2023-08-24 02:07:38
Wagner chief reports air crash death, Biden says ‘no surprise’
24.08.2023
The head of the Russian mercenary group Wagner, Prigozin Chuan, was killed in the crash. Media related to the group blamed Moscow for the incident. U.S. President Biden and Ukrainian politicians from many countries have commented on the matter.
(Deutsche Welle Chinese website) The relevant media of the Russian aviation agency and the mercenary Wagner Group have reported that the head of the Wagner GroupPrigozin(Yevgeny Prigozhin) crashed in Russia on Wednesday (August 23).
All 10 people on board died in the “air crash”, including three crew members, Russian state news agency RIA Novosti reported. After preliminary investigation, 8 bodies have been found at the crash site.
According to Rosaviatsia, the plane was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg when it crashed in a nearby village in the Tver region, more than 100 kilometers north of Moscow, Prigozin and his mysterious assistant who helped him manage Wagner Dmitry Utkin was among those killed on the flight.
Russia’s Federal Aviation Agency confirmed Prigozin’s plane crashed near the village of Kuzhenkino, more than 100 kilometers north of Moscow.
Prigozin’s death was confirmed by Wagner’s Telegram channel Gray Zone. The channel called him a hero, a patriot and claimed that he died at the hands of unspecified “Russian traitors”.
Juri Rescheto, director of DW’s Russia office, believes that the incident is probably not an accident.Prigozin, he said, “has become very important to the Kremlin. He has become too powerful, too powerful to question it openly and out loud.Russo-Ukrainian WarThe significance of this is extremely inconvenient for Russia. “
Once Prigozin’s death is confirmed, “I can imagine that the Wagner Group will cease to exist as a fighting force,” Recheto added.
Since Prigozin led theThe Wagner Group staged a short-lived mutiny against Moscowback,His whereabouts have been in the spotlight. Two days ago, a video allegedly of Prigozin, who appeared to be in Africa, was posted on Telegram.This is also his owngive up mutinyThe first video since .
White House: Prigozin’s death ‘not a surprise’
U.S. President Joe Biden, who is on vacation, told reporters that the White House was aware of the news.
“I don’t know exactly what happened, but I’m not surprised,” Biden said, adding, “A lot of what’s happening in Russia is (the Russian president)Putin(Vladimir Putin) behind the scenes. But I don’t know enough about it to know the specifics.”
Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podolyak responded to the incident on the social media platform X, saying that Putin will “obviously” use Prigozin to make an example of others, and two months after the end of the mutiny, he will show his elimination. Prigozin and Wagner command, this is exactly “Putin’s signal to the Russian elite ahead of the 2024 elections”.
Polish Foreign Minister Zbigniew Rau also said on the country’s state news channel TVP Info that Prigozin’s death could not be a coincidence: “A political opponent whom Putin considers a threat to his power cannot died of natural causes.”
Estonian Prime Minister Kaja Kallas told CNN: “If true, it would show that Putin would eliminate his opponents, which would scare anyone who would express disagreement with him. “
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Prigozin: This is not a coup
On June 23, Prigozin suddenly posted news on social media that the Russian Ministry of Defense launched a missile attack on the rear camp of the Wagner Mercenary Corps, and the Wagner Corps is preparing to respond to this. However, Prigozin only targeted Defense Minister Shoigu and Russian Chief of Staff Gerasimov, and did not target Putin himself for the time being. “This is not a military coup, but a march for justice,” he said.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Take over Rostov-on-Don
On June 24, in the southern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don, Wagnerian mercenaries announced the takeover of the main military headquarters in the region. Prigozin posted a video there saying that his men were heading straight to Moscow to start a “just march” and that “Russia will soon have a new president.” Then, the Russian Prosecutor’s Office opened an investigation on the “armed riot”, and the country’s security agency began to investigate Prigozin’s whereabouts.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Chechen armed forces will also intervene
It seems that the arrow is on the string. Chechen regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on June 24 that his armed forces had moved into “areas of tension” to help the Kremlin quell the Wagnerian rebellion. He wrote on social media: “We will do our best to maintain the unity of Russia and defend the national dignity.”
