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From flea market hot dog seller to the head of a mercenary group behind a mutiny against the Russian military, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s rise has been far from ordinary.

A former convict who spent much of his young life behind bars, he rose up to become close to Vladimir Putin.

He even earned himself the nickname “Putin’s chef” on account of his Kremlin-linked catering business.

Wagner troops seize city 300 miles from Moscow – Ukraine war latest

But the 62-year-old boss of the mercenary Wagner Group now stands accused of open rebellion against Russia by his close friend.

It is a situation some experts say has been a long time coming, particularly in light of Prigozhin’s incendiary remarks about Russia’s military leadership and his previous warning of a 1917-style rebellion.

But who is Prigozhin and how did we get to this point?

Crime and hot dogs

Born in 1961 in the city of Leningrad – now Saint Petersburg, Prigozhin had a difficult start in life, losing his father at a young age.

He turned to crime in his teenage years, initially theft, but quickly escalating into more serious crimes. He was jailed for 12 years, aged 20, in 1981 after being convicted of robbery and fraud.

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Putin accuses Prigozhin of treason

“Prigozhin is a former conman – he was a thug,” according to Samantha de Bendern from the Royal Institute of International Affairs.

“He was put in prison in the 1980s for basically assaulting a woman in the street. He spent quite a number of years in the Soviet Union’s penitentiary system,” she told Sky News.

Prigozhin was pardoned in 1988 and released in 1990, when he began selling hot dogs at a flea market in Leningrad with his mother and stepfather.

He left prison during perestroika and glasnost – the period in the 1990s when Russia was opening up to the world after years of isolation under communism.

‘Putin’s butcher’ and joining the elite

Prigozhin later founded, or become involved in, many new businesses and in the 2000s, he grew closer to Putin.

“He very quickly got onto the private property/private enterprise bandwagon and ended up being a hot dog seller,” Ms de Bendern told Sky News.

“And this is where things become very mysterious because he transformed himself from hot dog seller to restaurateur to the grand and great of the new post-Soviet Russian elite.”

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Putin and Prigozhin’s relationship explained

According to a New York Times article in 2018, Prigozhin said the “rubles were piling up faster than his mother could count them”.

His companies won lucrative government contracts, including providing school lunches, and in Moscow alone his company Concord won millions of dollars in deals.

Prigozhin eventually became the caterer to a number of Russian state concerns, including the army – a deal which jailed Putin critic Alexei Navalny claimed broke competition bidding rules.

He was also catered for a lot of state visits and met presidents and heads of state – including then-French president Jacques Chirac, who dined with Putin at one of his restaurants.

Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin makes a statement on the start of withdrawal of his forces from Bakhmut and handing over their positions to regular Russian troops, in the course of Russia-Ukraine conflict in Bakhmut, Ukraine
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Prigozhin in May as he prepared to hand over Bakhmut to the regular Russian army

His catering background and his work for the Kremlin earned Prigozhin the nickname “Putin’s chef” – or sometimes “Putin’s butcher”.

Prigozhin addressed the nickname earlier this year and denied he was ever a chef, saying “butcher” was more accurate.

“They could have just given me a nickname right away – Putin’s butcher, and everything would have been fine,” he said.

Coming out as Wagner leader

A once shadowy private military contractor (PMC), little was known about the Wagner Group’s formation and Prigozhin’s role was kept a closely guarded secret.

Experts believe it was likely set up to allow plausible deniability about Russia’s military involvement in Ukraine and Syria.

It is privately owned but its management and operations are “deeply intertwined” with the Russian military and intelligence community, according to the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), an American think tank.

The Russian government has previously denied involvement with the group and has insisted private military contractors are not legal in Russia.

SENSITIVE MATERIAL. THIS IMAGE MAY OFFEND OR DISTURB    Founder of Wagner private mercenary group Yevgeny Prigozhin speaks next to the bodies of what he says are Wagner fighters killed in Russia-Ukraine conflict, in an undisclosed location, in this still image taken from video released May 5, 2023. Press service of "Concord"/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVES. MANDATORY CREDIT.
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Prigozhin has released angry video rants at Russia’s military leaders

However, Putin recently praised Wagner’s capture of Bakhmut in what’s believed to be his first acknowledgment of the group.

