Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group. This announcement puts to rest any doubts about whether Prigozhin was on the plane that crashed, resulting in the death of everyone on board.
In a statement, Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko stated that genetic testing on the bodies recovered from the crash site matched the flight manifest. The names of Prigozhin and his top lieutenants were on the list of passengers and crew members.
The Investigative Committee did not disclose the cause of the plane crash, which occurred halfway between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Prigozhin’s hometown. However, the timing of the crash has raised suspicions of a possible assassination orchestrated by the Kremlin. Prigozhin’s elusive background has also fueled speculation about his survival.
Two months ago, Yevgeny Prigozhin led a mutiny against Russia’s military, leading his group of mercenaries from Ukraine towards Moscow. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned this act as “treason” and promised consequences for those involved.
Surprisingly, the Kremlin swiftly reached a deal with Prigozhin to end the revolt, allowing him to go free without facing any charges and to settle in Belarus. The resolution of this situation raised questions about whether Prigozhin would face any consequences for his brief uprising, which posed a significant challenge to Putin’s authority.
A preliminary assessment by U.S. intelligence suggests that the plane was intentionally exploded. As suspicions mounted about Putin’s involvement in an assassination plot, the Kremlin dismissed these allegations as completely false.
According to one Western official, there is a high likelihood that Prigozhin was targeted, and an explosion aligns with Putin’s history of silencing his critics.
Prigozhin’s second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, and Wagner’s logistics mastermind, Valery Chekalov, also lost their lives in the crash. Utkin is believed to be the founder of Wagner and gave the group its name.
The future of the Wagner Group, which played a significant role in Russia’s military activities in Ukraine and various other countries, remains uncertain.
Following the mutiny, the Kremlin announced that Prigozhin would be exiled in Belarus. His mercenaries were given three options: to join him in Belarus, retire, or enlist in Russia’s regular army and return to Ukraine, where Wagner mercenaries had fought alongside Russian troops.
Several thousand Wagner mercenaries chose to relocate to Belarus, where a camp was established for them southeast of Minsk.
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