[Regnum] Evgeny Prigozhin was a person who created his own business empire and enjoyed all the benefits that the state could give, and as a result used it to his advantage and began to violate the laws, Deputy Chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy Konstantin Dolgov told IA Regnum, commenting on the results a search in the office of PMC "Wagner" and Prigozhin's mansion.
“A person must have one passport in his name, and if he has a passport with his photo, but in the name of another person, then this is a forgery of documents, which is punishable by law, this is a criminal offense,” he stressed .
Dolgov paid special attention to the fact that during searches in a luxurious mansion (with a helipad and a private helicopter in the yard), large amounts of cash were found , including foreign currency, gold and weapons. But documents with different names were also found .
There was also a powder, which could be a drug.
The senator drew attention to the fact that Prigozhin, who publicly condemned the oligarchy and criticized the inhabitants of the cottages on Rublevsky Highway, turned out to be a secret oligarch himself, who violated the law.
“And now I’m not talking about the criminal case against the members of the PMC, which was terminated,” the source clarifies.
According to Dolgov, published testimonies about the life of the head of Wagner PMC indicate the hypocrisy of a public figure who diligently created for himself the image of the moral leader of the nation.
One more detail is striking, Dolgov noted.
“In Prigozhin’s house, judging by the photographs, there is also a chapel with many icons, but there is also a souvenir sledgehammer “In case of important negotiations”, which, in principle, looks like a symbol,” the source said . - If you position yourself as a church person, then it is very important to take a Christian position. But this person does not really have clear moral principles and guidelines.
In addition, according to the publication "Fontanka", during the search, a photograph with the image of severed heads was found.
Neither the aforementioned sledgehammer, nor even more so the photograph in a frame depicting severed heads (if it was actually found during a search) correspond to neither traditional morality, nor the understanding of the right to violence, which is well-established in modern society, as well as the forms of its application, the senator emphasized.
If it turns out that the owner of the photo himself is related to the infliction of acts of violence, the results of which are captured in the image, then there will be an additional subject for study by criminal law and, it is possible, forensic psychiatry.
“In any case, these searches are a certain edification to other businessmen, including large ones,” Dolgov believes.
The interlocutor of IA Regnum pointed out that there are all legal possibilities for the proceedings in this case, there is a continuous improvement of legislation, including criminal law. And it is only necessary to enforce the laws.
However, according to Dolgov, there is a certain line that separates formal compliance with the law from conscious compliance, which requires a high degree of maturity not only of the state, but also of business, especially large ones. And in the situation that arose around Prigozhin's personality, the senator saw a kind of edification for those who have great opportunities.
“There must be a responsible civic position, desire and readiness to constantly work in the interests of your country, your people,” the senator noted.
He added that it is important to support as much as possible, including representatives of law enforcement agencies, and separately noted those who adequately performed their duty on June 24.
“It is very important that the country knows its heroes.” And “anti-heroes,” the interlocutor of IA Regnum clarified.
Footage of the searches at Prigozhin's mansion and at the Wagner PMC office appeared on July 5. It was reported about the discovery of weapons and cartridges for them, several passports, wigs, gold bars, as well as money in various currencies.
Earlier, at the time of the armed rebellion of the "Wagnerites" on June 24, law enforcement officers searched the Trezzini Hotel, which is located near Prigozhin's office in St. Petersburg. Police officers found a car in the backyard, where, according to law enforcement officials, there was a total of about 4 billion rubles . Later it became known that 10 billion rubles seized during the searches were returned to Prigozhin.
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Lukashenko: Prigozhin is not in Belarus
The founder of Wagner PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, is not in Belarus, but in Russia - in St. Petersburg. This was stated by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko on July 6 at a meeting with representatives of foreign and Belarusian media.
“As for Yevgeny Prigozhin, he is in St. Petersburg. Maybe he left for Moscow, but he is not on the territory of Belarus,” Lukashenka said.
