Putin’s police raid Prigozhin’s mansion, find a closet full of wigs plus gold bars, an alligator, guns
Vladimir Putin has humiliated Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin after his failed uprising in Russia by sending security services to raid his St Petersburg palace.
During the search, police found a closet full of wigs, stashes of gold bars, a gun cache, a stuffed alligator and a framed photo which is purported to be of the severed heads of the exiled private military leader’s enemies.
Pro-Kremlin newspaper Izvestia yesterday published photos and video of armed officers searching Prigozhin’s mansion while he was exiled in Belarus on June 24.
It comes after the warlord launched what appeared to be an armed insurrection against Putin less than two weeks ago – which was soon halted after Minsk helped broker a deal to end the conflict.
Huge caches of weapons, including assault rifles and cartridges for them were found by security services inside the Wagner founder’s home.
Images of the raid also include a large closet containing many different wigs of varying styles and colours, from grey to mousy brown.
A giant sledgehammer with the inscription ‘For use in important negotiations’ was photographed on display in a reception room of the mansion near a snooker table.
A vast number of boxes containing Russian bank notes worth around £86million (10billion Rubles) were also seized in raids on Prigozhin’s estate, which included his office building.
Russian media reports that the money and equipment has since been returned to the office and the Wagner Centre.
Among the private military leader’s valuable possessions photographed in his luxurious palace home was a Russian military uniform decorated with around two dozen medals.
Also on display in his lavish home was what appears to be a stuffed alligator displayed on a dresser table.
Several passports were also found and photographed inside Prigozhin’s home.
Video shows officers armed with assault rifles searching through his home and offices.
Photos also revealed the vast luxury Prigozhin lived in, revealing his private swimming pool, helipad, sauna, gym and a medical office.
The house also appears to have its own private prayer room, full of religious imagery.
In his first comments since his exile, the Wagner chief earlier this week vowed his fighters will soon have ‘new victories’ as images emerged of mercenaries’ new camp in Belarus.
