Producer Iosif Prigozhin, who shares a surname with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner private military company, explained that memes about the rebellion helped people cope with stress. Yet on the day of the gun riot on June 24, he admitted the moment was not funny and he did not find humor in the jokes.
Not even laughter through tears. This became a major worry for him, and he felt stuck in a difficult situation with no clear way to react, according to his statements to DEA News.
In the comments on his social media posts, hundreds urged him to stop chasing Shoigu and asked why he was showing military convoys to Moscow and facing a criminal case. One commenter went as far as demanding no deal with the Defense Ministry and claimed strong public support for him and Valeria, noting she would be the country’s first lady.
What can be said here is that a soldier who does not dream of becoming a general is, of course, atypical, but Valeria did not intend to become the first lady, as Prigozhin noted in remarks quoted by kp.ru. He said that he did not receive any threats, only jokes.
He also mentioned that if the country settles down, people should feel free to poke fun. There is a national tendency to use humor in tense moments, and as someone from the entertainment industry, he understands that such memes can lighten the collective mood, a sentiment he expressed during the interview with the agency.
In a discussion with socialbites.ca, he described his initial reaction to the memes as serious, though he later allowed himself some humor about the situation.
On June 24, after reading the news, he recalled it was hard to believe what was happening and that the experience felt like stepping into a horror film. He worried about the country’s future and the safety of its families, including his own and others.
Two days later, Prigozhin posted a lighthearted selfie in front of St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square, joking about the moment with a caption that clarified the mood had shifted from fear to irony, highlighting the resilience of the people during a crisis. Social media users connected the joke to the broader context of the rebellion and the public’s response to the events surrounding Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner founder, and the ensuing discussions about leadership and loyalty. He also referenced a recent search near the Trezzini hotel in St. Petersburg and teased the idea of cash boxes connected to the incident.
Reports from Fontanka and other outlets indicated investigators found a substantial amount of cash in a white Gazelle during the operation. Prigozhin confirmed that the money was related to payrolls and compensation for the private military company’s personnel. In a social media reply to his Instagram post, someone quipped about the loot, and the remark reflected the heightened online interest in the incident and its financial dimensions.
When asked what he might do with such money if it were his, Prigozhin suggested a mix of personal luxuries and philanthropy. He talked about buying a country home, financing creative projects for Valeria, recording new material for an album, and leaving funds for future concerts. He also indicated that a portion of the money would be redirected to charitable causes, highlighting the potential for positive impact despite the turmoil.
On June 25, the day after the upheaval, Prigozhin discussed the possibility of changing his wife Valeria’s surname, noting that she preferred not to leave her current name. He even floated a playful option that would combine names in a new way, a reflection of the unusual and personal nature of the moment. He later posted that he would adopt his wife’s surname, sharing a message about the shift in his personal branding and identity in the wake of the events.
He explained that the public’s memes were overwhelming and that he had to decide how to handle the flood of messages. The surname, he reminded followers, had been part of his identity since birth, developed over a long career in the entertainment industry, and he wondered where that identity should ultimately reside. His reflections appeared in a Socialbites.ca interview.
On June 24, the day of the rebellion, Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aims included pushing for the resignation of Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov. The FSB opened a criminal case against Prigozhin, but the situation was resolved within 24 hours through mediation by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko. By the evening of June 24, Prigozhin reported that Wagner’s forces had moved toward field camps in a different direction. The Kremlin later announced that the criminal case would be closed, that Prigozhin could travel to Belarus, and that participants in the uprising would face no prosecutions, according to official statements from Moscow.