Wagner boss among the victims?
What we know about the private jet crash in Russia
8/24/2023 7:29 am
Exactly two months to the day after the Wagner mercenaries rebelled, a private plane crashed in Russia. According to the passenger list, Wagner boss Prigozhin and commander Uktin are among the fatalities. But there are still many unanswered questions.
What is known about the plane crash?
A private aircraft of the type Embraer Legacy 600 with the registration RA-02795, which is assigned to Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, crashed early Wednesday evening in the Tver region near the village of Kushenkino, more than 200 kilometers northwest of Moscow. The machine was on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg, where Prigozhin’s companies are based. According to Rozaviatsiya, the plane belonged to MNT-Aero, a company specializing in business transport. An investigation into “violation of safety regulations for air traffic” had been initiated, the investigative committee said in a statement. According to the flight data, the machine showed no signs of a problem until an abrupt crash in the last 30 seconds. There is no official information on the cause of the crash.
What do you know about the people on board the machine?
The Rozaviazia aviation authority published a passenger list that included Prigozhin and the official Wagner commander, Dmitry Utkin. Also the names of Sergei Propustin, Yevgeny Makaryan, Alexander Totmin, Valeri Chekalov and Nikolai Matjusjew. All seven passengers on the plane, as well as the three crew members, were killed, the Russian civil defense said. Eight bodies were found at the crash site, according to a head of emergency services quoted by Ria Nowosti. The Interfax agency later reported that ten dead had been found, and the salvage was complete. However, the bodies have not yet been identified.
Is Wagner boss Prigozhin among the victims?
The Telegram channel Gray Zone, which Prigozhin used to distribute his videos, reported the death of the head of the private army Wagner. However, there is still no official confirmation or clear evidence of Prigozhin’s death. Despite the passenger list, it is still unclear whether Prigozhin was actually on the crashed plane. Another private plane with the registration RA-02748, which is assigned to Prigozhin and according to flight data was also on the way to St. Petersburg, turned around after the crash of the first plane and later landed in Moscow at Ostafyevo Airport.
What did Prigozhin want in Moscow?
On Monday, in his first published video speech since his mercenaries rebelled, Prigozhin showed himself in a desert area, courting recruits in Africa. It is unclear where exactly the video was taken. According to unconfirmed reports from Russian media, Prigozhin and his associates attended a meeting with representatives of the Russian Defense Ministry in Moscow before the plane crash.
How is Russia reacting to the crash?
The Telegram channel Gray Zone and other Russian military bloggers assume that the plane crash was not an accident. “Prigozhin died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia,” Gray Zone said. “But even in Hell he will be the best!” There is speculation in the media that the plane may have been shot down by one or more surface-to-air missiles. The Russian television station Tsargrad, which is loyal to the Kremlin, also raised suspicions of a plot to assassinate Prigozhin. However, he blamed the Ukrainian military intelligence service for the crash of the plane. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not yet commented on the incident.
How are Washington and Kiev reacting to the incident?
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak said in Kiev that it was obvious that Putin would not forgive anyone for the fear the mutiny had instilled in him. Prigozhin’s fate is a signal to the Russian elite that any disloyalty will be punished with death. US President Joe Biden said: “There is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind.” He doesn’t know exactly what happened, but he’s not surprised, the Democrat said.
What would be the consequences of Prigozhin’s death?
The question is currently difficult to answer. The Wagner mercenary group, founded by Prigozhin and Dmitri Utkin in 2014, has allowed Russia to indirectly participate in numerous conflicts such as those in Syria, Mali, Libya and the Central African Republic. In the Ukraine war, the fighters were an important support for the Russian army, especially on the eastern front. It is unclear what will become of the several thousand Wagner fighters who went to Belarus after the mercenary mutiny and may have now lost their leader.
“The assassination of Prigozhin will have catastrophic consequences,” Russian military blogger Roman Saponkov wrote on Telegram. “The people who gave the order don’t understand the mood in the army and their morale.” Prigozhin was popular with soldiers for his criticism of regular army leadership and some of his mercenaries’ successes on the battlefield. Several channels on Telegram loyal to Wagner have already threatened retaliation.