The group came to the world’s attention in 2014 during the Donbas conflict, where it supported pro-Russian separatists in a coup, and for sneak attacks, reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering during the annexation of Crimea.

Read more:
Prigozhin a disaster waiting to happen – analysis

Putin accuses mercenary boss of treason

Wagner is also believed to have operated in countries in Africa – including Mali, Mozambique and Sudan – where it has been accused of human rights abuses by the EU.

Prigozhin previously denied any links to Wagner and even launched legal action against Western journalists who attempted to draw such a connection.

However, after Russia’s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Prigozhin went public and claimed he had founded the mercenary force in 2014.

Recruiting thousands of prisoners

Prigozhin’s influence has grown since the invasion and his forces have stepped out of the shadows to be used openly in combat.

In late March 2022, UK defence intelligence and US officials said Wagner Group had about 1,000 personnel in Donbas and eastern Ukraine.

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Then, in August, posters calling for recruits to join Wagner began to appear in Russian cities; while a month later, a video appeared which showed Prigozhin attempting to recruit prisoners.

By December, Wagner forces had swelled to 50,000, according to John Kirby, the coordinator for strategic communications at the White House’s National Security Council.

Around 40,000 were believed to be convicts and the rest contractors, he added.

“Wagner almost certainly now commands 50,000 fighters in Ukraine,” the UK’s Ministry of Defence said in January this year.

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How Prigozhin’s rebellion could impact Putin

Despite huge casualty rates, it has proved effective at delivering battlefield success – something the Russian army has struggled with.

Prigozhin’s forces were heavily involved in the capture of Bakhmut, one of the war’s bloodiest battles.

According to US figures, around 20,000 Russian troops were killed in the fighting, with around half thought to be from the Wagner Group.

While Prigozin has appeared to show compassion for the life of his mercenaries at times, he infamously appeared to revel in the brutal execution of a Wagner deserter with a sledgehammer.

“A dog receives a dog’s death,” said Prigozhin in response to the video, published in November last year.

‘Eat their guts in hell’ – Clashes with the Kremlin

While Wagner forces have made advances, the war has also given Prigozhin a chance to further his own political ambitions.

He has, on several occasions, made public his displeasure with the Russian military leadership, often in strongly-worded videos on social media.

Earlier this year, he accused the defence ministry of failing to provide enough ammunition to Wagner forces in Bakhmut and not providing cover for their flanks.

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Wagner leader claims Bakhmut victory

He even threatened to pull troops out if they were not resupplied.

“These are someone’s fathers and someone’s sons,” Prigozhin said at the time, as he shared a video of himself standing by the bodies of dead troops.

“The scum that doesn’t give us ammunition will eat their guts in hell.”

Earlier this month, Prigozhin arrived in Moscow with a contract which, in effect, attempted to formalise Wagner as an equivalent but separate military force to the Russian army.

Hours before his rebellion, he took aim at defence minister Shoigu – often the main target of his vitriol – as well as chief of the general staff Valery Gerasimov.

He also claimed Kremlin officials and oligarchs wanted the invasion of Ukraine to make money and advance their own careers.

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Russian mercenary hands over US and Turkish bodies

Prigozhin has often taken swipes at the Russian “elite”, who he claims have avoided the impact of the war while reaping the benefits.

In May, he warned the country would face turmoil if ordinary Russians continued getting their children back in coffins while those of the elite “shook their a***s” in the sun.

He also released a video in which he paid respect to foreign fighters who had fallen while fighting for Ukraine in Bakhmut by draping their coffins with their country’s flag – which some experts said was a ploy to boost his position among world leaders.

However, while critical of Kremlin officials, one thing Prigozhin has been careful to avoid is criticism of Putin himself.

“He is a product of the Kremlin,” said Andrei Kolesnikov of the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Centre.

“He can be against part of the elite but at the same time, if he were against Putin, he would disappear overnight.”

Mark Galeotti of University College London, who specialises in Russian security affairs, said during his podcast In Moscow’s Shadows: “[Prigozhin] is not one of Putin’s close figures or a confidant.

“Prigozhin does what the Kremlin wants, and does very well for himself in the process. But that’s the thing – he is part of the staff, rather than part of the family.”

