Russian TV show host Dmitriy Kiselev claimed that the Kremlin has spent 858 billion rubles ($9.8 billion at current rates) on funding Yevgeny Prigozhin's Wagner mercenary group.
According to Kiselev, a further 845 billion rubles on contracts to other companies run by Prigozhin's holding Concord Group, bring the total to almost $20 billion, though the real figure is less given the fall of the ruble since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
The claim likely refers to the sum total of all federal contracts with these companies. Wagner Group was created in 2013.
Vladimir Putin claimed that Russia paid Wagner around $1 billion from May 22 through May 23, a rare admission that might make prosecuting the Russian dictator for war crimes easier, the Guardian reported.
Prigozhin got his start with federal catering contracts, earning him the moniker of "Putin's chef". By having Putin's ear, his companies have grown until they supplied and maintained just about the entire armed forces.
Wagner Group was Russia's top mercenary company, which served state interests and was a key force in Russia's war against Ukraine, until a recent mutiny by Prigozhin and the unit.
Anastasiia Lapatina
(Updated: )
