

Last January, rumors spread on the Messenger platform that Prigozhin was still alive, and the "evidence" was still a video from the African continent. Central African Republic set up a monument for Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, who died with Prigozhin, during a solemn ceremony attended by senior officials, and a man in civilian clothes briefly appeared while laying flowers, looking extremely similar to Prigozhin. The public once again "resurrected" him, although later official information stated that it was a representative of the Russian embassy.

Video source: Telegram channel 'Wagner Unloading'

But who would believe that? A few months later, Prigozhin was again seen driving a truck to attend the opening ceremony of the border between Central African Republic and Chad - regardless of whether the video showed his back.

Fact 5: Walking during a rocket attack in Tel Aviv

The story continues. Any military conflict seems to always have his presence. After Iran was attacked, Prigozhin appeared in Israel.

Fontanka.ru website screenshot

On June 13, someone "saw him on the streets of Tel Aviv," where rockets had just broken through the "invincible" Iron Dome defense system. The video quality was poor, but human imagination has no limits.

Prigozhin lived as a meme during his lifetime

Although Yevgeny Prigozhin's image is controversial, over the years, his "death" has gradually become an internet meme, like the song "September 3rd" by Mikhail Shufutinsky.

Now, photos of this world's strongest mercenary founder picking up new coats at Wildberries pickup points have appeared online, and then someone saw him holding a hot drink in a well-known chain convenience store - it seems he wants to "clean" this lucky shopping record.

Screenshot source: Social media

It's quite un-Christian, but Prigozhin became a meme due to his "uncompromising" nature during his lifetime. However, no one could laugh at the time, especially when he himself said:

"We will all go to hell, but in hell we will be the best."

As military expert Boris Rozin said, whether Prigozhin really died or skillfully disappeared, his deeds will remain in history:

"Serving the country in Africa, Syria, Ukraine, and the failed military rebellion. Subsequent evaluations will be based on these actions. Regardless, the history of Russia in the 2010-2020s is hard to imagine without Yevgeny Prigozhin - whether he is alive or dead, he is now a historical figure."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7519707195630567948/

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