Nobody seems surprised Wagner's Prigozhin died under suspicious circumstances
The evident death of Yevgeny Prigozhin in a fiery plane crash Wednesday, exactly two months after his Wagner mercenary army captured a Russian military garrison and marched on Moscow, did not come as a surprise to Russia experts or even casual observers of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
"You may recall, when I was asked about this by you, I said 'I'd be careful what I rode in,'" President Biden said Wednesday, referring to comments he made about Prigozhin after Wagner's brief mutiny. "I don't know for a fact what happened but I'm not surprised."
U.S. intelligence agencies are working to confirm how — or whether — Prigozhin died, but they don't think it's a coincidence he was presumptively, publicly assassinated in a plane crash on the same day Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a Wagner ally, was publicly removed as head of Russia's air force, CNN reported.
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.
Putin's critics have a deadly habit of falling out of windows or ingesting poison. There's "no doubt" Putin is behind the crash, Kremlin critic Bill Browder told CNN. "Putin is a man who never forgives and never forgets," and Prigozhin "made him look weak."
"No matter what caused the plane crash, everyone will see it as an act of vengeance and retribution" by the Kremlin, and "the Kremlin wouldn't really stand in the way of that," Russia expert Tatiana Stanovaya noted on Telegram. A living, "happy, full-of-strength and full-of-ideas Prigozhin was, definitely, a walking source of threats for the authorities, the embodiment of Putin's political humiliation."
The "demonstrative elimination of Prigozhin" shows that Putin "does not forgive anyone for his own bestial terror," Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak agreed. Andriy Yermak, head of Ukraine's presidential office, simply posted a link to the song "Highway to Hell," The New York Times reported.
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.
-
Kelly Cates to present Match of the Day
Speed Read Sky Sports presenter to take over from Gary Lineker at start of next season
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
Eclipses 'on demand' mark a new era in solar physics
Under the radar The European Space Agency's Proba-3 mission gives scientists the ability to study one of the solar system's most compelling phenomena
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
Crossword: December 16, 2024
The Week's daily crossword
By The Week Staff Published
-
Celine Dion 'civil war' in New Zealand
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Woman lives with needle in brain for 80 years
Tall Tales And other stories from the stranger side of life
By Chas Newkey-Burden, The Week UK Published
-
Western mountain climbers allegedly left Pakistani porter to die on K2
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
'Circular saw blades' divide controversial Rio Grande buoys installed by Texas governor
Speed Read
By Peter Weber Published
-
Los Angeles city workers stage 1-day walkout over labor conditions
Speed Read
By Justin Klawans Published
-
Mega Millions jackpot climbs to an estimated $1.55 billion
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Bangladesh dealing with worst dengue fever outbreak on record
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published
-
Glacial outburst flooding in Juneau destroys homes
Speed Read
By Catherine Garcia Published