Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's posh house and offices were raided by Russian security forces on Wednesday. According to The Independent, the FSB (Federal Security Service) said that it found guns, ammunition, a collection of bars of gold, a wardrobe full of wigs, a giant sledgehammer and a stuffed alligator at the lavish mansion the mercenary leader was forced to abandon after a failed coup on Russian leadership last month.
The images and videos were first published by the pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia. As per the outlet, the photographs allegedly also showed the severed heads of the Wagner leader's enemies. Sharing the images on Twitter, Ukraine official Anton Gerashchenko wrote, "Several more photos from the search of Prigozhin's home in St Petersburg. A uniform with his awards, wig collection, a sledgehammer (with the writing "in case of important negotiations") and a photo with cut off heads".
Take a look below:
A lengthy indoor swimming pool complete with a bathing area can also be seen in the images. Elsewhere, the contents of a wardrobe show an array of wigs with colours ranging from grey to brown, with photos purportedly showing the Wagner chief wearing them as a disguise leaked to state-backed Russian Telegram channels.
According to the Independent, the pictures were apparently taken during trips to various African and Middle Eastern countries where the Wagner group have had a presence in recent years.
Separately, citing Russia's state-run channel Rossiya-1 TV, the outlet reported that the FSB found cash worth 600 million roubles in the Wagner chief's properties. They also discovered multiple passports under different names.
Notably, the details of the raid come days after Mr Prigozhin was supposedly exiled to Belarus as part of a deal brokered by the country's leader, Alexander Lukashenko, to avert his rebellion and march on Moscow last month. The Wagner chief hasn't been officially sighted since he departed by car from Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia, and Mr Lukashenko said on June 27 that Mr Prigozhin had arrived in his country.
However, the Belarusian leader announced on Thursday that the Wagner chief is still in Russia and "may" be in St Petersburg or Moscow - while his troops remain in their camps.
