In a cold and calculated first response, Vladimir Putin has finally addressed the death of his former caterer-turned-mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin, who was killed in a mysterious plane crash just two months after leading a brief armed rebellion against the Russian state.
The Russian president's remarks, made during a meeting with the Moscow-installed leader of Ukraine's Donetsk region, were laden with ambiguity. He confirmed the deaths of all ten people on board the private jet, which plummeted from the sky north of Moscow, but offered no condolences to Prigozhin's family.
A 'Talented' Man with 'Serious Mistakes'
Putin's eulogy was a masterclass in Kremlin doublespeak. He acknowledged Prigozhin as a "talented businessman" who had "made serious mistakes in life." This stark assessment is being widely interpreted as a thinly veiled reference to Wagner's short-lived June mutiny, which represented the most significant challenge to Putin's authority in over two decades.
The Russian leader stated he had known Prigozhin since the early 1990s. "He was a man of complicated fate," Putin said, adding that Prigozhin had "achieved the results he needed both for himself and, when I asked him, for the common cause."
The Shadow of the June Mutiny
The context of Putin's words is impossible to ignore. The Embraer jet carrying Prigozhin, his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin, and other Wagner associates crashed under highly suspicious circumstances. The incident has sparked immediate and widespread speculation that it was an act of assassination, a brutal act of vengeance for the humiliating rebellion that saw Wagner forces seize a military headquarters and march unchallenged towards Moscow.
Western officials and analysts have been quick to point the finger at the Kremlin. The crash bears all the hallmarks of a signature move by Russian intelligence, echoing the fate of other critics who have met untimely ends under Putin's rule.
A Chilling Message to Enemies
Putin's delayed and emotionless statement sends a powerful message to any potential rivals within his inner circle. By publicly highlighting Prigozhin's "mistakes" while offering a backhanded compliment, the Russian strongman reinforces his ultimate authority. The message is clear: disloyalty, even from those once considered indispensable, will not be tolerated.
The world now watches to see what becomes of the notorious Wagner Group. With its leadership decimated, its future operations in Ukraine and across Africa, a key source of Russian influence and revenue, hang in the balance. The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin appears to be the final, bloody chapter in a story of betrayal and power—a story authored by the Kremlin.
