On May 9, Wagner Group hosted a rally in St. Petersburg in front of St. Isaac’s Cathedral. A small convoy of was present as part of the rally. What are the identities of the cars?
Wagner Group released multiple videos and photographs of the event in its Telegram channel. Although many of the videos by Wagner Group contain blurred license plate numbers, one video clearly shows the license plate of a black car.
Screenshot showing the license plate of the car
Although blurry, the text “ЧВК Вагнер Центр” (PMC Wagner Center) can be seen above the Hyundai logo, as well as the license plate number, Е646УХ198. According to the site Nomerogram.ru, the car is a black 2020 Hyundai Solaris. The Solaris was spotted at the event with a white 2021 Kia Rio with the license plate number К758ТА198.
The drivers of both cars are prominently featured in images of the event. Both men, who are likely employees of Wagner Group are seen wearing a camoflauge face covering, taking photos with attendees of the event, and distributing patches and other souvenirs.
Screenshots from videos of the event showing the drivers
Both cars were spotted with Wagner flags on May 1, eight days prior to the rally.
The two cars in St. Petersburg
Interestingly, imagery dating back to October 2021 shows that the Solaris has a bumper sticker which appears to be a variant Wagner Group logo. The owner of the car has likely been associated with the Wagner Group for multiple years.
Image taken on October 25, 2021