Foreign media: Wagner founder Prigozhin, who died in a plane crash, may be the holder of the fifth largest Bitcoin wallet

According to ChainCatcher, as reported by Be In Crypto, after the confirmation of the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Russian private military contractor Wagner Group, in a plane crash, some claims have emerged online stating that Prigozhin controlled one of the largest cryptocurrency wallets. It is said that this wallet contains approximately 100,000 bitcoins (valued at about $2.6 billion at current prices), with about 70% stored in cold wallets, while the remaining portion appears to be distributed between the cryptocurrency exchanges Binance and BTC-W.

In this context, the third-largest bitcoin wallet holds 118,300 bitcoins, and the fifth-largest wallet holds 94,643 bitcoins. Therefore, if Prigozhin indeed holds 100,000 bitcoins, he would rank among the top five bitcoin holders.

The report states that while there is no concrete evidence proving Prigozhin's involvement in cryptocurrency trading or ownership of such a large wallet, indirect factors suggest he may have an interest in digital assets. The Russia-Ukraine conflict and the sanctions imposed on Russia have led Russians to view cryptocurrency as a viable solution. In July 2023, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly designated Prigozhin's Wagner Group as a terrorist entity.