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Putin: A dagger stabbed in the back
Facing the “rebels going north”, Russian President Vladimir Putin made a televised speech, “Russia suffered such a blow in 1917, at the time of the First World War. But the victory was taken away. Various political adventurers and Foreign powers have turned the Russians against each other, they have torn the country apart for their own gain. We will not let this happen again.” Everyone who participates in treason will be punished”. But Putin also said Wagner’s soldiers were “heroes” who liberated the Donbass region in southern Ukraine.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Moscow enters “extraordinary times”
On June 24, when Prigozin’s forces were said to be 200 kilometers from the capital, Moscow imposed martial law in the style of anti-terrorism operations. Authorities asked residents to limit travel. Moscow’s municipal authorities also ordered that Monday’s working day be canceled for safety reasons, and martial law remains in place across the city.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
The military convoy made a sudden U-turn: it did not want to “bleed Russia”
However, just late on June 24, Belarusian President Lukashenko suddenly issued a statement saying that with the consent of Russian President Putin, an agreement was reached with Prigozin, and the Wagner mercenaries stopped all operations in various parts of Russia. Activity. Prigozin quickly confirmed the agreement, saying: “We are ordering the troops to turn around and return to the field camp.” He also said he understood the importance of this moment and did not want to “bleed Russia”. There are different opinions on whether the criminal prosecution of Prigozin will be cancelled.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Prigozin himself
Prigozin was born in 1961 in what was then Leningrad, now St Petersburg. Served nine years in a Soviet prison for robbery and fraud. After he got out of prison, he started out as a hot dog food truck in his hometown and founded the catering company Concord, which caters for state banquets. Such cooperation has brought him the title of “Putin’s chef”. In 2014, Prigozin founded the private mercenary “Wagner Group”.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Wagner Legion
Wagner’s mercenaries first intervened in Ukraine in 2014, helping Russia illegally annex Crimea. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the combat effectiveness of Wagner’s Legion in the fierce battle in eastern Ukraine became an important military asset of the Kremlin. The source of troops comes from retired Russian officers and soldiers, police officers, and prisoners who want to be released early. Foreigners can also join in addition to NATO countries and Ukraine. Its commander, Urikin, admired the German musician Wagner, from which the regiment got its name.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Prigozin rejects Ministry of Defense leadership
Wagner’s Legion has always been active on the front lines of the war, such as playing an extremely important role in the siege of Bahemut. However, in recent months, Prigozin and the top Russian army have had fierce quarrels, arguing that the Ministry of Defense did not provide enough ammunition supplies during the Battle of Bakhmut, and publicly accused Defense Minister Shoigu (right) and Chief of General Staff Gerasimo The husband should be responsible for the large number of casualties of the soldiers of Wagner’s mercenary regiment. Since June, the Russian Ministry of Defense has required mercenaries to sign an agreement before the end of the month to obey their command. In Prigozin’s view, this is tantamount to disarming, and the contradiction has further intensified.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
Where is Prigozin?
On June 26, Russian Defense Minister Shao Yigu, who was accused of being “incompetent” by Prigozin, appeared on TV and explained that he inspected the frontline troops, but the time and place were not explained. What people are more concerned about is Prigozin’s whereabouts. According to the agreement reached with Belarus, he should go there. Reached? “Prigozin sends hello to everyone. He will answer your questions as soon as he is able to send and receive messages,” his press officer told reporters.
The short-lived 24-hour riot of Wagner’s mercenaries
How many people will follow him?
In theory he could take his mercenary soldiers and head to Belarus. Not sure how many will follow him. However, the business of the Wagner Legion spreads all over the world. Libya, Syria, many countries in Africa, and Venezuela in Latin America are all places where this mercenary makes money. Soldiers on the battlefield are said to be paid $5,000 a month. Prigozin claimed that the army still has 25,000 people, and US intelligence agencies estimate that this number should be doubled.
(comprehensive report)
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