The Russian ‘Luna-25′ lander was also lost after colliding with the Moon’s surface last week, adding insult to injury for the space program. This summer, the people of Russia were stunned by a series of drone attacks on the heart of Moscow that resulted in explosions and structural damage. Then, the Russian rouble experienced a sudden drop, pushing the dollar rate briefly above 100 roubles. Most people weren’t astonished when the news that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane had crashed in a blaze in Russia’s Tver Region today.
Most Russians, I would venture to guess, were astonished it hadn’t transpired sooner. For weeks, Russians had speculated about what would happen to Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Wagner boss started his brief uprising two months ago, to the day. His hired guns took over a sizable Russian city and made a march on the capital. Many people assumed Prigozhin’s time in power was through once the insurrection was put down. After all, President Putin isn’t the type to forgive and forget, and the rebellion was a major embarrassment for the Kremlin.
Rosaviatsiya, the Russian Federal Aviation Agency, confirmed in a statement made roughly an hour after the incident that Yevgeny Prigozhin’s name appeared on the passenger manifest. Rosaviatsiya is not known for its speedy responses, thus this is an outlier. That made people look at you funny. Russian state television has been very quiet on the incident, instead quoting anonymous government officials. Channel One, which is controlled by the Kremlin, only spent 30 seconds on the subject during its major evening news broadcast.
Telegram groups associated with the Wagner organization have said that Prigozhin “was killed. by traitors of Russia.” St. Petersburg’s Wagner headquarters has become a temporary shrine. People are seen bringing flowers and candles to the Wagner Centre in pictures published by Russian media. In Russia, it is common knowledge that government-run TV stations will wait for official directives before changing the tone of their coverage.
The focus now shifted to the events that took place during the flight. Russian news outlets have reported that “external actions” are among the many theories under scrutiny. Political analyst Tatiana Stanovaya commented on the tragedy, saying that the cause of the jet crash is unimportant and that what is more important is the message it sends to any other prospective mutineers. The killing of Prigozhin, in Putin’s and many other security and military authorities’ eyes, should serve as a lesson.
