In late June, Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin took management of Russia’s southern metropolis of Rostov-on-Don, the opening salvo of a mutiny towards the Kremlin that led to a fragile truce orchestrated by Belarus’s chief Alexander Lukashenko.
The rebellion was a public humiliation for Russian President Vladimir Putin, a frontrunner believed to have an extended historical past of taking out these he perceives as traitors.
Many believed Prigozhin’s days had been numbered.
Two months later, a non-public Embraer jet travelling from Moscow to St Petersburg crashed on August 23 north of the capital, killing Prigozhin and 9 different folks on board, together with Dmitry Utkin and Valery Chekalov, 4 bodyguards and a crew of three.
However completely different theories as to why the jet crashed abound, with Moscow and Washington each suggesting foul play. Here’s what has been stated:
Doable ‘deliberate atrocity’: Kremlin
The Kremlin stated on Wednesday that investigators had been contemplating the likelihood that the aircraft carrying Prigozhin was downed on goal, the primary express acknowledgement that he might have been assassinated.
“It’s apparent that completely different variations are being thought-about, together with the model – you already know what we’re speaking about – let’s say, a deliberate atrocity,” Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov advised reporters when requested in regards to the investigation.
Requested if the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group would examine the crash, Peskov stated that the circumstances made it completely different, although he cautioned that investigators had made no formal conclusions but about what precisely befell.
“Let’s look ahead to the outcomes of our Russian investigation,” Peskov stated.
Requested about that report, Peskov stated: “To begin with, the investigation is beneath method, the Investigative Committee is engaged on this.”
“On this case, there will be no speak of any worldwide facet,” Peskov stated.
In an uncommon transfer, the Interstate Aviation Committee (IAC), which oversees aviation accident investigations in a grouping of former Soviet republics, together with Russia, stated it was not investigating the crash, including that it will not be commenting on the “circumstances of the incident”.
The Kremlin has rejected as an “absolute lie” the suggestion by some Western politicians and commentators – for which they haven’t offered proof – that Putin ordered Prigozhin to be killed in revenge.
Intentional explosion seemingly induced crash: Washington
A preliminary US intelligence evaluation concluded that an intentional explosion induced the aircraft crash.
One of many US and Western officers who described the preliminary evaluation stated it decided that Prigozhin was “very seemingly” focused and that the explosion falls according to Putin’s “lengthy historical past of making an attempt to silence his critics”.
Pentagon spokesperson Normal Pat Ryder stated press studies {that a} surface-to-air missile took down the aircraft had been inaccurate. He declined to say whether or not the US suspected a bomb or believed the crash was an assassination.
FSB ‘probably’ behind aircraft crash: British safety sources
Shortly after the crash, British safety sources advised the BBC that Russia’s Federal Safety Service, the FSB, was “probably to have focused Yevgeny Prigozhin’s aircraft”.
UK defence sources inform BBC: Prigozhin’s aircraft probably introduced down by Russia’s FSB home intel company. More likely to strengthen place of Prigozhin’s enemies: Shoigu and Gerasimov. #Prigozhin
— Frank Gardner (@FrankRGardner) August 24, 2023
The UK’s Secret Intelligence Service, the MI6’s former head, Richard Dearlove, additionally advised the Telegraph newspaper that Prigozhin’s loss of life was “unsurprising”.
“I’m certain it’ll be offered as an accident, and there might be a component of doubt, however everybody within the West will come to the identical conclusion – that that is Putin’s revenge on individuals who problem his energy base,” he added.
Air defences hit aircraft: pro-Wagner Telegram channel
Prigozhin supporters claimed on pro-Wagner channels of Telegram messaging app that the aircraft was intentionally downed.
A put up by Gray Zone, a Wagner-connected social media channel, claimed Russian anti-aircraft defences had shot down the aircraft.
It stated that residents heard “two bursts of attribute air defence fireplace” earlier than the crash.
“That is confirmed by inversion traces within the sky in one of many movies,” it added.
Eyewitness accounts report explosion earlier than crash
The aircraft crashed close to the village of Kuzhenkino in Russia’s Tver area.
Kuzhenkino resident Vitaly Stepenok, 72, advised the Reuters information company: “I hear an explosion or a bang. Often, if an explosion occurs on the bottom, you then get an echo, nevertheless it was only a bang, and I seemed up and noticed white smoke.”
“One wing flew off in a single route, and the fuselage went like that,” he stated, gesturing along with his arms to point out how the aircraft headed down in direction of the bottom.
“After which it glided down on one wing. It didn’t nose-dive, it was gliding.”
One other villager named Anatoly stated: “By way of what may need occurred, I’ll simply say this: It wasn’t thunder; it was a metallic bang. Let’s put it that method, I’ve heard issues like that earlier than.”
Plane ascended, descended a number of instances earlier than crash: Flightradar24
Flightradar24, a Swedish internet-based service that exhibits real-time plane flight monitoring data, launched a report on the aircraft crash that confirmed the plane had struggled to keep up altitude earlier than it plummeted to the bottom.
“Although the plane was not transmitting place data, different information like altitude, velocity, vertical price, and autopilot settings had been broadcast. It’s this information that gives some perception into the ultimate moments of the flight,” the report said.
Flightradar24 says that after levelling off at 28,000 toes (8,534 metres) at 6:10pm (15:10 GMT), the plane continued in degree flight at constant velocity till 6:19pm (15:19 GMT), at which level the vertical price decreased dramatically inflicting the plane to descend briefly earlier than climbing to a most altitude of 30,100 toes (9,174 metres) after which dropping to about 27,500 toes (8,382 metres).
Flightradar24 says the aircraft then climbed as soon as extra reaching 29,300 toes (8,931 metres) and levelling off as soon as once more earlier than ultimately spiralling right into a fall to the bottom.
