From the moment Yevgeny Prigozhin aborted his march on Moscow it was a question of when and how – not whether – he would end up dead. Yesterday we saw a video of him for the first time talking about Wagner promoting Russia’s interests in Africa. Now, two months to the day after that coup was launched, we hear that his plane has crashed in Russia – apparently shot down.
The Russian press is saying that Prigozhin was one of ten passengers listed on a small jet that crashed in the Tver region to the north east of Moscow earlier today. Footage has emerged on social media showing what looks like the tail of an antiaircraft missile. The plane, reportedly on its way to St Petersburg, is then seen to crash with one wing missing.
Prigozhin is not the only member of Wagner high command thought to have been on board. According to the Telegram channel VchK-OGPU, Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin’s right-hand man whose call sign gave the mercenary group its name, is said to have been on board too.
Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has launched an investigation into the cause of the crash, but few will be holding their breath for the outcome. Russian social media is already ablaze with speculation. The Wagner-sympathetic Telegram channel Grey Zone said ‘We note that the plane was shot out of the sky over Tverskaya oblast by the air defense forces of the Russian Ministry of Defense’.
While Prighozin’s death has not been confirmed, the Wagner Group’s own social media has acknowledged the crash without making any claims about his safety. Footage of the crash site has been posted on its Telegram channel. Urging supporters to remain calm, the channel claims the plane was one of a convoy of two and that it’s possible that Prigozhin was aboard the second. They say it’s currently landing.
Was it ever plausible that Prigozhin would be allowed to lead a safe life in exile? Following Prigozhin’s coup attempt in June, many were surprised by Putin’s seemingly weak response: the Wagner leader was allowed to leave Russia for self-imposed exile in Belarus but was able to travel in and out of Russia seemingly as he pleased. He was spotted several times in St Petersburg over the past few months. CIA director Bill Burns said last month that ‘Putin is someone who generally thinks revenge is a dish best served cold… I would be surprised if Prigozhin escapes further retribution’.
Putin’s trademark is to wait, and for his enemies to die in circumstances which don’t leave much doubt about where responsibility lies.
WRITTEN BY Lisa Haseldine, Lisa Haseldine is The Spectator's assistant online editor
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