PARANOID Vladimir Putin has covered the grave of rebel warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin with thick concrete.
The Wagner boss, 62, was killed when his private jet was blown out of the sky last August - allegedly on the tyrant's orders.
Putin's pal-turned-foe had dented the dictator's authority with a short-lived coup just two months earlier.
Speculation became rife that Prigozhin had been assassinated - with power-hungry Putin known to pick off his enemies as he pleases.
Now nine months on, the feared war chief's grave has been enclosed with concrete fuelling rumours of a cover-up.
Putin accused of surrounding himself with same 'actors' at series of events
One Ukrainian Telegram channel joked: “So he can't get out."
Another said: “You won’t escape now.”
Despite being a "Hero of Russia", Prigozhin was buried without fanfare in working-class Porokhovskoye cemetery, a large necropolis in St Petersburg.
Two months before his death, he was branded a "traitor" for staging a failed coup and ordering his rebel army to march on the Kremlin.
Ukraine's GUR military intelligence has, however, refused to confirm that Prigozhin is dead - insisting there is no evidence beyond the word of Russian authorities.
The concrete roof to his tomb may stop later DNA analysis of his remains.
But it has been reported the concrete over his grave could be part of plans to erect a giant monument to him this summer.
Russian political analyst Dr Valery Solovey has claimed that Prigozhin was replaced on the ill-fated plane by his double.
Catholics across the world pray for Pope Benedict XVI as his body lies in state
He outrageously claimed Prigozhin is "alive and well" and living in the Caribbean - without offering a shred of evidence.
Solovey - a political scientist and former head of a leading institute in Moscow - claimed that the mercenary chief is hiding out in Venezuela.
Prigozhin is - apparently - reclining on the sunny island of Margarita - known for its beautiful beaches and stunning pearls.
"He is enjoying life at a very good resort," said the so-called expert.
The 63-year-old - seen by some as a conspiracy theorist - was sacked from his prestigious job for "political reasons"
Other rumours claim Prigozhin is lying low in Cuba.
Prigozhin previously faked his own death and was declared dead in Africa in 2019 before re-emerging three days later.
Wagner troops played a key role in Putin’s war against Ukraine, but Prigozhin fell out with former defence minister Sergei Shoigu - who was ultimately fired by Putin this month.
Prigozhin blamed Shoigu for failing to supply sufficient munitions to Wagner forces.
Since Prigozhin’s death, Wagner has been largely wound up, with its fighters going to other private military forces, or the Russian army.
