Wagner chief Prigozhin confirmed dead by Russian authorities after genetic tests

Also killed was Dmitriy Utkin, a trusted lieutenant of Prigozhin’s since the beginning of the Wagner Group, and Valeriy Chekalov, a senior aide to Prigozhin. Three crew members died.

Prigozhin’s shadowy lifestyle and use of security precautions prompted rumors he was not on board. At a makeshift memorial for him in St. Petersburg this week CNN found a couple who thought Prigozhin’s death was orchestrated to allow the Wagner boss to be deployed onto other missions to benefit Russia.

The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin’s attempted mutiny against Russia’s military leadership.

Prigozhin was once an elusive figure, who grew in prominence after his Wagner group delivered some rare battlefield successes for Russia in its invasion of Ukraine. But he became an increasingly strident critic of the Russian campaign and its leadership.

In June, Prigozhin and his Wagner troops seized key military sites and marched toward Moscow, where the Kremlin had deployed heavily armed troops to the streets. But before they could face off, a deal was struck that ended the rebellion and sent Prigozhin and his fighters to neighboring Belarus.

Can Wagner survive, even if Prigozhin didn’t?

It marked the biggest challenge to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s rule in 23 years. It also painted a target on Prigozhin’s back, with some experts speculating the warlord was a dead man walking.

It is not clear yet what caused the crash, but US and western intelligence officials that CNN has spoken to believe it was deliberate. US President Joe Biden suggested on Wednesday that Putin may have been involved. “I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised,” he said.

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To date, no evidence has been presented that points to the involvement of the Kremlin or Russian security services in the crash. The cause of the incident remains unknown and Russian authorities have launched a criminal investigation.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied claims that the Kremlin might have been involved in the crash, calling such speculation an “absolute lie.”