Media controlled by Prigozhin are closing down

(Patria) - Yevgeny Prigozhin's media holding will close, said the director of one of its members, citing the deteriorating financial situation of the mercenary chief a week after the collapse of a short rebellion organized by his Wagner Group fighters, Reuters reported.

Patriot Media, whose most prominent media outlet was the news website RIA FAN, adopted a distinctly nationalist, pro-Kremlin editorial line, while providing positive coverage of Prigozhin and his Wagner Group.

"I announce our decision to close and leave the country's information space," said RIA FAN director Yevgeny Zubarev in a video posted late Saturday on the holding's social media profiles. Zubarev did not state the reasons for the decision.

The Russian newspaper Kommersant reported on Friday that the state communications watchdog Roskomnadzor had blocked media outlets associated with Prigozhin, without further explanation.

Russian media also reported that the "troll factory" that Prigozhin allegedly used to influence public opinion in foreign countries, including the United States, has been disbanded.