Paramilitary group’s founder has continually been seen at events in Russia despite supposedly agreeing exile in Belarus.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of the notorious Wagner paramilitary group, has appeared on the sidelines of a major Russia-Africa summit in St Petersburg, despite agreeing to go into exile following his failed mutiny last month.

Prigozhin was photographed shaking hands with Freddy Mapouka, chief of protocol for Central African Republic president Faustin-Archange Touadéra, who attended the summit.

The picture was posted by Dmitry Syty, one of Wagner’s most visible figures in CAR, on his Facebook account with the message: “Mr. Ambassador shared with me the first photos of the Russia-Africa Summit. We see familiar faces”, alongside a smiling emoji.

Syty, director of a Russian cultural centre in the CAR capital Bangui, has been hit with sanctions by the US, EU and, a week ago, the UK, as one of several Russian nationals active in CAR with links to Prigozhin.

Fontanka, a local news outlet, said the photo was taken in a hotel in downtown St Petersburg owned by Prigozhin’s family, which it said had been booked out for all three days of the summit.

Prigozhin also met officials from Mali as well as Niger, where a coup removed its pro-western president, Mohamed Bazoum.