1/ Yevgeny Prigozhin's wealth and wigs got a lot of attention last week, but his medal collection is much more significant. The 30 medals on his jacket show that he is one of the most highly decorated members of the Russian elite. Here's an analysis of what they indicate. ⬇️
2/ Like the Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu, Prigozhin is not and never has been a soldier. This has not stopped either of them amassing an impressive collection of medals. (See below for an analysis of Shoigu's 60 decorations.)
3/ Prigozhin's medals fall into three categories: awards from the Russian state, awards from the self-declared Luhansk and Donetsk 'People's Republics' (LNR/DNR), and awards from African states where the Wagner Group has been active.
4/ Starting with the awards on the top row of the left breast of his jacket, Prigozhin has a Gold Medal of the Hero of the Russian Federation and equivalent medals for the LNR and DNR. This is the highest award for all three states or entities.
5/ The Hero of the Russian Federation award was reportedly given by decree of President Putin on 22 June 2022. It entitles the bearer to a monthly stipend of 100,000 rubles ($1,096), tax exemption and free dental prosthetics.
6/ In row 2 are two Orders of Courage, awarded for courageous and decisive actions committed in the performance of military, civic or official duty in life-threatening conditions.
7/ Row 3 includes:
- Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", 4th class (civilian, without swords)
- Order of Alexander Nevsky
- Order of Military Merit
- Order of Friendship
- Medals of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" 1st and 2nd class
8/ Several of the awards recognise achievements in strengthening Russia's defence capabilities. They entitle Prigozhin to an increase in his state pension, free medical treatment, aid with housing and free public transport.
9/ The Order of Military Merit seems to have been awarded in violation of the eligibility criteria, however, as it's meant to be awarded to senior officers and civil servants – which Prigozhin is not – for achievements in military science and the defence industry.
10/ The Order of Friendship, perhaps ironically, is inscribed on the reverse with the words "PEACE AND FRIENDSHIP" – not values that Prigozhin is usually associated with.
11/ Row 4 includes:
- Medal for the Return of Crimea
- Medal "For Strengthening Military Cooperation"
- Medal "For Merits in Logistics"
- Medal "For Combat Excellence"
- Army General Khrulev Medal
- Medal of the 300th Anniversary of St. Petersburg;
- Unknown medal
12/ The Khrulev Medal is an curious award, as the Russian MOD seems to have broken its own rules to award it to Prigozhin. It's awarded to senior, high-ranking or long-serving military logistics officers – none of which describes Prigozhin.
13/ Similarly, the medal "For Combat Excellence" is supposed to only be awarded to servicemen. Not only has Prigozhin never been a soldier, the very existence of Wagner is in violation of Russian law, which forbids mercenary activity.
14/ The Medal of the Return of Crimea has an interesting history, as it was minted well before Russia took over the Crimean peninsula. Wagner was founded shortly after that event. It's not clear what role Prigozhin played in it.
- Cross of Military Valour of the Central African Republic (CAR)
- Medal of the Order of Commercial Merit of the CAR
- Star of Military Merit of the CAR
- Unknown decoration
16/ The Order of Commercial Merit recognises individual contributions to the development of trade in the CAR, where Wagner runs mining and logging operations, provides security and customs services, and even produces vodka and beer locally.
17/ The two medals around the neck (row 6) are also from the CAR. They are:
- Order of Recognition of the CAR. The neck placement indicates the rank of Commander of the Order.
- Order of Trade Merit of the CAR.