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Israel-Hamas war: ‘Vast amounts of aid needed to stave off catastrophic health crisis in Gaza,’ UN warns

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Israel-Hamas war: 'Vast amounts of aid needed to stave off catastrophic health crisis in Gaza,' UN warns

Israel has agreed to support a “one-week scale-up of aid” in Gaza – but the United Nations has warned more action is needed to “stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis”.

UN aid chief Tom Fletcher made the remarks as Israel began limited pauses in fighting across three areas of Gaza for 10 hours a day to address the worsening humanitarian situation.

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza’s population from the start of March. It then reopened aid centres with new restrictions in May, but said the supply had to be controlled to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas militants.

A Palestinian man in Beit Lahia carries aid that entered Gaza through Israel. Pic: Reuters
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A Palestinian man in Beit Lahia carries aid that entered Gaza through Israel. Pic: Reuters

On Saturday, reports referencing US government data said there was no evidence Hamas had stolen aid from UN agencies.

Images of emaciated Palestinian children have led to widespread criticism of Israel’s actions in Gaza, including by allies who are calling for an end to the war.

Mr Fletcher said one in three people in Gaza “hasn’t eaten for days” and “children are wasting away”.

He added: “We welcome Israel’s decision to support a one-week scale-up of aid, including lifting customs barriers on food, medicine and fuel from Egypt and the reported designation of secure routes for UN humanitarian convoys.

More on Israel-hamas War

“Some movement restrictions appear to have been eased today, with initial reports indicating that over 100 truckloads were collected.

“This is progress, but vast amounts of aid are needed to stave off famine and a catastrophic health crisis. Across the UN agencies and humanitarian community, we are mobilised to save as many lives as we can.”

An aircraft drops humanitarian aid over Gaza on Sunday. Pic: Reuters
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An aircraft drops humanitarian aid over Gaza on Sunday. Pic: Reuters

The Israel Defence Forces said yesterday that it is halting military operations in Muwasi, Deir al Balah and Gaza City daily from 10am to 8pm local time (8am to 6pm UK time) until further notice.

Combat operations have continued outside of this 10-hour window. Health officials in Gaza said Israeli strikes killed at least 41 Palestinians overnight into Sunday morning, including 26 seeking aid.

In a statement, the IDF said it would also establish secure routes to help the UN and aid agencies deliver food and other supplies.

A map showing the three areas of Gaza where military action has been paused
Image:
A map showing the three areas of Gaza where military action has been paused

Israel’s announcement of what it calls a “tactical pause” in fighting comes after it resumed airdrops of aid into Gaza.

While the IDF reiterated claims there is “no starvation” in the territory, it said the airdrops would include “seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food to be provided by international organisations”.

Palestinian sources confirmed that aid had begun dropping in northern parts of the territory.

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Ab
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Palestinians in Beit Lahia carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel. Pic: Reuters

Sabreen Hasson, a Palestinian mother who travelled to an aid point near the Zikim crossing to collect supplies, said: “I came to get flour for my children because they have not tasted flour for more than a week, and thank God, God provided me with a kilo of rice with difficulty.”

But Samira Yahda, who was in Zawaida in central Gaza, said: “We saw the planes, but we didn’t see what they dropped… they said trucks would pass, but we didn’t see the trucks.”

Another Palestinian told the AP news agency that some people feared going out and having a box of aid fall on their children.

Read more:
What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
Parents of IDF soldier taken hostage fear he’ll be one of last freed
25% of young children ‘now malnourished in Gaza’

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Baby Zainab starved to death in Gaza

Gaza is expected to be a focus during talks Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump in Scotland today.

Downing Street said Sir Keir will raise “what more can be done to secure the ceasefire [in the Middle East] urgently”, during the meeting at the US president’s Turnberry golf course in Ayrshire.

Reports also suggest the prime minister is planning to interrupt the summer recess and recall his cabinet to discuss the crisis on Tuesday.

Talks in Qatar over a ceasefire ended on Thursday after the US and Israel withdrew their negotiating teams.

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Bob Geldof: ‘Israeli authorities are lying’

Mr Trump blamed Hamas for the collapse of negotiations as he left the US for Scotland, saying the militant group “didn’t want to make a deal… they want to die”.

Meanwhile the exiled head of Hamas in Gaza, Khalil al Hayya, has warned ceasefire negotiations with Israel were “meaningless under continued blockade and starvation”.

