Putin Breaks Silence on Wagner Boss Yevgeny Prigozhin

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Facts

  • Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin on Thursday made his first comments concerning the plane crash that is believed to have killed Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin a day earlier, describing him as a "talented man," but one that "made serious mistakes in life."1
  • "I've known Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 1990s," Putin said. "He was a man of a no easy fate. He made some serious mistakes in his life, but he also achieved the needed results — both for himself and, when I asked him, for the common cause."2
  • His comments were made during a televised exchange with the Russian-installed leader of the occupied Ukrainian territory of Donetsk, Denis Puahilin. The meeting additionally saw Putin reflect that Prigozhin’s Wagner group had "made a significant contribution" to the fight against Ukraine.3
  • Putin further commented on the investigation into the crash which will, according to him, "take some time." However, the Kremlin leader also stressed that the probe, "will be conducted in full and brought to a conclusion."4
  • Prigozhin's death came precisely two months after Wagner forces conducted a failed mutiny against Moscow, and shortly after Prigozhin was alleged to have returned from Africa earlier on Wednesday.3
  • As speculation into the cause of the crash continued, Pentagon officials said that a definitive conclusion hadn't been reached, but that a mid-air explosion was their leading theory at this stage. They have reportedly ruled out a surface-to-air missile, a cause some have suggested.3

Sources: 1CNN, 2TASS, 3The Guardian, and 4CBS.

Narratives

  • Pro-Russia narrative, as provided by TASS. Prigozhin is a complicated character who made some mistakes, but also one who valiantly served Russia's interests. The cause of this tragic crash will be investigated to the fullest extent possible.
  • Anti-Russia narrative, as provided by The Guardian. After Prigozhin humiliated the dictatorial Putin by launching his failed mutiny, and then proceeded to roam around freely without prosecution, the question shouldn't be how he was killed, but how he survived so long in the first place.

Predictions