Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Russian insurrection group Wagner, was confirmed to have died in a plane crash.
The confirmation came from a DNA test conducted by the government.
There are many mysteries surrounding his death.
Some believe that Prigozhin was not on the plane and is still alive.
Others believe that Putin sabotaged the plane as punishment for the insurrection.
NBC News shares more on the story:
Wagner Group mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has been confirmed dead after genetic analysis of the bodies from Wednesday’s plane crash, Russian officials said Sunday.
After “molecular genetic examinations” were completed, “the identities of all 10 dead were established” and “they correspond to the list stated in the flight sheet” of the aircraft that went down Wednesday north of Moscow, the Russian investigative committee said in a statement on Telegram.
ADVERTISEMENTPrigozhin and some of his most trusted lieutenants, including Dmitry Utkin — a shadowy figure with neo-Nazi tattoos known as the mercenary chief’s right-hand man — and logistics chief Valery Chekalov, were listed on the plane’s manifest, along with four other passengers and three crew members.
The private jet, which was destined for St. Petersburg, crashed 60 miles north of Moscow two months to the day after Prigozhin’s failed coup attempt against President Vladimir Putin.
The Kremlin has denied it was behind the crash, rejecting widespread speculation that the it was a revenge assassination for Prigozhin’s short-lived mutiny in late June, when Wagner fighters captured the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don before marching on Moscow.
The whole story is suspicious.
Read this post that breaks down some evidence that Prigozhin might be alive:
Did Prigozhin Fool The World?
The most realistic versions proving that Prigozhin is (probably) alive:
Fact #1
Despite the fact that there was an identification, there was no genetic expertise because all the relatives suddenly found themselves not in Russia. Besides, what… pic.twitter.com/HYCMk73jOH— James Porrazzo (@JamesPorrazzo) August 27, 2023
I am not convinced that Prigozhin is happening, but who knows?
prigozhin confirmed dead! – according to russian officials.
the pentagon does agree and say it's likely, however. pic.twitter.com/zMiLt5CX3v
— Karl Max 🪶📃 (@KarlMaxxed) August 27, 2023
"The plane will fall apart in mid-air", a video of Prigozhin predicting his death has appeared.
💬"You better kill me, but I won't lie. I have to be honest: Russia is on the brink of disaster. If these cogs are not adjusted today, the plane will fall apart in mid-air", Prigozhin… pic.twitter.com/sG8beb2HLp
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 27, 2023
The L.A. Times discusses the story further:
One of the Western officials who described the initial assessment said it determined that Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that an explosion would be in line with Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”
Prigozhin’s second-in-command, Dmitry Utkin, as well as Wagner logistics mastermind Valery Chekalov, also were killed in the crash. Utkin was long believed to have founded Wagner and baptized the group with his nom de guerre.
The fate of Wagner, which until recently played a prominent role in Russia’s military campaign in Ukraine and was involved in a number of African and Middle Eastern countries, is uncertain.
After the mutiny, the Kremlin said Prigozhin would be exiled in Belarus, and his fighters were offered three options: to follow him there, retire or enlist in Russia’s regular army and return to Ukraine, where Wagner mercenaries had fought alongside Russian troops.
Several thousand Wagner mercenaries opted to move to Belarus, where a camp was erected for them southeast of the capital, Minsk.
You'd better kill me but I won't lie, I'll be honest…
Russia is on the brink of disaster!
If these screws are not adjusted today, the plane will disintegrate in the air…”
said Prigozhin in an eerily prophetic statement.
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 27, 2023
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