A U.S. intelligence assessment has concluded that a plane crash that killed the leader of Wagner, a Russian mercenary group, and several of his associates was caused by an intentional explosion. The officials who revealed the assessment suspected that Russian President Vladimir Putin was behind the attack, as a revenge for a mutiny that challenged his authority in June.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of Wagner, was a close ally of Putin and was sanctioned by the U.S. for his involvement in meddling in the 2016 and 2020 U.S. elections. Prigozhin and his Wagner group were accused of committing atrocities and human rights violations in several countries, including Syria, Libya, Sudan, Mozambique and the Central African Republic.
The plane crash occurred on August 23, 2023, near the city of Nizhny Novgorod, where Prigozhin and his associates were traveling to attend a meeting with local officials. According to a senior U.S. intelligence official who spoke on condition of anonymity, the explosion was triggered by a device planted on board the plane.
“We have high confidence that this was not an accident. It was a deliberate act of sabotage that targeted Prigozhin and his entourage,” the official said.
The official added that the U.S. had intercepted communications between Putin and his inner circle that indicated his displeasure with Prigozhin and his Wagner group. In June, Prigozhin and other Wagner leaders refused to follow Putin’s orders to withdraw from Libya, where they were supporting the rebel general Khalifa Haftar against the internationally recognized government.
“This is a clear message from Putin to anyone who dares to defy him or challenge his authority. He will not tolerate any dissent or disobedience. He will eliminate you without mercy,” said Alexei Navalny, a prominent Russian opposition leader and critic of Putin.
Putin expressed his condolences to the families of the victims and referred to “serious mistakes” by Prigozhin, but denied any involvement in the plane crash.
“I have known Prigozhin for a long time, since the 1990s. He made some serious mistakes in life, but he also achieved the necessary results for himself but also for the greater good when I asked him. He was a talented man, a talented businessman,” the Russian leader said, speaking about the warlord in the past tense.
Putin added that Prigozhin’s Wagner group “made a significant contribution to the fight against nazism in Ukraine”.
“We remember this, know this, and won’t forget it,” he said.
President Joe Biden said he was not surprised by Putin’s involvement, but did not have solid evidence.
“I’m not surprised by anything that Mr. Putin does.” Biden said in a press conference.
There is no confirmation yet on whether Prigozhin’s body has been identified. Bodies found at the crash site were taken to the morgue of a forensic medical examination bureau in Tver, as reported by the St Petersburg outlet Fontanka. A source at the morgue informed Fontanka that there were indications that Prigozhin was among the deceased, although the body in question was severely damaged in the crash.
Baza, a news outlet with close ties to security services, said the bodies of the victims were sent to Moscow for genetic analysis.
“Prigozhin died as the result of the actions of Russia’s traitors,” wrote the Grey Zone, a social media outlet close to Wagner. “But even in hell, he’ll be the best! Glory to Russia!”
Relevant articles:
- US intelligence assessment shows intentionally caused explosion crashed Wagner chief’s plane, Associated Press, August 24, 2023
- U.S. Officials: Plane Crash That Killed Wagner Mercenary Chief Intentionally Caused By Explosion, HuffPost, August 24, 2023
- Yevgeny Prigozhin, Wagner chief purportedly killed in plane crash, “a man of complicated fate,” Putin says, CBS News, August 24, 2023
- US intelligence says an intentional explosion brought down Wagner chief Prigozhin’s plane, MSN, August 24, 2023