According to the American daily, Yevgeny Prigozhin was murdered with Russia's approval. The Wall Street Journal even claims to know exactly why the plane he was on on August 23 exploded mid-flight.
What are the causes of the plane accident that took Yevgeny Prigozhin's life? Four months after the death of the former head of the Russian paramilitary group Wagner, the question remains unanswered to this day. This Friday, December 22nd, the Wall Street Journal claims to know the truth.
According to the American daily, a small explosive device was planted under a wing of the private plane that crashed north of Moscow on August 23, killing the security company's founder and nine other people. Exactly two months to the day after the mutiny of the Wagner mercenaries against the Russian military leadership.
Evgueni Prigojine would therefore have been the victim of an attack. “The Wall Street Journal suggests that this assassination of Wagner's leader was carefully prepared over a two-month period and received the approval of Nikolai Patrushev, a close associate of Vladimir Putin,” Zinfos974 reports.
72-year-old Nikolai Patrushev headed the Federal Security Service (FSB, successor to the Soviet KGB). A supporter of a hard line, he is considered one of Vladimir Putin's closest and most influential advisors. The two men met in the 1970s when they worked together for the KGB in Leningrad, now St. Petersburg.
“Confabulations”
“Revelations” that Moscow brushes aside. The Kremlin accuses the newspaper of publishing fakes. Asked about the article, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had not read it and did not want to comment, adding: “Unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal has been really fond of producing channel novels lately.”
Last October, Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that the destruction of the plane was caused by the explosion of grenades on board, rejecting the theory of a missile attack spread in particular by American intelligence.
As soon as Yevgeny Prigozhin's body was officially identified four days after the crash, Westerners pointed the finger at Vladimir Putin, who called Prigozhin a “traitor” for his rebellion against Moscow.