Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, Putin ally-turned-rival, presumed dead in plane crash
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian former convict and restaurateur who founded the Wagner mercenary army, is presumed dead after a plane he was reportedly traveling in crashed Wednesday in a field between Moscow and St. Petersburg, his hometown.
Russia's civil aviation agency said Prigozhin's name was on the flight manifest of the Embraer private jet, along with three crew members and six other passengers, and Russia's Russia's Emergency Services said 10 bodies were recovered from the crash. Telegram channels linked to Wagner also said Prigozhin died in the crash.
Video of the plane spiraling down appears to show a wing missing and other signs of an explosion, and there is widespread speculation the jet was downed in retaliation for Wagner's brief mutiny, which began two months to the day before the crash. The mutiny humiliated Russian President Vladimir Putin, Prigozhin's former patron, and posed the biggest threat to his power in decades.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Among the others presumed dead is Prigozhin's top lieutenant, Wagner commander Dmitri Utkin. Utkin's nom de guerre, Wagner — a reference of Richard Wagner, Adolf Hitler's favorite composer — inspired the name for the mercenary army, The New York Times reported.
"Prigozhin's death sends an unnerving signal to the country's elite which, according to insiders and Western intelligence assessments, has grown increasingly unhappy with Putin, his handling of the mutiny earlier this summer and his overall handling of the war" in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal added.
Wagner forces handed Putin his only military victory this year, the capture of Bakhmut, but that was quickly followed by Wagner's withdrawal from Ukraine and march on Moscow. After the mutiny, which ended in a deal that sent Wagner forces into exile in Belarus, Prigozhin largely disappeared from view. Earlier this week, he posted his first recruitment video in months, purportedly from Africa, where Wagner was active.
Create an account with the same email registered to your subscription to unlock access.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Instagram rolls out teen accounts with new limits
Speed Read After facing pushback over child safety, Meta announced that all users under 18 will have their Instagram accounts modified
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Arizona official sues to bar 100K from local voting
Speed Read A large number of residents who have not submitted citizenship documents might be prevented from voting in the battleground state's elections
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Why is Laura Loomer making Republicans worried?
Today's Big Question Donald Trump says the MAGA influencer is a 'free spirit'
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine hits Moscow with large drone attack
Ukraine's strike was the biggest drone attack on the Russian capital to date
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Russian strike kills at least 51 in Ukraine
Speed Read Two Russian missiles struck a military academy and hospital in the Ukrainian city of Poltava
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
What are the lessons from Ukraine's Russia incursion?
Talking Points And what do they mean for Putin's red lines?
By Joel Mathis, The Week US Published
-
Russia pounds Ukraine with 'massive' air attack
Speed Read At least 11 civilians were killed as Russia targeted cities and infrastructure
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine blasts bridges, digs in to hold Kursk gains
Speed Read Ukraine destroyed a second key bridge in Russia's Kursk region
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine reports large gains in Russia's Kursk region
Speed Read Ukraine pushed further into Russian territory and now commands a striking 390 square miles, embarrassing the Kremlin
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine launches surprise attack inside Russia
Speed Read Ukraine's military sent a large ground force into western Russia, catching them off guard
By Peter Weber, The Week US Published
-
Ukraine's booksellers are surprisingly thriving
The Explainer One of the country's largest printing plants was recently hit by a Russian missile strike, but the industry is still doing better than ever
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published