In the aftermath of his aborted rebellion against the Russian government, Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has reportedly shut down his media holdings, known as The Patriot. This media group encompassed a network of various news outlets and publications, including resources like People's News and Economics Today, and even the notorious Internet Research Agency, often dubbed a "troll factory" for its online influence campaigns.

Prigozhin's dramatic weekend march toward Moscow with an estimated 25,000 mercenaries, demanding the removal of Russia's military leadership, ended as suddenly as it began. Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko claims to have negotiated a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin to prevent further escalation. This agreement reportedly allows Prigozhin safe passage to Belarus and immunity from prosecution for Wagner fighters.

Lukashenko asserted that Putin initially intended to eliminate Prigozhin, likening the mutiny to the 1917 Russian Revolution. However, Lukashenko's intervention supposedly led to the agreement, with Prigozhin now in Belarus and his troops offered temporary residence there. Lukashenko has praised the Wagner fighters as a highly skilled military unit, suggesting their presence will bolster Belarus's defense capabilities.

While Russian officials had reportedly been impeding The Patriot's operations since the attempted coup, Prigozhin himself has yet to formally acknowledge the closure of his media empire. This development follows Putin's claim that the Wagner Group lacked widespread public support during the mutiny.