Wigs, guns and gold bars found by Russian security services in raid of Wagner boss Prigozhin’s St Petersburg palace
The St Petersburg palace of Wagner Group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin has been raided by Russian security services.
The FSB says it found guns, ammunition, gold bars, a stuffed alligator and a cupboard full of wigs at the opulent residence the mercenary leader was forced to abandon after his aborted coup attempt last month.
The pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia published images and video of the raid yesterday, which also turned up apparently fake passports and a framed photo allegedly showing the severed heads of Prigozhin’s enemies.
Ukraine war latest: Prigozhin not in Belarus, says Lukashenko
Details of the raid emerged as Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said the Wagner chief was not in Belarus.
Mr Lukasheno – who brokered a deal which saw Prigozhin, who used to be known as “Putin’s chef”, call-off the rebellion and leave Russia for Belarus – said on 27 June that the exiled leader had arrived in his country.
However, he told journalists at a news conference on Thursday that Prigozhin is still in Russia and “may” be in St Petersburg or Moscow – while his troops remain in their camps.
Guns and ammunition found during the raid. Pic: Izvestia
Several wigs were found in Prigozhin’s home. Pic: Izvestia
Gold bars were discovered. Pic: Izvestia
There has been much speculation in recent weeks regarding Prigozhin’s whereabouts, with the mercenary leader not being seen in public since the mutiny.
Pictures of his lavish home also showed a grand piano at the base of a spiral marble staircase, as well as a spa and sauna area, and private indoor swimming pool.
An oversized sledgehammer inscribed with the words “for use in important negotiations” was also displayed in what appears to be the billiards room.
There also appeared to be a private prayer room, decorated with multiple religious icons from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Huge amounts of cash in various currencies were discovered at the residence, the FSB said, as was a military uniform replete with around two dozen medals.
The home has a marbled floor and grand staircase. Pic: Izvestia
A giant sledgehammer with the inscription ‘for use in important negotiations’. Pic: Izvestia
A swimming pool seen in Prigozhin’s home. Pic: Izvestia
The home was raided after Prigozhin was exiled to Belarus. Pic: Izvestia
Prigozhin was thought to have been in Belarus since 24 June after he led the failed mutiny against the Kremlin which saw his Wagner mercenaries march on Moscow.
Large numbers of Wagner fighters were said to have also been absorbed into the Russian military as part of the agreement overseen by Mr Lukashenko to end the stand-off.
Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin
Vladimir Putin and Prigozhin in Moscow in November 2011
Prigozhin released a statement in the aftermath detailing why he began his “march for justice”.
“We started our march because of an injustice,” he said.
Explaining why the advance was abandoned, Prigozhin said he did not want to shed Russian blood – and insisted that he had no intention of overthrowing the government.
He added: “We have shown the level of organisation that an army must meet.”
Read more:
Wagner boss is a dangerous animal for President Lukashenko
The former hot dog seller who became Wagner boss at centre of mutiny
Describing the moment he decided to order his fighters to halt their advance on Moscow, Prigozhin said: “We felt that the demonstration of what we were going to do was enough.
“And our decision to turn back was influenced by two most important factors.
“The first factor was that we did not want to shed Russian blood,” Prigozhin continued.
“The second factor was that we were going for a demonstration of our protest, not to overthrow the government in the country.”
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Wagner mutiny: The impact on Ukraine
Meanwhile, an ex-CIA director has said the uprising created a “once-in-a-generation” opportunity for the US to recruit spies in Russia.
William Burns said the aborted mutiny was a challenge to the Russian state that showed the corrosive effect of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Speaking at a lecture to the Ditchley Foundation – a charity focused on British-American relations – Mr Burns said dissatisfaction with the war was creating a rare opportunity to recruit spies, which the CIA was capitalising on.
US president-elect Donald Trump has suggested Israel and Hamas could agree a Gaza ceasefire by the end of the week.
Talks between Israeli and Hamas representatives resumed in the Qatari capital Doha yesterday, after US President Joe Biden indicated a deal to stop the fighting was “on the brink” on Monday.
A draft agreement has been sent to both sides. It includes provisions for the release of hostages and a phased Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza.
Qatar says Israel and Hamas are at their “closest point” yet to a ceasefire deal.
Two Hamas officials said the group has accepted the draft agreement, with Israel still considering the deal.
An Israeli official said a deal is close but “we are not there” yet.
More than 46,500 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its ground offensive in the aftermath of the 7 October attacks, according to the territory’s Hamas-run health ministry.
Read more:
What’s in the proposed deal?
Palestinians inspect the site of an Israeli strike on beachfront cafe in Deir al Balah. Pic: Reuters
Biden hails possibility of agreement
President Biden said it would include a hostage release deal and a “surge” of aid to Palestinians, in his final foreign policy speech as president.
“So many innocent people have been killed, so many communities have been destroyed. Palestinian people deserve peace,” he said.
