US Officials Suspect Putin Directed Prigozhin Assassination

According to American and British officials, there is growing certainty that the plane crash that allegedly killed Yevgeny Prigozhin was caused by an explosion, and they believe it was ordered by Vladimir Putin, as reported by the New York Times. While details surrounding the incident remain unclear, the UK defense ministry tweeted on Friday expressing the strong possibility of Prigozhin’s death. They also highlighted that this event would have a significant impact on the mercenary group known as the Wagner Group.

The UK defense ministry further stated, “His personal attributes of hyperactivity, a drive for results, and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor.” Alongside Prigozhin, several other high-ranking members of the Wagner Group, including founder and field commander Dmitry Utkin, were killed in the crash. Prigozhin had reportedly returned to Russia from Africa, where Wagner operates in multiple countries, on the day of his death. On Tuesday, the deputy defense minister of Russia visited Libya, a day before the crash, to inform officials that Wagner fighters would continue their operations under Russian command, as reported by Reuters.

Western officials speculate that Prigozhin’s death was a revenge killing for the Wagner Group’s recent mutiny, though the Kremlin denies these allegations, according to the Guardian. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated that it is uncertain whether Putin, who previously described Prigozhin as a “talented person” with “serious mistakes in life,” would attend the funeral, as he has a busy schedule. When asked about the confirmation of Prigozhin’s death, Peskov mentioned an ongoing investigation and the plan for genetic testing on the bodies recovered from the crash site. (Read more Yevgeny Prigozhin stories.)