According to the Belarusian leader, PMC fighters are in their permanent camps, where they were sent to recover after being withdrawn from the front. They were taken to their camp after the fighting in Artyomovsk, he added.
The movement of the "Wagnerites" to Belarus depends on the decision of the leadership of the PMC and the Russian authorities. If they consider that a certain number of fighters need to rest or undergo training on Belarusian territory, Minsk will honor its decision and allow them to do so, Lukashenka said.
As IA Regnum reported, on June 24, PMC Wagner, founded by businessman Yevgeny Prigozhin, tried to stage an armed rebellion in Russia. PMC fighters on heavy equipment arrived in Rostov-on-Don, and then some of them headed towards Moscow in a column.
President of Belarus Lukashenko, in agreement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, held talks with Prigozhin. The parties agreed that the armed fighters would stop moving across the territory of the Russian Federation, and further steps would be taken to de-escalate the tension. The PMC column stopped the movement, the fighters left Rostov-on-Don.
The Wagnerites were offered to conclude a contract with the Ministry of Defense, return to their families or go to Belarus. On June 27, Lukashenka confirmed that Prigozhin had arrived on Belarusian territory, he was provided with security guarantees.
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What conclusions arise from the results of searches at Prigozhin's
by Oleg Krivoshapov
Footage of a security forces raid on a mansion in the Northern Versailles cottage village near St. Petersburg appeared in the media . The house is reportedly owned by Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. A search was also carried out in the office of a private military company.
Law enforcement officers carefully studied the businessman's personal household, which, as it turned out, includes, in addition to the pool, sauna and gym, a separate medical office and a special prayer room. In the courtyard of the mansion, even a helicopter was found on a specialized site.
They found military weapons and cartridges for them, several fake passports, wigs of different colors, false beards and mustaches, as well as cash in various currencies (at least 500,000 dollars, not counting separately packaged euros), gold bars and much more.
Searches of Prigozhin's property were a direct consequence of the events of June 23–24 . On the evening of June 23, on social networks, on behalf of the head of the Wagner PMC, reports began to circulate about an alleged strike by the Russian Armed Forces on the camps of the company's employees, which were refuted by the Ministry of Defense.
On June 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin appealed to citizens, law enforcement officers and the military in connection with an attempted armed rebellion organized by the leadership of PMCs. As a result of negotiations between the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko and the head of the PMC, Yevgeny Prigozhin, an agreement was reached on actions aimed at de-escalating tensions.
“Events took place on June 23 and 24 when, due to the ambitious, and in fact treacherous actions of the Wagner PMC leadership, the country actually found itself on the verge of being drawn into a civil conflict,” said Secretary of the Russian Security Council Nikolai Patrushev, summing up what had happened , speaking on6 July.
In the midst of the events, on June 24, law enforcement officers searched the Trezzini Hotel, which is located near Prigozhin's office in St. Petersburg. Police officers found a car in the backyard, where, according to law enforcement officials, there was a total of about 4 billion rubles . Later it became known that 10 billion rubles seized during the searches were returned to Prigozhin.
Later, it was reported about the decision, following the results of agreements with Prigozhin, to terminate the criminal case against him on the fact of an armed rebellion. The company's employees were given a guarantee that they would also not be prosecuted for their participation in the June 24 events.
Later, President Putin said that the PMC "Wagner" was fully provided by the state, and for the period from May 2022 to May 2023, more than 86 billion rubles were allocated for its maintenance.
THE APPLICANT FOR MORAL PURITY TURNED OUT TO BE A SECRET OLIGARCH
“A person who was actually an oligarch himself (and the president announced how much Prigozhin received for the maintenance of PMC Wagner under contracts from the Ministry of Defense is tens of billions of rubles), and at the same time criticized the oligarchs, is, of course, a great surprise,” Maxim Grigoriev, a member of the Public Chamber of Russia, told IA Regnum.