“The deal would free the hostages, halt the fighting, provide security to Israel, and allow us to significantly surge humanitarian assistance to the Palestinians who suffered terribly in this war that Hamas started.”
Qatari mediators have sent Israel and Hamas a draft proposal for an agreement to halt the fighting.
Analysis:
Deal might be close, but there are many unanswered questions
Pic: Reuters
Trump: ‘We’re very close’
President-elect Donald Trump has also discussed a possible peace deal during a phone interview with the Newsmax channel.
“We’re very close to getting it done and they have to get it done,” he said.
“If they don’t get it done, there’s going to be a lot of trouble out there, a lot of trouble, like they have never seen before.
“And they will get it done. And I understand there’s been a handshake and they’re getting it finished and maybe by the end of the week. But it has to take place, it has to take place.”
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Donald Trump’s inauguration 2.0
Pic: AP
Israeli official: Former Hamas leader held up deal
Speaking on Tuesday as negotiations resumed in Qatar, an anonymous Israeli official said that an agreement was “close, but we are not there”.
They accused Hamas of previously “dictating, not negotiating” but said this has changed in the last few weeks.
“Yahya Sinwar was the main obstacle for a deal,” they added.
Sinwar, believed to be the mastermind of the 7 October attacks, led Hamas following the assassination of his predecessor but was himself killed in October last year.
Under Sinwar, the Israeli official claimed, Hamas was “not in a rush” to bring a hostage deal but this has changed since his death and since the IDF “started to dismantle the Shia axis”.
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Biden: ‘Never, never, never, ever give up’
Iran ‘weaker than it’s been in decades’
Yesterday, President Biden also hailed Washington’s support for Israel during two Iranian attacks in 2024.
“All told, Iran is weaker than it’s been in decades,” the president said.
Mr Biden claimed America’s adversaries were weaker than when he took office four years ago and that the US was “winning the worldwide competition”.
“Compared to four years ago, America is stronger, our alliances are stronger, our adversaries and competitors are
weaker,” he said.
“We have not gone to war to make these things happen.”
The US president is expected to give a farewell address on Wednesday.
A draft ceasefire deal on the table between Israel and Hamas would see 33 hostages set free and a phased withdrawal of IDF forces from parts of Gaza.
President Joe Biden said an agreement to stop the fighting was “on the brink” and high level negotiations between the two sides resumed in Qatar on Tuesday.
The deal would see a number of things happen in a first stage, with negotiations for the second stage beginning in the third week of the ceasefire.
It would also allow a surge in humanitarian aid into Gaza, which has been devastated by more than a year of war.
Details of what the draft proposal entails have been emerging on Tuesday, reported by Israeli and Palestinian officials.
Relatives and supporters of Israeli hostages hold photos of their loved ones during a protest on 8 January. Pic: AP
Hostages to be returned
In the first stage of the potential ceasefire, 33 hostages would be set free.
These include women (including female soldiers), children, men over the age of 50, wounded and sick.
Israel believes most of these hostages are alive but there has not been any official confirmation from Hamas.
In return for the release of the hostages, Israel would free more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners and detainees.
People serving long sentences for deadly attacks would be included in this but Hamas fighters who took part in the 7 October attack would not be released.
An arrangement to prevent Palestinian “terrorists” from going back to the West Bank would be included in the deal, an anonymous Israeli official said.
Read more:
A timeline of events since the 7 October attacks
The hostages who still haven’t returned home
Smoke billows as buildings lie in ruin in Beit Hanoun in Gaza. Pic: Reuters
Phased Israeli withdrawal from Gaza
The agreement also includes a phased withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza, with IDF troops remaining in the border perimeter to defend Israeli border towns and villages.
Security arrangements would be implemented at the Philadelphi corridor – a narrow strip of land that runs along the border between Egypt and Gaza – with Israel withdrawing from parts of it after the first few days of the deal.
The Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza would start to work gradually to allow the crossing of people who are sick and other humanitarian cases out of Gaza for treatment.
Unarmed North Gaza residents would be allowed to return to their homes, with a mechanism introduced to ensure no weapons are moved there.
“We will not leave the Gaza Strip until all our hostages are back home,” the Israeli official said.
What will happen to Gaza in the future?
There is less detail about the future of Gaza – from how it will be governed, to any guarantees that this agreement will bring a permanent end to the war.
“The only thing that can answer for now is that we are ready for a ceasefire,” the Israeli official said.
“This is a long ceasefire and the deal that is being discussed right now is for a long one. There is a big price for releasing the hostages and we are ready to pay this price.”
The international community has said Gaza must be run by Palestinians, but there has not been a consensus about how this should be done – and the draft ceasefire agreement does not seem to address this either.
In the past, Israel has said it will not end the war leaving Hamas in power. It also previously rejected the possibility of the Palestinian Authority, which exercises limited governing powers in the West Bank, from taking over the administration of Gaza.
Since the beginning of its military campaign in Gaza, Israel has also said it would retain security control over the territory after the fighting ends.
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