Rebelling against Putin, Wagner group leader dies..!?
Evgeny Prigozhin, the head of Wagner's mercenary force who led the coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin, has reportedly died in a plane crash. Yevgeny Prigozhin, the head of the Wagner mercenary force who led the coup against Russian President Vladimir Putin, has died in a plane crash, Russian civil aviation organization Rosaviatsia said. Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers on the plane, the Russian Civil Aviation Authority said.
According to reports, the flight from the Russian capital Moscow to St. Petersburg has crashed. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said all 10 people on board, including three crew members, died in the crash, Russian media reported. Russian officials also said a man named Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers in the crash. Senior Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, who founded the Wagner Group in 2014, was also on the passenger list, officials said. Russia's civil aviation regulatory body, Rosaviatsia, said Prigozhin was on the passenger list. An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that took place tonight in the Tver area. But it was not immediately clear if he boarded the plane, Reuters reported. However, reports suggest that Evgeny Prigogine's body has been found and identified. But this is not officially confirmed. Russia's state news agency Interfax reported that 10 bodies had been recovered.
Earlier, the Telegram channel associated with Wagner's group reported that the jet was shot down by the Russian Defense Ministry in the Gray Zone, Tver region north of Moscow, according to the BBC. The crash happened on the same day that senior Russian general Sergei Surovikin was reportedly removed as air force chief. Reports suggest that General Sergey Surovykin had a good relationship with Yevgeny Prigogine but Putin was not seen in public after the mutiny.
The Wagner group is a private military organization with thousands of soldiers. Wagner's mercenary force consisted of about 25,000 soldiers. The group is active in Ukraine, syria and West Africa. The forces of the Wagner group played an important role in the war in Ukraine. At the height of the Russia-Ukraine war, Wagner's crew succeeded in capturing the city of Bagmuth. However, Prigozhin, the group's leader, was increasingly criticized by Russian military leaders. After months of conflict between Wagner's group and Russia's military leadership, at the end of last June, Wagner's mercenaries declared armed rebellion and marched on Moscow. He announced the rebellion demanding a change in Russia's military leadership. Prigozhin's rebellion was seen as the most serious threat to Putin's rule in 23 years. This was followed by a conciliatory attempt by the President of Belarus, and Prigozhin, who stopped his march, returned to his base with his army. This eased the lingering tension in Russia.
Meanwhile, President Putin, in an address to the nation, branded Prigozhin a traitor and promised that those who stabbed him in the back would be brought to justice. However, it is noteworthy that the criminal case against the mercenary leader on sedition charges was later dropped.
According to reports, the flight from the Russian capital Moscow to St. Petersburg has crashed. Russia's Emergencies Ministry said all 10 people on board, including three crew members, died in the crash, Russian media reported. Russian officials also said a man named Yevgeny Prigozhin was among the passengers in the crash. Senior Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, who founded the Wagner Group in 2014, was also on the passenger list, officials said. Russia's civil aviation regulatory body, Rosaviatsia, said Prigozhin was on the passenger list. An investigation has been launched into the Embraer plane crash that took place tonight in the Tver area. But it was not immediately clear if he boarded the plane, Reuters reported. However, reports suggest that Evgeny Prigogine's body has been found and identified. But this is not officially confirmed. Russia's state news agency Interfax reported that 10 bodies had been recovered.
Earlier, the Telegram channel associated with Wagner's group reported that the jet was shot down by the Russian Defense Ministry in the Gray Zone, Tver region north of Moscow, according to the BBC. The crash happened on the same day that senior Russian general Sergei Surovikin was reportedly removed as air force chief. Reports suggest that General Sergey Surovykin had a good relationship with Yevgeny Prigogine but Putin was not seen in public after the mutiny.
The Wagner group is a private military organization with thousands of soldiers. Wagner's mercenary force consisted of about 25,000 soldiers. The group is active in Ukraine, syria and West Africa. The forces of the Wagner group played an important role in the war in Ukraine. At the height of the Russia-Ukraine war, Wagner's crew succeeded in capturing the city of Bagmuth. However, Prigozhin, the group's leader, was increasingly criticized by Russian military leaders. After months of conflict between Wagner's group and Russia's military leadership, at the end of last June, Wagner's mercenaries declared armed rebellion and marched on Moscow. He announced the rebellion demanding a change in Russia's military leadership. Prigozhin's rebellion was seen as the most serious threat to Putin's rule in 23 years. This was followed by a conciliatory attempt by the President of Belarus, and Prigozhin, who stopped his march, returned to his base with his army. This eased the lingering tension in Russia.
Meanwhile, President Putin, in an address to the nation, branded Prigozhin a traitor and promised that those who stabbed him in the back would be brought to justice. However, it is noteworthy that the criminal case against the mercenary leader on sedition charges was later dropped.