Yevgeny Prizohin, the head of the Wagner organisation, is said to have perished in a plane accident on August 23 in Russia’s South West.Later, a Russian aviation investigating agency confirmed the incident, and it was discovered that Yevgeny Prizohin was one of nine passengers aboard the aircraft, along with Wagner Commander Dmitri Utkin.According to the Investigative Department, which has not released any information to the public regarding Yevgeny Prizohin’s death, he was in Wagner Base in Mali the day before the incident and was travelling to St. Petersburg when he met with a plane crash.
However, the investigation division requested a gene test, and it was later determined that Yevgeny Prizohin and the other 8 perished.Finally, the Kremlin said that Yevgeny Prizohin’s final rite occurred on August 30 in an undisclosed location in Saint Petersburg.
The Kremlin maintained a low profile throughout the early stages of the disaster and refrained from releasing any information or making any death announcements.However, President Putin made an unexpected U-turn and addressed the passing of Wagner Chief.Yevgeny Prizohin was described as “talented” and a “man of difficult faith” by President Putin.Additionally, he said that the Wagner ensemble would always be appreciated by Russian society.
The fundamental question that now lingers is whether Yevgeny Prizohin indeed passed away, or even if he did, what caused his passing—a plane crash or a state-sponsored homicide?Additionally, it is challenging to draw a single, conclusive conclusion due to the dearth of resources accessible to confirm his death.
Because of this, investigating all angles and taking into account all circumstances that might have contributed to his demise is the greatest way to comprehend the specifics of the crisis.
1) The potential survival of Wagner head Yevgeny Prizohin
This may sound interesting and shocking, but the Russian government has officially acknowledged his passing, and even his last rites appear to have taken place.However, it’s important to note that none of these assertions have been supported by evidence. It has been almost two weeks since Yevgeny Prizohin passed away, and as of yet, no information about his passing has been made public, including no photos, results of a gene test, or images of his final rites.
However, the question is why the Kremlin is concealing his death.
The Kremlin conceals his identities for a variety of reasons.Regardless of Prizohin’s personal ambitions and conflicts with the Kremlin.Wagner has been crucial to Russia’s past and ongoing operations in Syria’s western Africa and recently in Ukraine. It was also evident in the way Wagner received a special exemption in Russia, a nation that forbids the existence of private mercenary groups. In Russia, Wagner was not only immune from this prohibition but was also permitted to open an office in St. Petersburg.Wagner is still pursuing Kremlin interests. It has registered itself in the redbooks of the west in many parts of the world.And after the incident on June 24—when Wagner, led by Yevgeny Prizohin, led a march for justice to Moscow—this has only gotten worse. According to an agreement between Wagner and the Kremlin, the Wagner leader and his army were permitted to move to Belarus.
As 20k+ combat-ready Wagnerites are stationed close to Poland’s Nato border, creating a sense of deterrence for Russia against any NATO provocations, the Wagner deployment in Belarus is a blessing in disguise for the Kremlin. It also gives Russia the added advantage of opening a new front against Ukraine. And as a result of everything, the West was aware of the threat posed by Wagner chief Yevgeny Prizohin, and President Lukashenko had revealed that the West had plans to assassinate Prizohin.
Additionally, the heroics of Yevgeny Prizohin Wagner in Africa threatened the western presence on the continent because the group indirectly assisted in bringing about a political transition and a government friendly to the West African region.
The presence of Wagner in Syria, who has been assisting the government forces in their fight against Western proxies like the SDF, did not sit well with the West either.
When all of this is considered, there are some very good reasons why the West targeted Yevgeny Prizohin, and since Wagner is the Kremlin’s guardian force, there is a good chance that his death was staged in order to keep Yevgeny Prizohin away from the mainstream and give him protection from any Western attacks.
2) Is his death a state sponsored assassination?
Yevgeny Prizohin was highly ambitious and sought to capitalize on the 50k+ Wagner soldiers. His ongoing conflicts with the Russian MOD caused problems for the Kremlin because they exposed the shortcomings of Russian special operations.
The incident on June 24 served as the catalyst for ongoing Kremlin-Wagner tensions, and the mutiny turned into President Putin’s biggest power challenge. It also called into question President Putin’s authority over Russia.
The likelihood that his death was the result of a Kremlin assassination attempt is therefore very high.
On one hand, some argue that Prizohin may still be alive due to the lack of concrete evidence confirming his death, such as photos, gene tests, or last rituals documentation. The Kremlin’s historical support for Wagner and its strategic importance in various global regions provide a motive for concealing his death. Prizohin’s confrontations with Russian authorities, his ambitions to capitalize on Wagner’s extensive forces, and the mutiny on June 24th further complicate the situation, potentially making him a target for an assassination attempt by the Kremlin.
On the other hand, the West’s interest in targeting Prizohin due to Wagner’s actions in regions like West Africa and Syria cannot be overlooked. This adds another layer of complexity to the situation, where both internal and external factors may have played a role.
In conclusion, the truth behind Yevgeny Prizohin’s death remains enigmatic, with multiple plausible scenarios and motivations. Until concrete evidence emerges, the mystery surrounding his demise will continue to spark intrigue and speculation among observers and analysts alike.
