Prigozhin's military-political career does not end after march on Moscow – Centre for Russian Studies expert

He expressed this opinion on Espreso TV.

The expert commented on the internal situation in Russia after Prigozhin's campaign and the future prospects for Prigozhin himself.

"Prigozhin will be removed, his media empire will be taken away. It is obvious that he has bargained for something and kept it for himself. Prigozhin's authority will decrease, and the Russian media are already actively working on this. By the way, public opinion polls in Russia show a sharp decline in Prigozhin's popularity, especially among older people who watch more television. However, there have not been and could not be any other fundamental changes in Russian domestic politics in connection with Prigozhin's march. Likewise, Prigozhin's military and political career certainly does not end there," said Oleksandr Samarsky.

Prigozhin's mutiny in Russia

For several months, there has been a conflict between Yevgeny Prigozhin, the financier of Wagner PMC, and the Russian Ministry of Defense. However, the situation escalated quickly on the evening of June 23.

Allegedly, Russian troops launched a missile attack on the Wagner base. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner PMC, announced a "march of justice" and stated that 25,000 mercenaries were heading to Moscow after the Russian leadership refused to hand over Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and Chief of the General Staff Valery Gerasimov.

On June 24, Wagner’s fighters took control of Rostov-on-Don, where they initially gathered around the headquarters of the Southern Military District, and then entered the city of Voronezh. Their convoys, which had diverted from the Ukrainian border, were moving towards Moscow. Military aircraft and artillery under Shoigu's control attempted to stop them. The units of Wagner PMC were last spotted in the Lipetsk region. In Moscow itself, defensive positions were established, trenches were dug, and all security forces were mobilized.

However, on the evening of June 24, the press service of the self-proclaimed President of Belarus, Alexander Lukashenko, released a statement in which the head of the Wagner PMC stated that he was ready to stop the advance of his mercenaries' military convoys, which were already approaching Moscow, and to reach an agreement with the Kremlin. Prigozhin allegedly agreed on this during a conversation with Lukashenko.

Subsequently, Prigozhin and all his fighters left the headquarters of Russia's Southern Military District. Russian leader Vladimir Putin promised that Prigozhin would be able to go to Belarus, and Russia would close the criminal case against him.

On 30 June, Roskomnadzor blocked access to the websites of the Patriot media holding of PMC leader Wagner Yevgeny Prigozhin. The media outlets belonging to the holding announced the closure.