In a recorded speech, he added: “The immediate and dignified delivery of food and medicine to our people is the only serious and genuine indication of whether continuing the negotiations is worthwhile.”

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Israel intercepts Gaza aid boat

During a meeting with the European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen yesterday, Mr Trump emphasised the importance of securing the release of hostages held by Palestinian militants in Gaza.

He said: “They don’t want to give them back, and so Israel is going to have to make a decision.

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Starmer says UK will help drop aid to Gaza

“I know what I’d do, but I don’t think it’s appropriate that I say it. But Israel is going to have to make a decision,” he said.

Mr Trump also repeated claims, without evidence, that Hamas was stealing food coming into Gaza and selling it.

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Israeli military announces ‘tactical pause’ in fighting in parts of Gaza amid hunger crisis

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Israeli military announces 'tactical pause' in fighting in parts of Gaza amid hunger crisis

Israel has begun a pause in fighting in three areas of Gaza to address the worsening humanitarian situation.

The IDF said it would halt fighting in three areas, Muwasi, Deir al-Balah and Gaza City, from 10am to 8pm local time until further notice, beginning today.

In a statement, the IDF said it would also establish secure routes to help the UN and aid agencies deliver food and other supplies.

Palestinians carry aid supplies that entered Gaza through Israel, in Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip, July 27, 2025. REUTERS/Dawoud Ab
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Palestinians carry aid supplies. Pic: Reuters

Israel’s announcement of what it calls a “tactical pause” in fighting comes after it resumed airdrops of aid into Gaza.

While the IDF reiterated claims there is “no starvation” in Gaza, it said the airdrops would include “seven pallets of aid containing flour, sugar and canned food to be provided by international organisations”.

Reports suggest aid has already been dropped into Gaza, with some injured after fighting broke out.

Pic: IDF
Image:
Pic: IDF

In other developments, Bob Geldof has accused Israeli authorities of “lying” about starvation in the territory – telling Sunday Morning With Trevor Phillips the IDF is “dangling food in front of starving, panicked, exhausted mothers”.

He told Sky News: “This month, up to now, 1,000 children or 1,000 people have died of starvation. I’m really not interested in what either of these sides are saying.”

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Bob Geldof: ‘Israeli authorities are lying’

Israel cut off all supplies to Gaza from the start of March. It then reopened aid centres with new restrictions in May, but said the supply had to be controlled to prevent it from being stolen by Hamas militants.

On Saturday, reports referencing US government data said there was no evidence Hamas had stolen aid from UN agencies.

The IDF’s international spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Nadav Shoshani, described such reports as “fake news” and said Hamas thefts have been “well documented”.

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Malnourished girl: ‘The war changed me’

Airdrops ‘expensive and inefficient’

It comes as the Hamas-run health ministry in Gaza said as of Saturday, 127 people have died from malnutrition-related causes, including 85 children.

They include a five-month-old girl who weighed less than when she was born, with a doctor at Nasser Hospital describing it as a case of “severe, severe starvation”.

Health workers have also been weakened by hunger, with some putting themselves on IV drips so they can keep treating badly malnourished patients.

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Aid waiting to be distributed in Gaza

On Friday, Israel said it would allow foreign countries to airdrop aid into Gaza – but the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) has warned this will not reverse “deepening starvation”.

UNRWA head Philippe Lazzarini described the method as “expensive” and “inefficient”, adding: “It is a distraction and screensmoke. A manmade hunger can only be addressed by political will.

“Lift the siege, open the gates and guarantee safe movements and dignified access to people in need.”

UNRWA has the equivalent of 6,000 trucks in Jordan and Egypt waiting for permission to enter Gaza, he added.

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PM says UK will help drop aid to Gaza

MSF, also known as Doctors Without Borders, warned on Friday that 25% of young children and pregnant women in Gaza are now malnourished, and said the lack of food and water on the ground was “unconscionable”.

The UN also estimates Israeli forces have killed more than 1,000 people seeking food, the majority near the militarised distribution sites of the US-backed aid distribution scheme run by the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation.

Read more:
What does recognising a Palestinian state mean?
British surgeon claims IDF ‘deliberately’ shooting boys

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In a statement on Friday, the IDF had said it “categorically rejects the claims of intentional harm to civilians”, and reports of incidents at aid distribution sites were “under examination”.

The Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) has also previously disputed these deaths were connected with its organisation’s operations, with director Johnnie Moore telling Sky News: “We just want to feed Gazans. That’s the only thing that we want to do.”

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‘I still have hope’: Parents of IDF soldier taken hostage by Hamas fear he’ll be one of last freed

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'I still have hope': Parents of IDF soldier taken hostage by Hamas fear he'll be one of last freed

Yehuda searches through a downstairs room looking for a plastic bag containing the most precious of objects.

It’s a small, blackened Rubik’s Cube that belongs to Yehuda’s son Nimrod – one of 20 living Israeli hostages still being held by the terrorist group Hamas in Gaza.

It was found in Nimrod’s burnt-out tank after the October 7th attacks.

“He likes PlayStation and Rubik’s Cube,” says Nimrod’s mother, Vicky.

“They found the Rubik’s Cube in the tank. It was complete but a little bit dark and they brought it back to us.”

Stills from Holland PKG of Vicky Cohen whose son Nimrod Cohen, an 19 y/o IDF soldier, who is being held hostage by Hamas
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Vicky Cohen

We spoke to Nimrod’s parents Yehuda and Vicky about the emotional rollercoaster hostage families in Israel are going through – as hope rises and fades of a ceasefire agreement with Hamas.

“I still have hope that maybe I will see Nimrod again,” says Vicky.

“It almost breaks my heart because I still had expectation,” she says – in spite of the latest failure to find resolution in talks between Israel and Hamas in Doha.

“But I still have hope that maybe something good will happen,” she says.

Rubik's cube owned by Nimrod Cohen, an 19 y/o IDF soldier, who is being held hostage by Hamas
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Nimrod’s charred Rubik’s Cube

Vicky says: “We heard [during] the last weeks, President Trump saying we will hear about a ceasefire soon – next week – in a few days.

“We heard our prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] say visiting Washington and meeting Trump was very successful – and heard members of the coalition talking about our prime minister eventually understanding he needs to end the war. But until now nothing.”

The delegation coming back to Israel doesn’t mean a total collapse of ceasefire talks, but US envoy Steve Witkoff said the response to the latest ceasefire proposals by Hamas showed “a lack of desire”.

And so the rollercoaster of emotion for the hostage families continues.

Middle East latest: Gaza aid airdrops a ‘smokescreen’

Nimrod Cohen, an 19 y/o IDF soldier, who is being held hostage by Hamas
Image:
Nimrod

Nimrod’s father Yehuda Cohen said: “Of course it’s a disappointment but it’s not the first one. A long time ago I learned not to get my expectations up so the disappointment won’t be too deep.

“The solution is very simple – I’ve got it on my shirt – ceasefire and hostage deal. Meaning the only way to get all the hostages is ending the war.”

Stills from Holland PKG on Yehuda Cohen (pictured) whose son Nimrod Cohen is being held hostage by Hamas
Image:
Nimrod’s father Yehuda

Yehuda shows us Nimrod’s bedroom at the family home. It’s exactly as it was when Nimrod left to return to his army duties a few days before the October 7 attacks.

Except in a corner, there’s a box of uniforms and personal possessions, including a wallet which Nimrod had left at his army outpost – all returned to the family by the IDF.

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Stills from Holland PKG on Yehuda and Vicky Cohen's son Nimrod Cohen, an 19 y/o IDF soldier, who is being held hostage by Hamas.
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The IDF handed Nimrod’s parents a box of his possessions left at his army outpost

It’s just like the bedroom of any other teenager – Nimrod was 19 when he was kidnapped. But two birthdays have passed since then. Nimrod is 21 now – a milestone spent in captivity a few weeks ago.

It’s believed there are 20 living Israeli hostages in Gaza – all male – and that Hamas is holding the bodies of 27 more hostages who have been killed.

Read more from Sky News:
Israel resumes airdrops into Gaza
Bob Geldof accuses Israel of ‘lying’
25% of children malnourished, charity says

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Starvation in Gaza continues

But even if a deal is agreed, the first phase is expected to secure the release of only half of the living hostages – and Nimrod’s parents say their son, as a soldier, is not likely to be one of the 10.

Yehuda says: “A partial deal means that the probability my son will be on that list is close to zero. So he’s going to be one of the last ones to be released, and that’s why we have to fight.”

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