Wagner warlord Prigozhin has vanished days after mutiny as Kremlin cracks down on business empire

Wagner warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin’s business empire came under fresh assault yesterday as his media companies suddenly folded amid questions over his whereabouts.

The mercenary chief has not been seen since shortly after the collapse of a mutiny by his Wagner Group fighters that rocked Vladimir Putin’s regime eight days ago.

Normally prolific on social media, Prigozhin was last heard from on Telegram a week ago, despite a rumoured sighting in Moscow.

Under the deal that halted his rebellion, the former ally and one-time chef to Putin was to be allowed to go into exile in Belarus.

His men, who have fought some of the bloodiest battles of the 16-month war in Ukraine, were given the choice of joining him, being integrated into Russia’s armed forces or returning home. Now the closure of his network of companies has added to growing scepticism over whether Prigozhin will really be allowed to leave Russia.

Patriot Media, whose most prominent outlet was the RIA FAN news site, had taken a strongly nationalist, pro-Kremlin editorial line, while also providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner forces. 

‘I am announcing our decision to close down and to leave the country’s information space,’ RIA FAN director Yevgeny Zubarev said in a video clip posted late on Saturday. Mr Zubarev gave no reason for the decision.

Russian newspaper Kommersant reported that the country’s communications watchdog, Roskomnadzor, had blocked media outlets linked to Prigozhin, without elaborating on the reasons why.

Under the deal that halted his rebellion, the former ally and one-time chef to Vladimir Putin (pictured) was to be allowed to go into exile in Belarus

Russian media have also reported that a ‘troll factory’ used by Prigozhin to influence public opinion in foreign countries – including the United States – had been disbanded.

In his video post, Mr Zubarev praised Patriot Media’s record, saying it had defended both Prigozhin and Putin from attacks by representatives of the anti-Kremlin opposition ‘who genuinely tried to destroy our country’, including jailed critic Alexei Navalny.

Despite the abortive mutiny, Russian authorities have not officially outlawed the Wagner Group, but Putin said last week that the finances of former hotdog seller Prigozhin’s catering firm would be investigated. The president said Wagner and its founder had received almost $2billion (£1.5billion) from Russia in the past year, despite having denied any state links to the firm for years.

Wagner’s ranks have included thousands of convicts recruited from Russian jails.

Founded in 2014, the group has grown into a sprawling international business with mining interests and fighters in Africa and the Middle East.