Leaked Peskov correspondence reveals Kremlin's private views on war, Navalny and Prigozhin

A hacker group calling itself "Black8Mirror" has published online correspondence allegedly conducted between former Russian presidential envoy Mikhail Babich and Kremlin press secretary Dmitry Peskov. The outlet "Agentstvo" reported on the leak, noting it touches on several sensitive subjects, including the war in Ukraine, the fate of jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny, and the views of former Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.

Tokayev's remarks and the naval parade

One exchange concerns a July 25 statement by Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, made during a meeting with Putin in Omsk, in which he unexpectedly said the essence of the war against Ukraine was "not entirely clear" even to Kazakhstan and suggested the conflict be "frozen." In the leaked messages, the account attributed to Peskov calls the remark "pure improvisation," speculating that Tokayev may have been asked to say it — possibly by Ukrainians, Americans, or someone from within.

Another fragment relates to Putin's appearance at Navy Day celebrations in Saint Petersburg on July 26, when, for another year, no large naval parade took place and the president arrived at the Admiralty by car. Babich reportedly described the ceremony critically, while the Peskov account's reply was brief, noting that at least it was safer this way.

Prigozhin's assessment of Navalny's imprisonment

The most notable fragment is dated May 2023 and concerns Prigozhin, who, according to a forwarded message, believed Navalny's imprisonment had effectively benefited corrupt officials — previously, bribe-takers feared being named in Navalny's investigations, but that deterrent disappeared once he was jailed. Responding to this assessment, the Peskov account reportedly wrote that it was a tragedy because it was all true and widely discussed privately in Russia, even though such things are considered off-limits for public discussion.