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Video length: 1 min
In Russia, the shadow of Yevgeny Prigozhin still looms large. A year ago, mercenary leader Wagner challenged the Kremlin with a mutiny, before disappearing in a suspicious plane crash.
Two steps from the Kremlin in Moscow (Russia), an improvised memorial was created for Russian soldiers who died at the front, with prominently featured portraits of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a figure still very respected. “In our hearts, he is still very much alive”assures a man. “He said a lot of things out loud that people think quietly, and are afraid to say”, adds another. The emblematic leader of the Wagner militia attempted, a year ago to the day, to march on Moscow.
His aborted mutiny against Vladimir Putin left its mark on the Russians. “I was scared when I saw a tank and people in camouflage with automatic rifles at 9 a.m. in the street”, assures a woman. Two months later, Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash with unclear circumstances. Vladimir Putin then reaffirmed his unchallenged power. Since then, Wagner’s mercenaries have come under the full control of the Russian Defense Ministry.