A month before the Wagner PMC mutiny, Evgenia Prigozhin bought satellite images of Russian territories from the border with Ukraine to Moscow, AFP reports.
According to the agency, in November 2022, the Nika-Frut company , which is associated with Prigozhin, through Beijing Yunze Technology Co Ltd, bought two satellites belonging to the Chinese space giant Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGST).
According to the document reviewed by AFP, the contract was concluded on November 15, 2022 — the purchase amount was 235 million yuan (more than $30 million). The agency managed to verify the signature of Nika-Frut CEO Ivan Mechetin.
A source in European security services said that, according to the contract, Nika-Frut acquired the JL-1 GF03D 12 and JL-1 GF03D 13 satellites , which are in orbit at an altitude of 535 kilometers above the Earth. In addition, according to the agreements, the company received the right to apply for images from other satellites owned by CGST.
At the end of May 2023 — a month before the mutiny — Wagner PMC ordered photographs of Russian territory on the way from the border with Ukraine to Moscow. In particular, among the objects removed were the headquarters of the Southern Military District in Rostov-on-Don, captured by mercenaries during the mutiny, as well as cities on the way to Moscow and the capital of Chechnya, Grozny.
Nika-Frut itself is associated with the Concord company owned by Prigozhin. Nika-Frut was engaged in the wholesale trade of food products, including sending several deliveries to the Central African Republic to Lobaye Invest, a company under EU sanctions.
Prigozhin’s rebellion began on June 23, when the head of the Wagner PMC accused the Russian Ministry of Defense of a missile attack on the “rear camps” of mercenaries and announced a “march of justice” to Moscow. It lasted about a day. During this time, Wagner PMC mercenaries captured military facilities in Rostov-on-Don and almost reached the capital, stopping 200 kilometers from Moscow. On the way of their columns, highways were hastily dug up, security forces were alerted, entrances to cities were blocked, and a regime of WHO.
On the evening of June 24, it became known that the Kremlin, through the mediation of Alexander Lukashenko, agreed with Prigozhin to end the rebellion. After this, the fighters of the Wagner PMC left the captured positions.
On August 23, Prigozhin’s plane crashed in the Tver region. There were ten people on the flight — the founder of the Wagner PMC and his associates, including Dmitry «Wagner» Utkin, as well as three crew members — all of them died. In connection with the incident, the Investigative Committee opened an article on violation of safety rules (263 of the Criminal Code).