Russian President Vladimir Putin broke his silence Thursday on the plane crash a day earlier that reportedly killed mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and other senior members of the Wagner paramilitary group.
In televised comments Putin offered his "sincere condolences to the families of all the victims", describing the crash as a "tragedy". As well as Prigozhin, the other nine people on board also died.
Wednesday evening's crash took place exactly two months after Prigozhin led a rebellion against Moscow's top military brass, considered by some observers to have been the biggest threat to Putin's long rule.
Although Moscow opened a probe into violations of air traffic rules, investigators have been silent since, as speculation of a possible assassination has grown.
Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted Kyiv had nothing to do with the incident. "I think everyone knows who this concerns," he said, in what appeared to be a reference to Putin.
"There is a court in The Hague, there is a court of God. But Russia has an alternative (court) -- President Putin," he said when asked again about the air crash later Thursday.
- A 'common cause' -
When Putin broke his silence on Thursday he paid a qualified tribute to the mercenary boss and the paramilitary group he led.
"I knew Prigozhin for a very long time, since the early 90s. He was a man of complicated fate, and he made serious mistakes in his life, but he achieved the right results," Putin said.
In an address to Russians during the Wagner rebellion on June 23-24 in which he warned against "civil war", Putin had called Prigozhin -- once his ally -- a "traitor".
But on Thursday, he said the Wagner members who had died in the crash had made a "significant contribution" to Moscow's offensive in Ukraine.
They had shared a common cause, Putin said, adding: "We remember that, we know that, and we will not forget that."
He said the investigation into the crash would take time, but added: "It will be conducted in full and brought to a conclusion."
- 'Reasonable doubts' -
Some Western leaders expressed doubts that the crash had been an accident.
"There's not much that happens in Russia that Putin's not behind," said US President Joe Biden, after having said he did not know what happened.
France saw "reasonable doubts" about the crash, while Germany said it followed a pattern of "unclarified" fatalities in Russia.
German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said it was suspicious that "a disgraced former confidant of Putin suddenly, literally falls from the sky two months after he attempted a mutiny".
Even influential pro-Kremlin figures, such as state television personality and Putin ally Margarita Simonyan, seemed to suggest that it could have been an assassination.
"Among the versions that are being discussed (about the crash) is that it was staged. But personally, I'm leaning towards the more obvious one," she said on social media.
Russia's aviation authority published the passenger list for the Embraer private jet late on Wednesday.
It included Prigozhin and his right-hand man, Dmitry Utkin, a shadowy figure who managed Wagner's operations and allegedly served in Russian military intelligence.
Russian police patrolled the crash site near the village of Kuzhenkino, some 350 kilometres (220 miles) north of Moscow in the Tve
r region.
One woman living near Kuzhenkino said her neighbour had heard a roar and saw "sparkling from the plane", accompanied by fire.
"A neighbour ran up to me with shaking hands and when we went to the window I saw only one mushroom (cloud from the explosion), a black cloud," she said in video published by state-run news agency RIA Novosti.
- 'Real patriot' -
Video verified by AFP from the scene appeared to show the Embraer Legacy plane in a plume of white smoke as it fell from the sky.
The Flightradar24 tracker website said the plane flying from Moscow to Saint Peterburg appeared on their radar until the last 30 seconds and descended "dramatically" at around 15:20 GMT.
Some Wagner-linked Telegram channels initially suggested the plane had been shot down by Russian air defence, on a day when Kyiv struck Russia with more drone attacks.
In Washington, Pentagon spokesman Pat Ryder said the US military had "no information to suggest that there was a surface-to-air missile" involved in the crash".
While they did not know what had caused the crash, Ryder added: "Our assessment, based on a variety of factors, is that he (Prigozhin) was likely killed."
Prigozhin appeared to enjoy some popularity in Russia.
He appealed to nationalist-leaning Russians -- also suspicious of the army leadership during the Ukraine offensive -- who embraced his tough-guy style.
Some even speculated that he would take part in the 2024 presidential election, which is expected to extend Putin's rule until at least 2030.
"He was one of the few real patriots in our country," Pavel Zakharov said as he laid flowers at Wagner's headquarters in Saint Petersburg.
Many Russians eagerly awaited Prigozhin's outspoken, often expletive-laden social media videos, a sharp contrast to the tightly controlled narrative of Russian officials.
- Ukrainians hope death 'true' -
Wagner offices were still operating and even recruiting in Russia after Prigozhin's rebellion, which saw his men take over a military headquarters in the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and march on Moscow.
In Siberia, a region from where Wagner recruited heavily, people also laid flowers at the mercenary company's office in Novosibirsk.
But in Ukraine, where Wagner fighters were known for their exceptional brutality -- including extrajudicial killings of their own men -- many welcomed the news of Prigozhin's death.
"I feel really happy that this person died, if it is true," government worker Iryna Kuchina told AFP in central Kyiv.
Prigozhin recruited tens of thousands of Russian convicts to fight in Ukraine, often thrown into the front line.
Wagner's future without Prigozhin -- including its involvement in African conflicts -- remained unclear.
Artificial Intelligence Analysis
Defense Industry Analyst: 8/10This article provides insight into the sudden crash of a plane carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin, a mercenary leader, and other senior members of the paramilitary group Wagner. Vladimir Putins comments on the crash suggest a complex relationship between the two figures, as well as the implications of the crash on the Russian defense industry. Since the crash occurred two months after Prigozhin led a rebellion against Moscows top military brass, some observers have speculated that the crash may have been an assassination. This article provides a contextualized understanding of the Russian defense industry and the crash, and is highly relevant for defense industry analysts.
Stock Market Analyst: 4/10This article does not provide much insight for stock market analysts. While the plane crash may have implications for the Russian defense industry, it does not necessarily have any direct impact on the stock market, and thus the relevance of this article for stock market analysts is relatively low.
General Industry Analyst: 6/10This article is moderately relevant for general industry analysts, as it provides insight into the complex relationship between Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, as well as the implications of the crash for the Russian defense industry. By providing information about the crash and Putins response to it, this article may be useful for general industry analysts in terms of understanding the current state of the Russian defense industry.
Analyst Summary
:
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin offered his condolences to the families of the victims of a plane crash that reportedly killed mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigozhin and other senior members of the Wagner paramilitary group. Putins comments about Prigozhin and the Wagner group suggest a complex relationship between the two, as well as the potential implications of the crash for the Russian defense industry. Since the crash occurred two months after Prigozhin led a rebellion against Moscows top military brass, some observers have speculated that the crash may have been an assassination. This article is highly relevant for defense industry analysts, as it provides insight into the current state of the Russian defense industry and the implications of the crash. It is moderately relevant for general industry analysts, as it provides insight into the complex relationship between Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin, as well as the implications of the crash for the Russian defense industry. However, it is not particularly relevant for stock market analysts, as the crash does not necessarily have any direct impact on the stock market.Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the Russian defense industry has undergone significant changes and developments, including the rise of the Wagner paramilitary group and the rebellion against Moscows top military brass led by Yevgeny Prigozhin. This incident and Vladimir Putins response to it suggest a complex relationship between the two figures and the implications of the crash for the Russian defense industry. There are notable similarities between this incident and the significant events and trends in the space and defense industry over the past 25 years, such as the rise of the Russian defense industry and the changes in leadership that have taken place within it.Investigative
Question:
- 1. What was the exact cause of the plane crash?
- 2. What other implications does this crash have for the Russian defense industry?
- 3.
What implications does this crash have for Vladimir Putins rule?4. How has the Russian defense industry changed since the fall of the Soviet Union?
5. What other implications does the crash have for the Wagner paramilitary group?
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