Russian forces’ June raid of since-exiled Wagner mercenary group boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s home turned up an extensive collection of wigs and sledgehammers reportedly used to slaughter traitors, it was revealed Wednesday.
Photos of the possessions were shared by Russian state media after Prigozhin this week retrieved his weapons cache, millions of dollars in cash and gold bars that were also confiscated during the June 24 search of his luxurious St. Petersburg estate.
The new images were shown Wednesday on a program called “60 Minutes” on a state TV channel in an effort to publicly denounce Prigozhin and provide reported proof of his criminal history and shady past.
Prigozhin, 62, staged a botched armed mutiny against Russia’s military leaders last month.
The militant called off the attempted coup and was banished to Belarus under an agreement with the Kremlin that shields him from criminal charges.
Footage aired Wednesday from the raid revealed boxes piled high with roubles, a closet full of wigs, a cache of weapons and a collection of large souvenir sledge hammers — allegedly used by Wagner fighters to beat traitors to death in videos surfaced online.
A giant sledgehammer with “For use in important negotiations” inscribed on it was displayed in one photo.
The images also provided an inside look into the war chief’s swanky digs complete with a personal helicopter and large indoor pool. Russian authorities found roughly 600 million roubles — or $6.58 million at his properties.
They also discovered multiple passports all with Priogzhin’s face on them but under different names.
Priogzhin returned to Russia Tuesday to collect his cache of weapons. Days earlier, he reclaimed $100 million in cash and gold that had also been seized.
Prigozhin said the money was used to pay Wagner fighters and their families.
Earlier this week, Prigozhin resurfaced to release a new audio message thanking Wagner Group’s supporters and promising new “victories on the front lines”.
Russian officials said the investigation into Prigozhin’s attempted insurrection is ongoing.
