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Prigozhin closes media holding responsible for infamous troll farm

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Prigozhin closes media holding responsible for infamous troll farm
A screenshot from a video released by Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin's press service on June 24 in which he claimed they had taken control of all military sites in the southern Russian city of Rostov.

Wagner Group Founder Yevgeny Prigozhin has closed down his media holding, which includes the notorious "Internet Research Agency" troll factory, The Moscow Times reported on June 30.

The St. Petersburg-based Patriot Media Group encompassed dozens of other news sites, which will now be permanently shut down, the outlet writes.

Meanwhile, Russian media watchdog Roskomnadzor has blocked access to several of Patriot group's websites, including RIA FAN, Politika Segodnya, Ekonomika Segodnya, Nevskiye Novosti, and Narodnye Novosti.

Nevskiye Novosti informed of their closure through Telegram on June 30.

Belarus Weekly: Lukashenko brags about saving Russia; Wagner boss ends up in Belarus
Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claims Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has arrived in Belarus several days after his day-long insurrection in Russia. Meanwhile, Lukashenko denies claims that camps for Wagner mercenaries are under construction in Belarus. Russian President Vladimir Put…
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Prigozhin launched a "march for justice" against Russian military leaders on June 23 after a missile attack allegedly targeted Wagner troops in Ukraine. His mercenaries occupied Rostov and marched 200 kilometers to Moscow, only to abruptly end the rebellion less than 24 hours after its start.

As a result of an undisclosed agreement between Wagner's boss and the Kremlin, Prigozhin and his contractors were allowed to leave for Belarus. Belarusian dictator Alexander Lukashenko claimed on June 27 that Prigozhin had arrived in Belarus. However, there are still no visual or other confirmations of the Wagner boss' whereabouts.

According to Ukraine's military intelligence chief Kyrylo Budanov, Russia's Federal Security Service (FSB) has been tasked with assassinating Prigozhin.

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Martin Fornusek

Senior News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press. He was also volunteering as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukraïner. Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

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