Yevgeny Prigozhin − an ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin until launching a failed insurrection with his Wagner Group mercenaries in June − was killed in a Wednesday plane crash about 100 miles northwest of Moscow, the Russian aviation agency Rosaviatsia said.
Prigozhin was one of 10 people − seven passengers and three crew members − aboard a private jet that crashed on a flight from Moscow to St. Petersburg. None of them survived, according to officials cited by Russia’s state-run news agency Tass.
Prigozhin, 62, was listed as a passenger but it was initially unclear whether he was on board the flight, which went down on a field in the Tver region. A Telegram post in the Wagner-linked Gray Zone channel said Prigozhin “died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia.”
Unconfirmed media reports said the plane belonged to Prigozhin, who led his forces on a march that came within 120 miles of Moscow before turning around June 24. Prigozhin and the Wagner soldiers were granted asylum in Belarus as part of a deal to end the rebellion, but he was later seen in Russia and Africa.
The authorities said they were investigating. Russia’s state news agency RIA Novosti reported eight bodies were found at the site of the crash, citing emergency officials. Unverified video footage shows what appears to be Prigozhin’s plane plummeting from the sky.
Before getting confirmation of Prigozhin’s fate, President Joe Biden told reporters he would not be surprised if the mercenary leader met an untimely death. Asked if Putin was behind it, Biden said: “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer. ”
Prigozhin gained prominence as a caterer to Kremlin events, a role that earned him the nickname “Putin’s Chef,” before he founded the Wagner private military company. Wagner forces were instrumental in the grinding, months-long battle over the eastern Ukrainian city of Bakhmut, a source of Prigozhin’s frequent criticism of the Russian Ministry of Defense and its leadership.
Contributing: Francesca Chambers
Developments:
∎ A Russian missile slammed into a school in the northern Ukraine city of Romny, killing the school director, deputy director, secretary and librarian, authorities said. Four passersby were injured.
∎ Canada imposed sanctions against four people and 29 organizations from Russia associated with the military, nuclear and finance industries, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced.
∎ A U.S.-made P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol and reconnaissance plane owned by Norway was approaching the Russian border when it was intercepted by a Russian MiG-29 jet and turned back, the Russian military said Wednesday. Norway, a NATO member, had no immediate comment.
∎ Eight Ukrainian pilots and more than 60 technical and support personnel have now arrived at Skrydstrup Air Force Base in Denmark to begin training on flying, servicing and maintaining F-16 combat aircraft, the Danish military said.
∎ A Russian helicopter was hijacked by its pilot defector and landed in the Kharkiv region of northwest Ukraine loaded with spare parts, Ukrainian military officials told Ukrainian Pravda. Two crew members were “eliminated,” the military said.
Russia’s ‘General Armageddon’ fired as air force chief
A notorious officer, dubbed “General Armageddon” for his brutal tactics in Syria before leading the Russian military effort in Ukraine, has been fired from a lesser position as chief of the air force, Russian media reported.
Gen. Sergei Surovikin’s name had been loosely linked to Wagner’s brief coup attempt two months ago, and though no direct connection between him and the insurrection has been established, he has not been seen in public since, state media website RBC reported.
Surovikin was replaced by Gen. Viktor Afzalov as chief of staff for Aerospace Forces. Surovikin had been appointed commander of the troops in Ukraine in October but lost that post in February. In the ensuing months, Wagner head Prigozhin repeatedly criticized the Russian Defense Ministry for failing to provide his troops with sufficient weaponry. Prigozhin lauded Surovikin, however, saying when he led the war effort, ammunition was no problem.
What price peace? 90% of Ukrainians unwilling to give up land to Russia
More than 90% of Ukrainians are unwilling to give up land to Russia to end the war, while less than 5% are willing to do so, a new survey found. Giving up future membership in NATO drew a bit more interest − 18% of respondents said they could support that. About the same percentage of respondents are ready to give the Russian language official status or to abandon the policy of decommunization in favor of the Kremlin.
Almost half of Ukrainians (49%) believe their country is moving in the right direction, about a third (32%) believe it’s going in the wrong direction and the rest are undecided.
“The vast majority of Ukrainians continue to demonstrate their unwillingness to compromise with the aggressor in order to end the war,” the survey managers said. The survey of more than 2,000 adults was conducted by the Ilko Kucheriv Foundation and financed by the Netherlands Embassy in Ukraine.
Zelenskyy supports Ukraine’s military tactics amid criticism
Ukraine President Volodymr Zelenskyy dismissed a New York Times report citing unnamed U.S. officials saying Kyiv’s offensive has struggled because of tactical mistakes. The report says Kyiv’s troops are spread too thin between the east and south while firepower should be concentrated on punching through Russia’s southern defenses to sever its land bridge with occupied Crimea.
“We will not give up Kharkiv, Donbas, Pavlograd or Dnipro,” Zelenskyy said. “Even if all the analysts of the world” disagree.
Blasts rip Russians in Crimea, Moscow
A missile defense system in Russian-held Crimea was destroyed and a Moscow building was damaged Wednesday, prompting pro-Kremlin bloggers to chastise their own military for failing to neutralize Ukraine’s ability to strike.
The attacks were part of Kyiv’s continuing quest to make Russians feel pain from the 18-month-old war that has ripped Ukraine apart while leaving Russia virtually untouched. The Ukraine military published video of what it said was a strike that destroyed a Russian anti-aircraft missile system at Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea, occupied by Russia since 2014.
“The installation itself, the missiles installed on it and the personnel were completely destroyed,” the military said in a release. Ukraine officials called it a “painful blow” to a vital piece of Russia’s defenses that could turn the tide in Kyiv’s push to take back Crimea.
Russian blogger Rybar said the strike also hit a fuel truck and theorized the blast came from a missile fired from a Ukraine ship.
“A systematic defeat of the entire Ukrainian fleet is needed, and this requires changes in the organization of the Russian Navy,” Rybar wrote.
