Russia-Africa summit: Wagner chief spotted at hotel whose basement was formerly used as private prison

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, was reportedly photographed at the Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, hosted by President Vladimir Putin. The significant spottingoccurred just a month after he supposedly agreed to go into exile following his unsuccessful insurrection against Moscow.

In the pictures, a smiling Prigozhin can be seen dressed casually in a white polo shirt and jeans, shaking hands with a senior aide to President Faustin-Archange Touadéra of the Central African Republic (CAR), whose regime is backed by Wagner fighters.

The exact date of these images is unknown, but they were recently posted on Facebook by Dmitry Sytyi, a senior Wagner figure in CAR who has been sanctioned by the UK, EU, and US due to his ties to Prigozhin.

The meeting with Freddy Mapouka, Touadéra's chief of protocol, is said to have taken place at Trezzini Palace Hotel, which is owned by Prigozhin himself. These pictures are believed to be the first recorded sightings of Prigozhin in Russia since he abandoned his mutiny.

Vladimir Osechkin, a Russian human rights activist, disclosed to The Timesthat Prigozhin's security detail had used the hotel's basement as a private prison in the past.

Another photograph shows Prigozhin with Justin Tagouh, from Afrique Media, a Russian-backed media group.

Prigozhin spotted: What does it mean?

Prigozhin's presence at the summit highlights the Kremlin's reluctanceto remove him from his leadership position in Wagner.

His appearance might offer reassurance to some of Moscow's African allies, who have grown dependent on Wagner's military and disinformation services.

Furthermore, there are indications of possible meetings between Prigozhin and officials from Niger, where an ongoing military coup poses a threat to one of the last Western allies in the Sahel region, a Wagner-linked Telegram channel's dispatches seen by WION showed.

Russia-Africa summit

Russian President Vladimir Putin on July 27 opened the second Russia-Africa summit — the first took place in 2019 — with a promise of tens of thousands of tonnes of free grain for six countries on the continent within months.

The promise comes as Moscow’s recent withdrawal from the Ukraine grain export deal triggered fears of shortages and skyrocketing prices. Instead, Putin may use the summit to push a plan to supply grain directly to Africa and cut Ukraine out of the global market.

Reacting to the free grain announcement, António Guterres, the UN secretary general, said a "handful of donations to some countries" would not correct the dramatic impact the end of the deal would have.

Also watch |Wagner’s Prigozhin seen in public for first time since failed mutiny

Putin told African leaders that sanctions imposed by the West had prevented him from doing more and that the grain deal had benefited "well-fed European markets".

"A paradoxical picture is emerging. On the one hand, western countries are obstructing supplies of our grain and fertilisers [via sanctions], while on the other they hypocritically blame us for the current crisis situation on the world food market," he told the gathering, which responded with applause.

Putin also said that he was impatient to see the African Union bloc become a full member of the G20 Club of nations.

He said: "As before, Russia is ready to do everything possible to promote the strengthening of the sovereignty of African states to help make Africa one of the key partners in the new system of a multi-polar world order."

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