Wigs, guns and gold bars found by Russian security services in raid of Wagner boss Prigozhin’s St Petersburg palace

Published

2 years ago

July 6, 2023

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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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.”

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.

World

Why Putin won’t agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

Published

8 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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Why Putin won't agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

The Americans were given the full VIP treatment on their visit to Moscow.

There was a motorcade from the airport, lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and even a stroll around Red Square.

It felt like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on more of a tourist trail than the path to peace.

They finally got down to business in the Kremlin more than six hours after arriving in Russia. And by that point, it was already clear that the one thing they had come to Moscow for wasn’t on offer: Russia’s agreement to their latest peace plan.

According to Vladimir Putin, it’s all Europe’s fault. While his guests were having lunch, he was busy accusing Ukraine’s allies of blocking the peace process by imposing demands that are unacceptable to Russia.

The Europeans, of course, would say it’s the other way round.

But where there was hostility to Europe, only hospitality to the Americans – part of Russia’s strategy to distance the US from its NATO allies, and bring them back to Moscow’s side.

Putin thinks he’s winning…

Russia wants to return to the 28-point plan that caved in to its demands. And it believes it has the right to because of what’s happening on the battlefield.

It’s no coincidence that on the eve of the US delegation’s visit to Moscow, Russia announced the apparent capture of Pokrovsk, a key strategic target in the Donetsk region.

It was a message designed to assert Russian dominance, and by extension, reinforce its demands rather than dilute them.

…and believes US-Russian interests are aligned

The other reason I think Vladimir Putin doesn’t feel the need to compromise is because he believes Moscow and Washington want the same thing: closer US-Russia relations, which can only come after the war is over.

It’s easy to see why. Time and again in this process, the US has defaulted to a position that favours Moscow. The way these negotiations are being conducted is merely the latest example.

With Kyiv, the Americans force the Ukrainians to come to them – first in Geneva, then Florida.

As for Moscow, it’s the other way around. Witkoff is happy to make the long overnight journey, and then endure the long wait ahead of any audience with Putin.

It all gives the impression that when it comes to Russia, the US prefers to placate rather than pressure.

According to the Kremlin, both Russia and the US have agreed not to disclose the details of yesterday’s talks in Moscow.

I doubt Volodymyr Zelenskyy is filled with hope.

World

FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

Published

11 hours ago

December 3, 2025

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FIFA backs away from dynamic pricing for all World Cup 2026 tickets

FIFA has backed away from using dynamic pricing for all 2026 World Cup tickets amid concerns about the cost of attending the tournament in North America.

The organisers insisted they always planned to ring-fence tickets at set prices to follow your own team.

But the announcement comes just days ahead of Friday’s tournament draw in Washington DC, which Donald Trump plans to attend.

Fans will have to wait until Saturday to know exactly where and when their teams will be playing in next summer’s tournament.

Variable pricing – fluctuating based on demand – has never been used at a World Cup before, raising concerns about affordability.

England and Scotland fans have been sharing images in recent days of ticket website images highlighting cost worries.

But world football’s governing body said in a statement to Sky News: “FIFA can confirm ringfenced allocations are being set aside for specific fan categories, as has been the case at previous FIFA World Cups. These allocations will be set at a fixed price for the duration of the next ticket sales phase.

“The ringfenced allocations include tickets reserved for supporters of the Participating Member Associations (PMAs), who will be allocated 8% of the tickets for each match in which they take part, including all conditional knockout stage matches.”

FIFA says the cheapest tickets are from $60 (£45) in the group stage. But the most expensive tickets for the final are $6,730 (£5,094).

There will also be a sales window after the draw from 11 December to 13 January when ticket applications will be based on a fixed price for those buying in the random selection draw.

It is the biggest World Cup with 104 matches after the event was expanded from 32 to 48 teams. There are also three host nations for the first time – with Canada and Mexico the junior partners.

FIFA defended using fluctuating pricing.

“The pricing model adopted for FIFA World Cup 26 reflects the existing market practice for major entertainment and sporting events within our hosts on a daily basis, soccer included,” FIFA’s statement continued.

“This is also a reflection of the treatment of the secondary market for tickets, which has a distinct legal treatment than in many other parts of the world. We are focused on ensuring fair access to our game for existing but also prospective fans.”

The statement addressed the concerns being raised about fans being priced out of attending.

FIFA said: “Stadium category maps do not reflect the number of tickets available in a given category but rather present default seating locations.

“FIFA resale fees are aligned with North American industry trends across various sports and entertainment sectors.”

Ireland, Northern Ireland and Wales could also still qualify.

World

Why Putin won’t agree to latest Ukraine peace plan

Published

11 hours ago

December 3, 2025

admin

The Americans were given the full VIP treatment on their visit to Moscow.

There was a motorcade from the airport, lunch at a Michelin-starred restaurant, and even a stroll around Red Square.

It felt like Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were on more of a tourist trail than the path to peace.

The Europeans, of course, would say it’s the other way round.

But where there was hostility to Europe, only hospitality to the Americans – part of Russia’s strategy to distance the US from its NATO allies, and bring them back to Moscow’s side.

Putin thinks he’s winning…

Russia wants to return to the 28-point plan that caved in to its demands. And it believes it has the right to because of what’s happening on the battlefield.

It’s no coincidence that on the eve of the US delegation’s visit to Moscow, Russia announced the apparent capture of Pokrovsk, a key strategic target in the Donetsk region.

It was a message designed to assert Russian dominance, and by extension, reinforce its demands rather than dilute them.

…and believes US-Russian interests are aligned

It’s easy to see why. Time and again in this process, the US has defaulted to a position that favours Moscow. The way these negotiations are being conducted is merely the latest example.

With Kyiv, the Americans force the Ukrainians to come to them – first in Geneva, then Florida.

As for Moscow, it’s the other way around. Witkoff is happy to make the long overnight journey, and then endure the long wait ahead of any audience with Putin.