Yevgeny Prigozhin: A Man of Many Faces

A police raid on PMC Wagner’s former chief reveals fake passports, wigs, gold and an arsenal of weapons

Weapons and ammunition photographed by police inside Prigozhin’s mansion. Photo: Izvestia

Russian police have released photos and video after conducting a raid on the media headquarters and the private residence of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former chief of the military contractor Wagner, PMC.

The video, released July 5th, shows agents of Russia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, masked and heavily armed, as they searched the offices at Patriot Media Group in St. Petersburg. Prigozhin last week shuttered his media operations, which included the popular news site RIA FAN. Though no employees appear present, it’s clear that the police were taking no chances.

What will become of Prigozhin’s many employees is unclear. It’s highly likely that some will be questioned and possibly interrogated. All of them will need to find new employment, but their job-hunt may suffer as a result of their prior connection to the now-infamous Prigozhin.

Police also released photos taken inside Prigozhin’s personal residence, a lavish mansion featuring amenities such as a helipad, a swimming pool and sauna, a gym, several “prayer rooms,” and a medical room complete with state-of-the-art equipment.

Items found inside the residence include fake passports, boxes filled with currency from multiple countries including the United States, bars of gold, and an arsenal of weapons and ammunition.

Oh, and a collection of wigs and fake beards.

The private residence of Yevgeny Prigozhin. Photos: Izvestia

A weapons cache found in a bedroom.

A lavishly appointed sitting room.

Left: A fake Russian passport bearing the name Vladimir Vasilevich and a photo of Prigozhin. Middle: A bag of foreign currency including a stack of $50 bills. Right: Gold bars.

Left: A collection of wigs found in one of Prigozhin’s closets. Right: Boxes full of currency.

Prigozhin’s man cave, perhaps?

The mansion has a large indoor pool for swimming laps.

A storybook spiral staircase creates an entrancing alcove for Prigozhin’s baby grand.

One of several “prayer rooms.”

The “medical room” contained state-of-the-art medical equipment.

Sauna and shower.

Prigozhin’s private helipad.

Russian authorities have not said what Prigozhin intended to use the wigs for, or if he might have used them, along with the fake passports, to get into foreign countries “unofficially.” A series of photos, purportedly of Prigozhin wearing the wigs, has surfaced on the internet, which gives you an idea of how he might have looked in disguise.

Are they real or photoshopped?
You decide.

About the author:
Deborah Armstrong currently writes about geopolitics with an emphasis on Russia. She previously worked in local TV news in the United States where she won two regional Emmy Awards. In the early 1990’s, Deborah lived in the Soviet Union during its final days and worked as a television consultant at Leningrad Television. You can support Deborah’s writing at Paypal or Patreon, or donate via Substack.