Prigozhin's Statue Defaced in Russia

A statue of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the mercenary group Wagner who died after staging a mutiny against the Russian authorities, has been vandalized less than three weeks after its unveiling.

Prigozhin was the head of the Wagner Group, who have been fighting for Moscow in Ukraine. He was vociferous in his condemnation of how Putin and top military chiefs were managing the war, frequently complaining of a lack of ammunition.

In June 2023, Prigozhin staged a march on Moscow in which he seized military facilities in Rostov-on-Don. However, he then called off his mutiny before reaching the capital.

Prigozhin died on August 23, 2023 after his private jet crashed in the Tver region north of Moscow. Buried at St. Petersburg's Prokhorovsky cemetery, a life-size statue was built at the site and unveiled on June 1 of this year, which would have been his 62nd birthday.

But the Telegram channel Lenta posted a video showing the monument had been defaced. White paint was poured on the statue and a sex toy placed in his hand.

It is unclear when the recording was made, but authorities in the city's Krasnogvardeysky district said the incident took place on Friday, the Astra Telegram channel reported, and that "law enforcement agencies are dealing with the issue."

Other Russian outlets that reported the story with the image of the vandalized monument, such as Ura.ru, said that the culprits were not known.

Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that eyewitnesses said that Wagner fighters washed the paint away and the grave was "put back in order."

Next to a still of the image, pro-Ukrainian X user Jay in Kyiv posted, "without a doubt it is the Russian intelligence services seeking to prevent Prigozhin's popularity, even after death, from growing."

Citing Western intelligence services, The Wall Street Journal reported in December that Prigozhin's death was organized by the Secretary of the Security Council of the Russian Federation Nikolai Patrushev. The Kremlin denies any involvement.

Prigozhin inspired loyalty among his troops and soon after his death, his supporters laid flowers and created makeshift memorials outside the former headquarters of the mercenary outfit in St. Petersburg. Similar memorials were spotted in the Siberian city of Novosibirsk.

Kommersant noted that another monument to Prigozhin and Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, who was also among the eight who died in the plane crash, was unveiled at the memorial chapel near the Molkino training ground in Russia's Krasnodar Territory.