Prigozhin Is Dead. The Culture He Represented Lives On
TimeAug 20, 2023
Deliberate Downing of Prigozhin's Jet Not Ruled Out, Kremlin Says
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Image copyright: Kremlin [via Wikimedia Commons]
The Facts
Russian investigators probing the plane crash that killed Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin have not ruled out the possibility that the plane was deliberately downed, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.
Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy jet had been flying between Moscow and St. Petersburg when it went down in the Tver region last week, killing all ten people on board. His death was confirmed following DNA testing of the bodies found in the wreckage.
The Spin
Pro-Russia narrative
Any insinuation that the Kremlin was involved in Prighozhin's plane crash is nothing but lies and speculation and an attempt to discredit Russia. A comprehensive investigation is being carried out, and its results will be shared when known.
Anti-Russia narrative
Though the Kremlin hints that Prigozhin may have been assassinated, the lack of international investigators into the circumstances of the crash will inevitably bring into question the probe's independence and whether it was manipulated for political goals.
