The dramatic unraveling of the decades-long friendship between Vladimir Putin and Yevgeny Prigozhin ended just as explosively as it began.
, died after his private plane crashed in the Tver region of Russia along with nine other passengers, according to initial reports from Russia’s federal aviation agency., to march on Moscow in a failed mutiny that made headlines around the world. The coup attempt, prompted by Prigozhin’s frustration at Moscow’s approach to the war and their lack of support for his fighters in Ukraine, marked the most significant challenge to the Russian president’s rule since he rose to power two decades ago.
Now, it appears the men of Wagner will have to pursue those goals without the guidance of their notorious boss.Previously known primarily as a shadowy businessman sanctioned by the U.S. over his empire of internet trolls’ election interference, Prigozhin had long denied links to the Wagner Group until a few months into the Ukraine war.
At one point seen as a galvanizing force in Moscow’s war, Prigozhin and his band of mercenaries quickly turned into a dangerous wildcard, popularizing extrajudicial killings and the so-called “hammer of revenge” with a brutal video of a defector being executed by sledgehammer. The mercenary group was also later accused of abducting Russian troops in Ukraine and torturing them or trying to sell them for supplies.
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