Prigozhin’s media structures can continue to work after the rebellion

Structures of the media group “Patriot” of PMC “Wagner” founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, which announced their closure after the PMC rebellion, may resume their work, and some of them have not stopped their activities. The Financial Times writes about this on Saturday with reference to sources.

The head of the “Anti-Global Movement of Russia” Alexander Ionov, the initiator of many denunciations of the Russian mass media, noted in a conversation with the publication that Prigozhin’s media holding has suspended its work, but has not closed. According to Ionov, who is under US sanctions for cooperation with Russian special services and projects of the PMC founder, the media group has a very large audience and may be interesting to potential buyers.

In turn, Alexander Krasnobaev, editor-in-chief of the Nevsky Novosti publication, which is part of Prigozhin’s holding, noted that the publication has suspended work and plans to resume it. According to Krasnobaev, the announcement about the closure of media structures was made ostensibly to maintain intrigue, writes the Financial Times.

Voluntary groups monitoring Prigozhin’s media activities on the Internet also told journalists that the so-called troll factory did not stop its activities after the uprising. The interlocutor of the Financial Times suggests that if the founder of PMC “Wagner” loses control over the troll factory, it will quickly be transferred to another structure close to the Kremlin.

According to a high-ranking Financial Times source in the St. Petersburg government, Prigozhin created a media holding for himself, pouring “Kremlin money” into the projects. The official added that the holding is “toxic”, so it is not clear who can buy it.

• The rebellion of PMC “Wagner” began on June 23. The next day it stopped. By agreement with the Russian authorities and Alexander Lukashenko, the mercenaries were allowed to go to Belarusian territory. On June 30, it became known that Prigozhin decided to dissolve the Patriot media group.
• Sources of The Bell said that the media holding was looking for a new owner. The interlocutors of the publication called Yuriy Kovalchuk’s “National Media Group” the most likely buyer, who is considered to be a businessman from the closest circle of the Russian president.

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