White House ‘Growing Sure’ Prigozhin Perished in Russian Plane Crash
The White House “Increasingly Confident” Wagner Group Leader Died in Plane Crash
The White House announced on Monday that it is “increasingly confident” that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, died in a recent plane crash in Russia.
During a press briefing, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre addressed the progress in determining the cause of the crash involving “Prigozhin’s plane.”
“We are increasingly confident that Prigozhin died in the plane crash that took place on Aug. 23, this past Wednesday,” Ms. Jean-Pierre said. “I don’t have any new assessment.”
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The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed the identities of all 10 crash victims, including Mr. Prigozhin, through genetic testing conducted at the crash site.
“As part of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed. Based on their results, the identities of all ten dead have been established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight sheet,” said Russian Investigative Committee spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenk.
However, the committee did not disclose the cause of the crash, which occurred between Moscow and Prigozhin’s hometown, St. Petersburg.
The timing of the crash raised suspicions of a potential orchestrated action by the Kremlin. Given Prigozhin’s history, there were speculations that he might not have been on the plane or could have evaded the fatal outcome.
Earlier statements from Russian authorities indicated that the passengers included Prigozhin and another high-ranking figure in Wagner, Dmitriy Utkin. Additionally, three individuals from the flight crew lost their lives in the incident.
The crash followed Prigozhin’s leadership in a mutiny against Russia’s military, leading Wagner forces from Ukraine toward Moscow. The Kremlin unexpectedly made a deal with him, allowing him to avoid charges and settle in Belarus. Questions remain about his accountability for challenging Putin’s 23-year rule.
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the mutiny as an act of “treason” at the time and pledged to take action against those responsible.
Following the plane crash, Putin extended his condolences to the families of the victims and acknowledged Prigozhin’s “significant contribution” to Russia’s involvement in the conflict in Ukraine.
“He was a man of difficult fate, and he made serious mistakes in life,” said Putin.
An initial assessment by U.S. intelligence, based on anonymous sources, suggested that the deliberate destruction of the plane was the likely cause of the crash. This finding further fueled suspicions that Putin might have been the primary instigator.
On Aug. 24, Pentagon press secretary Air Force Brig. Gen. Pat Ryder stated that intelligence indicated Prigozhin was on the plane that crashed. However, he emphasized that the United States would refrain from commenting on the cause of the crash or whether the Kremlin was involved in any assassination of the Wagner chief.
“First of all, our initial assessment is that it’s likely Prigozhin was killed,” said Mr. Ryder. “We don’t have any information to indicate, right now, the press reporting, stating that there was some type of surface-to-air missile that took down the plane. But, we assess that information to b
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