18/ The final row (7) displays other African medals:
- Unknown award
- Knight Grand Cross of the Order of the Stallion - National Order of Burkina Faso
- Order of the Two Niles (Sudan)
- Order of the Republic (Sudan)
- Unknown decoration
- Order of Courage (Libya)
19/ As notes, Prigozhin's large number of medals indicates his formerly exalted position in Vladimir Putin's inner circle. Only a few of Putin's top supporters have more or as many medals – Shoigu (60), Yakunin (40), Kadyrov (38), Patrushev (30). /endAgents.Media
1/ Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov and his family have been given nearly 150 medals and awards since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine – one for him every 40 days – including an Order of Merit for Dentistry and a medal for excellence as an ambulance worker. ⬇️
2/ An investigation by the independent Russian news website Verstka has revealed the scale of the Kadyrovs' medal acquisition, which represents a combination of self-bestowed awards and those from the Russian state and other institutions.
3/ 82 of the awards are internal Chechen ones, such as awards recognising the centenary of the Chechen Republic and medals such as "For Services to the Chechen Republic" and the title of "Hero of the Chechen Republic".
1/ More details have emerged of a recently publicised database of Ukrainian children for adoption by Russian families. While it has been condemned in the context of Russian kidnapping of Ukrainian children, the background story is more complex. ⬇️
2/ The database is hosted by the Ministry of Education and Science of the 'Luhansk People's Republic', but it is not a new product. The Ministry of Labour and Social Policy previously dealt with guardianship issues but transferred this responsibility in the summer of 2024.
3/ A previous version of the database already existed but was redeveloped by the LPR's Ministry of Education and Science to meet Russian federal standards in 2025. Its launch was recently announced on Telegram, prompting this week's news stories about it.
1/ Badly injured Russian soldiers who have lost arms and legs and have severe shrapnel injuries are being beaten by officers and forced into carrying out assaults, according to a soldier's account. The constant suffering and cruelty is driving men to desertion and suicide. ⬇️
2/ A soldier from the Battalion of the 55th Separate Guards Motorised Rifle Brigade (military unit 55115) says in a video that he was denied medical leave after being wounded by fragments and was sent on a combat mission instead with severe inflammation and a rotting leg.
3/ The man says he was not allowed to return to Russia for medical treatment. Instead, soldiers are now all being treated in field hospitals in the occupied Donetsk and Luhansk regions. (Other accounts suggest this is being done to reduce the high number of desertions.)
1/ The Trump Administration is reportedly finalising a peace proposal that would allow Russia to take over the entirety of the Donetsk region and force Ukraine to surrender the unoccupied portion. All territory currently occupied by Russia would remain under Russian control. ⬇️
2/ According to Bloomberg, the deal would involve Russia taking over the entire Donbas and freezing the lines of contact elsewhere. The reported aim is to freeze the war and pave the way for a ceasefire and technical talks on a definitive peace settlement.
3/ It's not clear whether Russia would have to return any territory or hand over the Zaporizhzhia nuclear power plant. The agreement would reportedly present Ukraine and Europe with a take-it-or-leave-it ultimatum.
1/ Russian field medics have been given only six days of training before immediately being sent to their deaths as stormtroopers, due to commanders ignoring the value of their specialty, according to a scathing commentary from a Russian army medical team. ⬇️
2/ The author of the '5 mg. KGV' Telegram channel describes his experience in providing medical training alongside another military medical specialist, a man with the callsign 'Shlyakhtich':
"He organized the training processes for self-help as best he could.
3/ "He butted heads with the operational and combat training leadership about increasing the time allocated for medicine, and in general he was the first to justify applications for first aid kits, their echeloning, and equipment.
1/ Occupied towns and villages are suffering far worse than Donetsk city in the current water crisis. The village of Novoluhanske faces a particularly surreal situation – it has had no water for three years despite being on the shore of one of Ukraine's largest reservoirs. ⬇️
2/ Novoluhanske was on the front line for eight years, just outside the Russian-occupied 'Donetsk People's Republic'. It fell to Russian forces on 27 July 2022. Despite heavy damage, around 550 out of the original 3,800 inhabitants still live there.
3/ The village is located on the western shore of the Vuglehirske Reservoir, one of the largest in Ukraine. The reservoir was created in 1967 to provide water to the now-destroyed Vuhlehirska Power Station on the north shore.