Wagner chief Prigozhin kept 'secret harem' of young women: Report

NEW DELHI: Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Wagner group chief who led a short-lived revolt against Russian president Vladimir Putin, allegedly maintained a secret harem of young women in St Petersburg, according to a report.

UK-based Daily Mail, citing The Insider, said that the leader of the private military contractor had a preference for "barely legal women" and allegedly believed that having sexual relationships with virgins would "prolong his youth".

The claims have emerged just one month after Prigozhin led a band of mercenaries in an uprising against Russia's defence ministry.

The mutiny saw his forces briefly seize the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and threaten to march on Moscow before the rebellion was called off.

Currently, Wagner fighters are reported to be present in Belarus, assisting with the training of Belarusian military units.

According to The Insider, before his downfall and subsequent exile to Belarus, Prigozhin allegedly kept a rotating harem of very young girls, just over 18 years old, in rented rooms at the Solo Sokos Hotel in St Petersburg.

A representative of a "sex workers' union" claimed that Prigozhin had "unprotected sex" with these women, believing that it exchanged energy and vitality.

One woman, identified only as "Masha," shared her experience of allegedly "selling her virginity" to Prigozhin when she was 18 years old, the report said.

She claimed that she met another girl in similar circumstances who needed money desperately. They agreed to sell their virginities for a sum of 40,000 rubles at the time, equivalent to about $623 or over Rs 36,000.

Some of these girls were even sent to a clinic where they underwent a "virginity check".

"They had to use a specific password indicating the inspection was ordered for Prigozhin. Once confirmed, Masha was taken to the Solo Sokos Hotel, where she alleges she was among a ready supply of young women who were referred to as 'shampoo,' a disposable commodity," the report claimed.

Masha recalled her encounter with Prigozhin as brief and unpleasant, expressing regret over her decision.

The report suggests that there were many such encounters at the hotel, with Prigozhin's underlings allegedly facilitating these arrangements.

Prigozhin, who gained notoriety as "Putin's chef" for staging Kremlin banquets and securing lucrative catering contracts, has also been linked to troll farms and a mercenary army, Wagner, which has been deployed in various conflicts worldwide.

While Prigozhin appears to have secured his safety amid a deal with the Russian president, these revelations have brought severe scrutiny and condemnation.