Vladimir Putin has announced his candidacy for the upcoming presidential election in March 2021, signaling his intention to remain in power for at least another six years. Despite costly wars and attacks, Putin has maintained a strong base of support and is expected to win the election. The election will be closely watched by the international community, as it will be a key indicator of the future of Russia and its relationship with the rest of the world.
Posts tagged as “Prigozhin’”
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, is believed to have died in a plane crash on Friday. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied any involvement in the crash, and forensic tests are still needed to confirm Prigozhin's death. An informal memorial has been set up in St. Petersburg, and the cause of the crash is still under investigation.
A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment has found that the plane crash presumed to have killed Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was intentionally caused by an explosion. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock has commented on the incident, noting the pattern of deaths and dubious suicides in Putin's Russia. President Joe Biden had previously commented on the incident, saying he was not surprised and that there is not much that happens in Russia that Putin is not behind.
On Wednesday, a plane crash north of Moscow killed mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin and all 10 people on board, raising suspicions as Prigozhin had led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year. Gen. Sergei Surovikin, a top general linked to Prigozhin, was dismissed from his position as commander of the air force and has not been seen in public since the mutiny. The cause of the plane crash is still under investigation and it is unclear if Prigozhin’s death will be confirmed or if the crash was related to the mutiny.
On Wednesday evening, a private Embraer Legacy aircraft crashed in Russia's Tver region, killing all 10 people on board. The plane was registered to Wagner, a mercenary group led by Yevgeny Prigozhin, and had taken off from Moscow earlier in the evening. The Russian Ministry of Emergency Services has launched an investigation into the crash, and Russian state media has reported that Prigozhin was among the passengers on board.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the owner of the Wagner Group military contractor, has released a video of himself in military fatigues and holding a rifle, hinting at his location in Africa. The video appears to be a recruitment drive for the Wagner Group, and the exact whereabouts of Prigozhin remain unknown. The Wagner Group has been linked to the Kremlin and has been active in Syria, Ukraine, and other countries, and Prigozhin has been sanctioned by the U.S.
Russian President Vladimir Putin met with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of the Wagner Group, a private military company, on June 29th. The meeting, which was attended by 35 people, could signal a possible reconciliation between the two men and have implications for the group's operations around the world, including the conflict in Ukraine.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko has claimed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, is in Russia and his troops are in their field camps. Footage of Prigozhin's home has been released, showing opulence and a cache of weapons, and the Kremlin has refused to comment on his whereabouts. Ukraine's security service has also claimed that Russian generals supported the Wagner Group during the mutiny, raising questions about the end of the challenge to President Vladimir Putin's rule.