Senator Konstantin Dolgov, deputy chairman of the Federation Council Committee on Economic Policy, also noted that Prigozhin, with his public criticism of the inhabitants of the palaces on the conditional Rublyovka, himself turned out to be a secret oligarch who violated the law.
According to the senator, published testimonies about the life of the head of the Wagner PMC indicate the hypocrisy of a public figure who diligently created for himself the image of the moral leader of the nation.
Prigozhin created his business empire, taking advantage of all the benefits that the state could give, and in the end he used it to his advantage and began to violate the laws, Dolgov told IA Regnum .
"And now I’m not talking about the criminal case against the PMC members, which was terminated," the interlocutor specified. "A person must have one passport in his name, and if he has a passport with his photo, but in the name of another person, then this is a forgery of documents, which is punishable by law, this is a criminal offense."
Let us explain - in the publication of Izvestia it is reported: during the search, passports were found issued in the name of Evgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, but not with his photographs, as well as documents with Prigozhin's photo, but with someone else's passport data
Among the items found by the security forces, judging by the photographs, there was also a certain powder, which could turn out to be a narcotic drug, Dolgov noted. But there is one more detail.
“In Prigozhin’s house, judging by the photographs, there is also a chapel with many icons, but there is also a souvenir sledgehammer
"In case of important negotiations," which, in principle, looks like a symbol," the source said. The sledgehammer, most likely, refers to the episode with the "execution of the ex-fighter of the Wagner PMC" - an incident that Prigozhin did not condemn.
“If you position yourself as a church person, then it is very important to take a Christian position. But this person actually does not have clear moral principles and guidelines, ” said Senator Dolgov.
FIELD OF PSYCHOLOGY AND PSYCHOANALYSIS
During the search of the mansion, among other things, according to the Fontanka publication, a photograph was found showing severed heads.
Neither the aforementioned sledgehammer, nor even the photograph in a frame depicting severed heads (if it was actually found during the search) do not correspond to traditional morality or the understanding of the right to violence, as well as the forms of its use, that is well-established in modern society, the senator emphasized.
If it turns out that the owner of the photo himself is involved in causing acts of violence, the results of which are captured in the image, this will become an additional subject for study by criminal law and, it is possible, by forensic psychiatry, Senator Dolgov notes for his part.
In any case, taking into account the specific attitude of such people to their own (as well as to someone else's) life, the main thing is to eliminate the risks for society emanating from such persons. “People who create structures such as PMC Wagner, enjoy similar preferences from the state, carry out similar work, should be attached to the FSB, FSO, who would be given the authority to isolate the relevant persons if necessary,” Maxim emphasized . Grigoriev.
“HIS EXAMPLE IS SCIENCE TO OTHERS”
“These searches are a certain edification to other businessmen, including large ones,” Dolgov emphasizes.
The senator notes that there are all legal possibilities for investigating this case, there is a continuous improvement of legislation, including criminal law. And what is needed is a clear implementation of the laws.
Effective prevention is quite possible within the framework of existing laws, Grigoriev agreed. But this prevention must take into account the exceptional conditions in which the country now finds itself. At the same time, some amendments to the legislation regarding, among other things, PMCs are not ruled out.
And the PMCs themselves, perhaps, should not work within their own country, Grigoriev admitted. “Or they should work in Russia – according to the current form, through an agreement with the Ministry of Defense and, possibly, with other law enforcement agencies, for example, with the Russian Guard, the FSB,” notes a member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
However, as Dolgov pointed out, there is also a certain line that separates the formal observance of the law from the conscious observance of the laws. The latter requires a high degree of maturity not only from the state, but also from business, especially large ones. And in the situation that arose around Prigozhin's personality, the senator saw a kind of edification for those who have great opportunities.
“There must be a responsible civic position, desire and readiness to constantly work in the interests of your country, your people,” the senator noted. Dolgov added that it is important to support as much as possible, including representatives of law enforcement agencies, and separately noted those who adequately performed their duty on June 24. “It is very important that the country knows its heroes,” the parliamentarian said. And “anti-heroes,” he added.