Putin conducted a secret burial of Prigozhin and intends to erase him from the history books

The Kremlin’s concern over the Wagnerians leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is evident in his secret funeral, signaling the beginning of a campaign to erase his memory as a valuable warlord for Putin.

Police guarded all entrances to the Serafimovsky Cemetery in St. Petersburg until official confirmation that Yevgeny Prigozhin was buried in a different location. Surveillance drones were used to monitor the cemetery and its surroundings. In addition, the North, Kovalevsky, and Beloostrovskaya cemeteries in Petersburg were also heavily guarded by the Rosgvardiya, OMON, and police units. The burial site for the other Wagnerians who perished in the plane crash on August 23 in the Tver region was prepared for their interment. However, the governor of St. Petersburg, Alexei Beglov, was absent from the ceremony amidst reports of a personal conflict with Prigozhin. No official representatives from the Kremlin were in attendance. The coffins were first displayed on catafalques in one of the cemeteries before being transported away in hearses.

There were attempts to preserve things hidden and create uncertainty. It wasn’t until later in the day that news came out about Prigozhin’s funeral, which had taken place in secret at 1 p.m. local time. Social media accounts linked to the Wagner Group claim it happened at Porokhovskoye cemetery. Police and journalists did not previously guard or monitor this location. Flowers appeared at the offices of the Wagner Group. A portrait of Prigozhin with flowers was also placed in a cafe in St. Petersburg. In this cafe, Vladen Tatarsky, a journalist and radical propagandist closely associated with the Wagnerians, was killed by a bomb explosion not long ago. The authorities took measures to keep the funeral of the Wagnerian leader as low-profile as possible and minimize its significance in the media. This event was classified as anything else related to Prigozhin from now on.

The legacy of a dangerous legend

The Russian authorities had a notable issue regarding the funeral arrangements for Prigozhin and his companions. Officials and the media were hesitant to disclose where and how he would be laid to rest. A Kremlin propagandist named Sergei Markov, a political scientist in the Russian press, suggested that it would be best to bury Prigozhin in Bakhmut. Some individuals believed that Prigozhin, considered a hero in Russia, should receive a military funeral with the participation of the Ministry of Defence representatives and an honor guard. However, if Prigozhin could express his opinion, neither the Wagnerians nor he would want Sergei Shoigu, along with other officials and generals, to attend the funeral. It is because Shoigu is seen as responsible for their leader’s death. Additionally, Viktor Sobolev, a Duma’s Defense Committee member, has questioned whether Prigozhin still holds the title of hero of Russia after the failed mutiny in June.

–” The place and time of the funeral will be determined after a decision will be made by the members of the families of the deceased,” stated Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov prior to the burial ceremony.

It was understood that Putin would not attend the funeral. Peskov delegated the organizational tasks to the family members, including the mother, widow, two daughters, and son of Prigozhin. However, when Peskov mentioned the family, particularly when Putin offered his condolences, it is possible they were referring not only to Prigozhin’s relatives but also to an extended family – the Wagner Group. The authorities fear the fiercely loyal and experienced individuals with fanatic devotion. They have a plan for Prigozhin’s Big Family, which involves dividing into smaller military formations. Some will join the Russian army, while others will depart to Africa. The rest may form smaller mercenary groups under state service control.

Currently, the Kremlin holds all the cards due to the mercenary company’s primary goal of making money rather than promoting any particular ideas. The one who pays for services by the end of the day controls them. The authorities will also deal with those heavily influenced by the cult and legacy of Prigozhin, seeking revenge for his death. The memory of the Wagner Group leader, a legend who dared to challenge Putin, is still a potentially dangerous topic among the Russians. Prigozhin voiced his criticisms loudly and even led a short-term mutiny. Putin cannot risk having memories of him remain in the country as a living legend, as this would test the loyalty of the average citizens and Russian elites before next year’s presidential election.

Removed from history books with a long-range eraser

Putin is considering carrying out a political strategy used in Russia’s history, which involves eliminating any records or remarks of pinpointed individuals or events. This tactic was famously used during Stalin’s regime when unwanted figures were also removed from photographs. The former head of the NKVD, Nikolai Yezhov, was edited out of a photo with Stalin. The Soviet authorities also employed this strategy by removing traces of specified information from encyclopedias after a change of power or loss of influence by a particular group of coterie within the Kremlin. The previous leaders of Soviet Russia, Nikita Khrushchev, and Boris Yeltsin, were disavowed and erased from pages of history by their successors, Leonid Brezhnev and Vladimir Putin, respectively. Putin carried out this operation more subtly in a white-collar style. He describes Yeltsin’s rule as a period of great gloom. However, it will be more challenging to erase the cult of a Prigozhin, the legend, within military circles, as it was built by the administration and authorities in a relatively new timeframe.

It is worth noting that the authorities were okay with enlisting the Wagner’s Group members from prisons and assisted with their promotion. Eventually, they held ceremonial funerals for the Wagnerians all over Russia. However, the Kremlin has a strong propaganda team and PR experts skilled in psychological operations. They have already begun their work. Their initial objective was to prevent the burial sites from turning into an anti-Kremlin protest. Therefore, they implemented heightened security measures and separated the Wagnerians’ funerals from the Embraer crash by holding them in different cemeteries in St. Petersburg. The following crucial task was to minimize the size of the funeral to a small gathering for the family. A prominent figure like the Wagnerian leader would have been given a grand burial with Putin in attendance a year ago. However, the current situation called for a more low-key approach. The next stage will be to downplay Prigozhin’s role in the conflict with Ukraine. Putin has already taken steps in this direction by offering condolences and highlighting Prigozhin’s business insight instead of his military leadership abilities. Despite never serving in the army, Prigozhin aspired to be a commander and formed his private army to fulfill this dream.

From a political standpoint, Putin cannot permit any myth about Prigozhin and the Wagner Group to grow. There have been reports, including photos circulating online of the cemetery in Nikolaevka in the Samara region, where graves of mercenaries killed in Ukraine are being vandalized. Local administration explained that they are renovating the cemetery. Although more drastic measures may not be taken on a larger scale, it is doubtful that the Wagnerians will be granted exceptional honors in the future. Over time, most Wagner Group members will end up in units strictly controlled by the authorities. Persuasive propagandists will begin to convince the Russians that their involvement in the conquest of Bakhmut was minimal. The Russian authoritarian power structure has always feared opposition, even after the death of critics. Authorities have also played a role in eliminating state enemies. This fear is exemplified by the removal of flowers laid in honor of Boris Nemtsov, who was murdered in 2015, from a bridge opposite the Kremlin. Moreover, following Nikita Khrushchev’s death in 1971, Brezhnev’s associates kept the news concealed until moments before the funeral, and the ceremony itself was held private, much like the recent burial of Prigozhin.

Michał Kacewicz/belsat.eu

Translated by PEV