Two days have now passed since Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, who fell out of favor with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was killed in a plane crash. Much is still unclear. The Kremlin now absolutely denies that it ordered the assassination of the mercenary leader.
“This is an absolute lie,” said Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. The case of the plane crash should be dealt with “on the basis of facts”.
On Thursday evening, Russian President Vladimir Putin only indirectly confirmed the death of his former favorite, who had rebelled against him two months earlier as head of Wagner’s private army. However, the US government and British intelligence apparently also assume that Prigozhin is dead.
There is still no definitive evidence that Prigozhin was aboard the plane that crashed Wednesday night. However, it is “very likely” that he is dead, the British Ministry of Defense said on Friday. “The demise of Prigozhin would almost certainly have a profoundly destabilizing effect on the Wagner group,” the ministry said in a military intelligence update published on the social media platform Twitter(X).
Putin spoke in the past tense
As of Friday, Russian authorities had not officially identified Prigozhin’s body. However, Putin already spoke in the past tense about the “talented businessman” and leader of the mercenaries. “He was a person with a difficult fate and he made serious mistakes,” he said. During the Wagnerian mutiny against the Russian leadership in June, Putin accused his old military henchman Prigozhin of treason, but then allowed him and his followers to travel to Belarus.
For many Russians, Prigozhin was a hero
Ten people died in the plane crash. Mourners laid flowers at Prigozhin’s headquarters in St. Petersburg and other Russian cities. Prigozhin and his Wagner party did not have a good reputation at home for their covert operations abroad and for their brutality. But his criticism of the mistakes of the Russian military leadership also made him a hero to many Russians. Accusations were made on social media that the alleged plane crash was in fact an assassination attempt on Prigozhin – a view shared by many Western politicians and military pundits.
Probable explosion on board
The New York Times and other US media reported, citing US intelligence circles, that an explosion on board the plane likely caused the crash. A final conclusion has not yet been drawn, but an explosion is currently the most likely reason, the newspaper writes. A US Defense Department spokesman said there was no evidence the plane was hit by a surface-to-air missile. Websites and social media outlets close to Prigozhin suspected this.
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.
