Music producer Iosif Prigozhin has admitted that some of the lines of the conversation attributed to him, the audio recording of which is being shared on social media, were actually spoken by him. About this he declared “Fontanka”.
“There were a few sentences from which they put this together”
“This recording is a symbiosis of spoken sentences and generated ones,” Prigozhin said, confirming his acquaintance with billionaire Farhad Akhmedov, who is called the second participant in the dialogue.
According to him, of the conversation, the audio recording of which is broadcast on the Web, he does not remember “exactly”. Related Posts Prigogine is an invasion of privacy. At the same time, he pointed out that “neural networks today make it possible to perform miracles”.
Prigozhin also admitted that the phrases from the audio recording could be part of a real conversation with Akhmedov.
“We had different conversations with him. He poured out his soul on me, then me. It’s normal communication between them. Maybe there were a few sentences they put this together from. And they did it in such a way that you don’t dig. Now is the time,” he explained.
Speaking about Akhmedov, the producer said that he once saved his life. “When I was lying with covid, he put me in the hospital, paid for the doctors, all the medicine. For that, I am very grateful to him,” Prigozhin shared, recalling that the last time I they spoke to each other was in January 2023.
Farkhad Akhmedov is a Russian entrepreneur, oil and gas magnate, former owner of the gas company Northgas, chairman of the board of directors of juice producer Aznar in Azerbaijan. Forbes evaluate his fortune is 1.7 billion dollars (49th place in the ranking of Russian billionaires-2022). In 2004-2007, Akhmedov served as a senator from the Krasnodar Territory. He was the first owner of the Gorki Gorod complex built for the 2014 Olympics in Sochi. Obtained to the EU sanctions list in April 2022. Shortly after, the yacht Luna was arrested in Hamburg, which, according to data local media, belonged to Akhmedov.
“Some moments are real in conversation”
According to Prigozhin, the audio recording circulated on social networks and the media is a “provocation” that “everyone took hold of”, arranged “on purpose to cause a split between high-ranking people, so to speak, and their supporters”.
“Today, the whole machine is working towards destruction. I don’t know how it’s done. Of course, there are real moments in the conversation. The voice sounds like mine. But it is not known what and how they stuck. We have to understand that,” Prigozhin shared, noting that the audio “shocked him in principle.”
He implied that the makers of the recording expected to entrap him and deprive him of “certain opportunities”, of “dishonor”. According to him, after the start of the military operation in Ukraine, there was a division between “the part that left and drowned, and the part that stayed here”, and “now a lot of people are cheering and hope someone is screwing up now.
At the same time, Prigozhin calls his own position unambiguously “pro-Russian” and calls Russian President Vladimir Putin “a figure on a planetary scale”.
“We all have private conversations in which certain doubts can be expressed. But I’m just an individual. I’m just a music producer. In the spirit of my job, I have to communicate a lot with people, have various conversations. But these conversations are not about the country’s strategic plans. <…> I can't have ulterior motives. I live in Moscow, I work in Moscow. Nobody bothers me. Yes, my soul aches for the country, but I do not allow myself to say such things published there. All this is simply not within my competence, ”assured the producer. According to Prigozhin, he is outraged by the recent norm of posting private conversations and videos. He claims he intends to give the audio recording for review - but warned it would be long and take "more than a day", when "the situation is already flying like an avalanche". Prigogine said he was convinced that a recording of this quality could only be made by "specially trained people".
Possible connection with the founder of Wagner PMC
Iosif Prigozhin also suggested that he was chosen as the object to make the “false”, because “the name is strong”. In a conversation with Rise, the producer admitted that those involved in the creation and distribution of the audio recording might confuse him with Wagner PMC founder Yevgeny Prigozhin. The businessman, in turn, also suggested that “the people who posted the conversation” might confuse them.
In a comment published by the Prigozhin’s Cap telegram channel, PMC founder Wegner appointed publication of the audio recording by a “special operation” and admitted that the people who made it confused him with Iosif Prigogine. “If you don’t speak Russian, it’s very easy to get lost here,” he said.
Evgeny Prigozhin said he and Iosif Prigozhin differ “very significantly” from each other – and not just in name, as the music producer is “quite brash, aggressive and short-tempered by nature” due to the specifics of his work in show business.
“And I’m a very calm, thoughtful, non-aggressive person. Therefore, in the future, if you hear a bright and angry speech, it looks 100% like Joseph Prigogine. If a gentle person and a calm voice, it’s me, Yevgeny Prigozhin, ”said the founder of Wagner.
Audio recording of the alleged conversation between Prigogine and Akhmedov
The audio recording in question started popping up on social media since mid-March, but Ukraine’s Channel 5 suggests the conversation could have taken place a month and a half or two and a half months ago.
Participants in the conversation throughout its duration obscenely criticize Russian authorities, including Russian President Vladimir Putin. In particular, they speak very negatively about his decision to launch a military operation in Ukraine, they say that the authorities have “pissed off” the country and the future of the children, and senior security officials have united against the Minister of Defense Sergei Shoigu. The interlocutor, whose voice in the publications is attributed to ex-senator Farhad Akhmedov, claims that the head of state will be asked “everything”, in response to which the second participant in the conversation accepts and qualifies the rulers of the country of criminals.
Participants in the conversation also criticize the capabilities of the Russian military and its prospects in Ukraine. In particular, from the mouth of a person whose voice is attributed to Akhmedov, there are words that “everything has been stolen” in the country, and the armed forces cannot provide it. The same person advises his interlocutor to be more active in business and earn money, to rest more and to “communicate less” with Russian officials. At the same time, he himself complains about the problems that have arisen due to Western sanctions – in particular, the “blocked boat”, which “rots there”, and the lack of a credit card, because of which “there is money – you can’t spend it”.
Iosif Prigozhin posted a video message on his Telegram channel, stating that the recording was fake and was forged using neural networks. “Everyone knows my political position, it is present in all my interviews and in the public arena. But you know, when I listened to the audio recording, I almost thought it was me,” the producer shared.
Edition of the Daily Storm Prigogine declared that similar “fake” conversations may soon appear on social networks, the participation of which will be attributed to famous Russian artists. “Why not? Of course, yes, because the main objective is to divide society, to bring the fronts together, to find as many opponents as possible, ”suggested the producer.
