After Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, and his deputy Dmitri Utkin died in a plane crash, speculation about the background continues. There are many indications that the private jet was shot down. Hardly anyone believes in an accident. The bodies have since been removed from the crash site and Prigozhin’s mobile phone is said to have been found.
Several video recordings are circulating on the internet showing the crash of the Embraer plane north of Moscow in the Tver region. There are many reactions to this, some want to recognize an explosion, others a missile impact.
‘Don’t jump to conclusions’
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock, on the other hand, warned against speculation on Thursday morning. The plane crash only happened a few hours ago, so you can’t “jump to conclusions,” the Greens politician said on Deutschlandfunk.
However, the incident underscores “that a system, that power, that a dictatorship built on violence, knows violence only internally,” Baerbock continued. You have seen it in recent years “in a sad, dramatic way, where members of the opposition, where journalists, where ordinary people fell out of windows or were poisoned”.
Bodies taken to forensic medicine
Russia has officially announced that it will investigate the crash. The area where the debris is located has been cordoned off over a large area. It was also reported that the remains have now been taken to the coroner’s office for examination and identification. Prigozhin’s mobile phone is also said to have been found.
The Wagner group published the only known video of commander Dmitri Utkin on Telegram:
Cover-up not ruled out
It is also speculated that Prigozhin was not on board the plane at all. There is no official confirmation of his death from the authorities, even though the Telegram account Gray Zone, which is close to Wagner, reported his death. But: a cover-up to disappear from the scene cannot be completely ruled out.
Especially since Prigozhin’s death has already been reported prematurely twice. In 2019, he is said to have died in a cargo plane crash in Africa, where his Wagner team is active. His death was reported last year in eastern Ukraine. Both times Prigozhin later appeared alive.
From Putin’s favorite to ‘traitor’
In any case, outside Russia, hardly anyone believes that Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin had nothing to do with the private jet crash. The United States was also “not surprised” by the incident. Putin openly accused Prigozhin of treason on Russian state television after his attempted uprising in June.
Prigozhin, long regarded as a favorite of Putin, had become one of Russia’s most famous men through Wagner’s involvement in the conquest of Bakhmut in eastern Ukraine. But he also criticized the military leadership in Moscow. Before ending the uprising, the Kremlin assured him that he would go unpunished if he left for Belarus.
Source: Krone
I am Wallace Jones, an experienced journalist. I specialize in writing for the world section of Today Times Live. With over a decade of experience, I have developed an eye for detail when it comes to reporting on local and global stories. My passion lies in uncovering the truth through my investigative skills and creating thought-provoking content that resonates with readers worldwide.
