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Vladimir Putin broke his silence the presumed death of Yevgeny Prigozhin on Thursday, expressing his \u201cmourning for a close friend\u201d in a televised address.<\/p>\n
However, the Russian President betrayed how he really felt about the Wagner leader’s alleged death, one body language expert has claimed.<\/p>\n
Yesterday, it emerged that the Wagner mercenary boss was one of 10 on board a private plane that exploded mid-air, with Wagner Group co-founder Dmitriy Utkin also on the flight.<\/p>\n
While Prigozhin has not been confirmed dead, agencies and now the Russian leader have paid tributes to him.<\/p>\n
Speaking today, Putin said: \u201cHe made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved necessary results.\u201d<\/p>\n
Judi James told Daily Express US his body language showed him perform \u201cseveral signs of pain and sorrow\u201d.<\/p>\n
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Speaking to Daily Express US, Ms. James said of Putin: \u201cPosed straight-on to camera with a page of photographs on the desk in front of him, he performs several signs of pain and sorrow as he speaks in a soft, low voice that seems intended to imply personal grief and loss.<\/p>\n
\u201cBoth his hands are out on the desk, fingers down and a dramatic wince of pain crosses his face as he speaks.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe looks down in a cut-off gesture and there is a clearing of the throat as though his voice is affected by sorrow.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere are long pauses and some reflective eye-gazes and even a large sigh, complete with a heaving chest. He even sucks his lips in which is a gesture of regret.\u201d<\/p>\n
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However, in an interesting twist, Ms James noted: \u201cThe one cue at odds with all this emphatic, portrayed sadness is his right thumb, which is cocked.<\/p>\n
\u201cA cocked or erect thumb is usually associated with success and confidence.\u201d<\/p>\n
Almost all experts and commentators believe that Prigozhin was killed in a plot orchestrated by Putin\u2019s Government, as officials believe an onboard explosion caused his death.<\/p>\n
Mykola Volkivskyi, former advisor to Ukraine\u2019s parliament told Daily Express US that \u201cthe possible death of Prigozhin is not a surprise to anyone, it was just a matter of time\u201d.<\/p>\n
When asked if he thought Prigozhin\u2019s death was an assassination ordered by Putin, Mr Volkivskyi added: \u201cIf NATO is now pursuing a policy of \u2018open doors\u2019, Putin and Russia continue the policy of \u2018open windows\u2019 – when [his] opponents die from car or plane crashes or end their lives by suicide.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Before co-founding the Wagner Group with Utkin in 2014, Prigozhin met Putin while he was a restauranteur, earning the nickname \u2018Putin\u2019s chef\u2019.<\/p>\n
Prigozhin, born on June 1, 1961, in Leningrad, long denied having any involvement in the group until late 2022 when he publicly confirmed his role.<\/p>\n
Back in June, after months of frustrations with Russia\u2019s Defence Ministry, Prigozhin lashed out at Moscow and launched a brief insurrection against Putin.<\/p>\n
On June 24, Prigozhin said his forces had taken control of the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, seizing the headquarters of Russia’s Southern Military District, and had began driving a column of vehicles towards Moscow.<\/p>\n
Just hours later, with the column less than 100 miles from Moscow, Prigozhin said the mutiny had ended.<\/p>\n
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