A preliminary US intelligence assessment indicates that an intentional explosion caused the plane crash that killed Wagner Group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin.
According to one of the US and Western officials who disclosed this in the first assessment, it was revealed that Prigozhin was “very likely” killed, and the explosion aligns with Russian President Vladimir Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”
The presumed death of Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was an assassination that probably was approved by Putin, according to American officials https://t.co/Ou93tPpllX
— Bloomberg (@business) August 24, 2023
US Intelligence’s Initial Assessment
According to US authorities, the plane carrying Wagner commander Prigozhin crashed due to an assassination plot, but did not appear to have been shot down by a surface-to-air missile.
The preliminary US government assessments, which sources pointed out were inadequate, imply that the crash northwest of Moscow was caused by a bomb exploding on the plane or some other form of sabotage, reported the Wall Street Journal.
Based on social media channels affiliated with Prigozhin’s Wagner, it was reported that a Russian military anti-aircraft missile shot the plane down.
Pentagon spokesperson Gen. Pat Ryder claimed, “our initial assessment is that it’s likely Prighozin was killed. We’re continuing to assess the situation.”
Ryder also mentioned that news reports of a surface-to-air missile bringing the plane down were inaccurate. He refused to clarify whether the US suspected a bomb, or that the accident resulted from an assassination.
“I’m not going to go into the specifics of how we gather information other than again, our initial assessment, based on a variety of factors, is that he was likely killed,” Ryder stated.
Officials emphasised that it is too early to make any conclusions, but several possibilities, including an on-board explosion, are being considered.
Authorities stated that all ten persons aboard the plane had died, and Russia’s Investigative Committee opened a criminal investigation into possible violations of air safety rules.
The exact cause of #Prigozhin’s plane crash remains unclear as US and Russian sources offered varying explanations, while #Wagner-affiliated channels continued to call on Russian sources to stop speculating. https://t.co/CKaE2VdRxU https://t.co/xIbAKC1qHX
— ISW (@TheStudyofWar) August 25, 2023
Prigozhin’s Death: An Assassination?
The mercenary chief’s alleged death two months to the day after his short-lived rebellion against Russia’s defence military brass caused a lot of speculation, with some Wagner Group followers alleging that the plane was blown out of the sky by a Russian air defence missile.
Other reports stated that the crash was caused by a bomb placed within a container of expensive wine given to Prigozhin and loaded onto the plane just before taking off.
According to sources, multiple opponents of the Kremlin, within and outside Russia, blamed President Putin, who labelled Prigozhin a “traitor” after his short-lived coup in June, which constituted the strongest challenge to the strongman’s authority since 1999.
US President Joe Biden stated on Wednesday that he was “not surprised” by reports that Prigozhin died in a plane accident, adding that nothing happens in Russia that Putin has not planned.
Putin’s Offers Condolences to Prigozhin
On Thursday, the Russian president broke his silence on the plane tragedy. In televised remarks, he said, “As for the aviation tragedy, first of all, I want to express my most sincere condolences to the families of all the victims. It’s always a tragedy.”
Putin stated, “I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 90s. He was a man of complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in his life, but he achieved the right results.”
The Russian president talked about Prigozhin’s activities in Africa, where Prigozhin was reported to be earlier this week, and where the Wagner Group has a significant military presence.
“He [Prigozhin] was a talented person, a talented businessman, he worked not only in our country, and achieved results, but also abroad, particularly in Africa. He was involved there with oil, gas, precious metals and stones,” Putin remarked.
Putin stated that if preliminary evidence shows that the Wagner members died in the accident, he would “like to note that these people made a significant contribution” to Moscow’s operation in Ukraine and had a “common cause.”