After the plane crash in Russia, the Russian mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was declared dead. A Telegram channel that Prigozhin used to distribute his videos reported the death of the Wagner boss. Meanwhile, the Russian Aviation Authority has published a passenger list that has Prigozhin’s name on it.
Two months after his mysterious mutiny against the Russian authorities, mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin has been pronounced dead after a plane crash in Russia. The Telegram channel Gray Zone, which Prigozhin used to distribute his videos, reported the death of the head of the private army Wagner on Wednesday evening. The Rozaviazia Aviation Authority published a passenger list that included Prigozhin and the official Wagner commander, Dmitry Utkin. All ten occupants died, said the Russian civil defense. As of Thursday morning, there was no official confirmation or clear evidence of the death of Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin’s longtime confidante.
The Russian news agencies Tass, Ria Novosti and Interfax had previously reported, citing the aviation authority, that Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger list of the plane that crashed in the Tver region between Moscow and St. Petersburg on Wednesday.
According to the reports, the Embraer Legacy private plane crashed near the village of Kuenkino in the Tver region, northwest of Moscow. According to a head of rescue services quoted by Ria Nowosti, eight bodies were initially found at the crash site by the evening. Tass later reported seven bodies recovered.
Videos were distributed on several Telegram channels allegedly connected to the Wagner Group, the authenticity of which the AFP news agency was initially unable to verify. They showed burning debris in a field or an airplane falling from the sky. The aviation authority said it had set up a special commission to investigate the crash.
According to Rozaviatsiya, the plane belonged to MNT-Aero, a company specializing in business transport. An investigation into “violation of air traffic safety regulations” had been launched, the investigative committee said in a statement.
Putin has not yet commented
Kremlin boss Putin initially did not comment on the plane crash. He was at the time on a visit to south-west Russia on the border with Ukraine to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the Battle of Kursk during World War II. Without mentioning the crash, Putin took to the stage to praise Russian soldiers in Ukraine who were fighting “with courage and determination.”
Meanwhile, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mikhail Podoljak said online that the plane crash was “Putin’s signal to the Russian elites” ahead of the 2024 presidential election. It means “caution! Disloyalty means death.”
US President Joe Biden was “not surprised” by the possible death of the Wagner boss. “I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m not surprised,” said Biden. He recently said with regard to the Russian mercenary boss that he had to be “careful”.
The exiled Belarusian opposition leader Svetlana Tichanovskaya wrote in the online service X (formerly Twitter) that “criminal Prigozhin” would be “missed by no one” in Belarus. He was “a murderer” and “should be remembered as such”. In addition, “his death” may “dissolve the Wagner Group’s presence in Belarus and reduce the threat to our country and our neighbors.”
The Wagner Group briefly rebelled against President Vladimir Putin in June. Until then, Prigozhin had long been considered a close confidant of Putin. Later he openly opposed the Russian military leadership.
During the brief uprising against Russian General Staff and Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu amid the Ukraine conflict, Prigozhin’s mercenaries occupied military installations in southern Russia on June 23 and then marched towards Moscow.
A day later, however, Prigozhin ended the uprising after mediation by the Belarusian head of state Alexander Lukashenko. He then offered him refuge in Belarus. For their part, Prigozhin’s mercenaries were given the choice of either going to Belarus, joining the regular Russian army, or returning home. Without naming him, Putin branded the Wagner boss a traitor at the time.
The Wagner group had by then played a major role in the Russian offensive in Ukraine. Prigozhin had distinguished himself particularly in fierce battles for the city of Bakhmut. His mercenaries, some of whom were recruited from Russian prisons, conquered the city in eastern Ukraine in May with great losses.
At the same time, Prigozhin’s conflict with the Russian military leaders became apparent. The Wagner boss accused them of incompetence and of not supplying him with enough ammunition.
Prigozhin initially escaped persecution
In the weeks following the uprising, Prigozhin’s fate was uncertain. Nothing has been known about his whereabouts or activities since then. Despite his open rebellion, he escaped any criminal prosecution.
Last Monday, Prigozhin then appeared in a video distributed on online networks by groups close to Wagner. In it he reported being in Africa. Against the backdrop of a desert landscape, Prigozhin, armed with an assault rifle, said he was working to “make Russia even bigger on every continent and Africa even freer.”
The Wagner Group is also active in several African countries, including the Central African Republic, Mali and Libya.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
