During his most recent address, Russian President Vladimir Putin revealed that fragments of a hand grenade were extracted from the bodies of individuals who lost their lives in the plane crash that occurred on August 23. This private jet was under the ownership of Yevgeny Prigozhin, a mercenary leader who, along with ten others including two of his principal associates of the Wagner private military outfit, perished when their flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg tragically ended.
As numerous experts sifted through the accident scene in search of answers, they came up empty-handed, finding no signs of an impact from the outside. Therefore, the authenticity of Putin’s claims remains uncertain due to a lack of independent corroboration.
According to an initial evaluation by U.S. intelligence, an intentional detonation may have been the root cause of the accident. This theory has fueled speculation among Western officials, who are all too familiar with a long roll of Putin adversaries who have met violent ends. Nonetheless, the Kremlin has categorically denied any involvement, labeling such accusations as blatantly false.
Following the tragic crash, an investigation was initiated by Russian authorities, although no conclusive results have been made public so far. The help of Brazil, the country of origin of the Embraer business jet, was kindly declined by Moscow.
While Putin took care to clarify that the investigation was still underway, his comments suggested that a grenade explosion could plausibly have been responsible for the fatal crash – a speculative confirmation perhaps.
Prigozhin, before his untimely demise, had significantly rattled Putin’s regime with his coup attempt that started just two months prior to his death. This event presented the most severe test to Putin’s authority, which surpasses two decades.
Putin made a point to mention the findings of a post-rebellion search of Prigozhin’s St.Petersburg office, which unearthed five kilograms of cocaine – seemingly a calculated attempt to tarnish the image of the fallen mercenary chief.
Despite his controversial end, Putin eulogized Prigozhin as a man of complex fate who had made both significant contributions and transgressions throughout his life. As “Putin’s chef,” Prigozhin amassed immense wealth through lucrative Kremlin contracts, dating back to the early 1990s.
Under Prigozhin’s stewardship, the Wagner Group, a military contracting outfit, saw extensive action in Ukraine, Syria, and several African nations, with tens of thousands of soldiers under its command at its zenith. In more recent events, Prigozhin orchestrated a rebellion with the goal to overthrow the Defence Ministry’s leadership, accusing them of mishandling the Ukraine conflict.
Following Prigozhin’s passing, Putin seemingly retains his trust in the Wagner Group, as evidenced by his recent meeting with one of its top commanders to oversee “volunteer units.” He confirmed that thousands of Wagner troops have since signed contracts with the Defense Ministry, indicating the Kremlin intends to employ these mercenaries going forward.
