Conspiracy theories that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin may still be alive have gained traction after a second private jet linked to the mercenary chief was spotted flying to Moscow.
Prigozhin, who led a failed coup against top Kremlin officials less than two months ago, was listed as one of 10 passengers aboard the Embraer plane that crashed on Wednesday without surviving.
Although a Telegram channel linked to Wagner shared news of the fatal crash, the Kremlin and the Russian Defense Ministry did not comment, fueling rumors that Prigozhin faked his death.
Speculation has grown that Prigozhin may have avoided a fiery fate after news broke that a second private jet linked to the Wagner group had landed safely in St. Petersburg at the same time as the crash.
Footage shows the second jet – an Embraer ERJ-135BJ Legacy 650 aircraft – landing safely at Ostafyevo airport, the Sun reported.
This is not the first time Prigozhin, 62, has been mistakenly thought to be dead. Last month, a former senior US military leader speculated that Prigozhin was either dead or in prison, following a highly publicized meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin after his failed coup that was likely fake.
A conspiracy theory that Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin may still be alive has begun to gain traction.AP
Prigozhin also previously faked his own death in Africa in 2019 before showing his face again three days later.
Russia expert from the UK-based think tank Chatham House, Keir Giles, speculated that the Wagner boss might reappear soon.
“Several individuals have changed their names to Yevgeny Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his journey,” he told the Sun. “Don’t be surprised if he appears shortly in a new video from Africa.”
Prigozhin, who led a failed coup against the Kremlin’s top forces less than two months ago, was listed as one of 10 passengers aboard the Embraer plane that crashed on Wednesday.AP
Inside separate interview with Sky NewsGiles noted, “This is a man who cares about his safety, even before he makes himself a famous man by marching on Moscow.”
The bodies of the 10 passengers have been taken for forensic examination in an attempt to identify them.
President Biden said he was not surprised by the fatal crash of a plane that appeared to have Putin’s enemies on board.
Prigozhin has been mistakenly believed to be dead before, including in 2019 when he faked his death in Africa. TELEGRAM/ @grey_zone/AFP via Getty Images
“I don’t really know what happened. But I’m not surprised,” Biden told reporters. “There’s not much going on in Russia that Putin hasn’t missed, but I don’t know enough to know the answer.”
The plane caught fire on impact, according to the government agency, which is accused of spreading Russian propaganda during the Ukraine war.
The investigation into the crash is under the “personal control” of the governor of the Tver region, Igor Rudenya, according to TASS.
The jet crash is under investigation. TELEGRAM/ @grey_zone/AFP via Getty Images
The crash came just two days after Prigozhin shared his first video speech since leading his army in a rebellion against Putin on June 24, marching towards Moscow before the effort was called off about 100 miles before he reached the capital and the army agreed to turn around and return. to the front line in Ukraine.
Unverified footage of mercenaries in disguise carrying assault weapons appeared on the Wagner Group’s affiliated Telegram channel on Tuesday.
“Wagner PMC (private military company) made Russia more powerful on all continents, and Africa – more free,” the oligarch said in the video, which included a phone number for recruits.
Neither the Kremlin nor the Ministry of Defense has commented on Prigozhin’s status. AP
Prior to the video, Prigozhin had not been profiled since the June 24 uprising.
Wagner had suffered heavy losses in the conflict, where they led the attack on Bakhmut. Since Prigozhin’s army marched into Moscow, Putin has denounced him as a “traitor”.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko brokered a peace deal between Putin and Prigozhin, who agreed to cancel the march in exchange for amnesty for himself and his army.
Prigozhin has kept a low profile since his failed rebellion against Putin. TELEGRAM/ @concordgroup_official/AFP via Getty Images
Prigozhin also accepted exile in Belarus, although he was still in Russia on July 6, the BBC reported.
With Postal wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
