Halloween craze in Russia. Yevgeny Prigozhin mask tops the charts
Surprisingly, the costume that's taken Halloween in Russia by storm this year is a mask depicting Yevgeny Prigozhin. An enterprising individual saw an opportunity to profit from the former "Putin's chef" and oligarch's demise, leveraging the respect he garnered as the creator of the famed Wagner Group in the country.
7:27 AM EDT, November 1, 2023
Yevgeny Prigozhin may have been dead for several weeks, but he's the unexpected star of Halloween in Russia. This humorous twist is no joke; there is a mask available for purchase online, accurately portraying the face of the former personal chef of Putin.
Uncertainty lingers over the reaction of the Russian authorities and Moscow's elite circles to this costume. They might even find it amusing, including Vladimir Putin, who took Prigozhin's rebellion very seriously. The late oligarch's posthumous fame may in part be due to the speculated role Putin played in his death.
Transforming Yevgeny Prigozhin's visage into a Halloween spectacle? In Russia, someone has tapped into the former oligarch's fame, leveraging his roles as "Vladimir Putin's chef" and the Wagner Group founder. People's enduring respect for this man who dared to challenge the Kremlin's elites has become a source of potential profit.
For those interested, a mask representing Yevgeny Prigozhin's face is purchasable online. Depicting his facial features rather accurately, it comes with a hefty price tag, costing 7800 rubles, or around 98 dollars.
Perhaps it's best to be cautious so as to not provoke the Russian authorities. For them, the late oligarch brings back an unsavory chapter.
The rebellion and demise of Yevgeny Prigozhin in Russia
Yevgeny Prigozhin remained a steadfast supporter of Vladimir Putin for many years. He had secured contracts to supply the Russian military, managed online troll farms, and directed the mercenaries known as the Wagner Group. His loyalty, however, came into question due to the Ukrainian conflict and his dispute with the army's senior leadership.
Heavily criticizing the army for their ineptitude in the battlefield, Prigozhin's biggest rivals eventually became the generals Sergei Shoigu and Valery Gerasimov. In May 2023, he pulled his mercenaries off the front lines and on June 23, openly defied the government and moved towards Moscow. It appeared as though a civil war would erupt in Russia.
But the march of the Wagner-affiliated men was halted, and Putin vowed to avenge his onetime ally. Reportedly, it was on Putin's order that an attempted assassination on Prigozhin occurred while traveling in a plane with the Wagner Group leaders. The Embraer Legacy 600 they were onboard was shot down in Kuzenkin on August 23, resulting in the death of everyone onboard.
