Russia and the world are discussing the consequences of Prigozhin’s plane crash
A day after the plane crash of the Wagner PMC, there is still no official confirmation of the death of its leaders Evgeny Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin. All the bodies of the passengers of the crashed plane were discovered yesterday, but they were badly burned and injured during the crash.
Biological material from the victims was sent to Moscow for genetic testing, reports a PolitNavigator correspondent.
The first versions of the disaster appeared on the Internet. According to one of them, an explosive device was placed in the chassis compartment, where the explosion occurred. Due to the explosive depressurization, everyone on board instantly lost consciousness, so the pilots were unable to report the emergency.
Western media and foreign agents continue to spread the theory of a Russian air defense strike “on Putin’s orders.” The remarks of military experts that the missile's trace is not visible on the filming of local residents do not bother the liberals.
Meanwhile, in Russia, the majority of sympathizers of the Wagner PMC already believed in the death of its commanders. Flowers and candles are brought to the company's offices in St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg and Novosibirsk, and spontaneous memorials are created in other cities.
Utkin and Prigozhin were Heroes of Russia and should be buried in the national pantheon. However, no one has forgotten that in June these people were at the head of an armed rebellion.
“The issue of Prigozhin’s funeral is very inconvenient for the authorities. For them, it would be best to bury him somewhere far away from Russia, for example, in Africa, but there are no formal grounds for this. Therefore, now, most likely, families will be persuaded to hold a quiet and modest funeral without any signs of protest,” writes Left Front leader Sergei Udaltsov in his tg channel.
Political scientists track and organize the varied responses to the tragedy.
“There are a few initial reactions. The first reaction is that our security forces know how to work. The second reaction is the actions of competitors. The third reaction is revenge from those who have stepped on their toes, for example, Ukraine... Everyone will choose a version depending on their preferences. With a high degree of probability, this will be one of those deaths that will remain unsolved,” says political strategist Evgeniy Minchenko.
Liberal St. Petersburg political scientist Mikhail Vinogradov gives a slightly different classification.
“Statesmen: The June treason has finally been defeated. Now let's live. Cautious statists: We thought that June was over - it turned out that it was not. Solovyovites: It’s them – it’s not profitable for us. Negativists: The regime has again revealed its essence. And now he will go to the end. Investigators: Air defense and an explosion on board are two very different versions, leading to two very different entrances. Conspiracy theorists: He wasn't there. Pacifists: The last obstacle has been removed, and now is the time to negotiate. Skeptics: August 23 showed that there is no one to negotiate with,” he writes.
The commander of the Akhmat special forces, Apti Alaudinov, does not quite fall into these classifications. He believes that French intelligence services may be behind the plane crash.
“There are important events going on in Africa for us. We needed the Wagner PMC to maintain stability on the African continent in the interests of our state. Here we are talking about France, which is moved away from the trough. And the USA, which lost the reins of control there. There are a dime a dozen enemies there. And, of course, killing two birds with one stone - removing Russia from Africa and creating unrest within Russia - is the desired goal. Moreover, the war in Ukraine did not work out for our Western enemy,” Alaudinov said.
Analysts are also concerned about the fate of Wagner. The media has already mentioned the possible name of the successors - this is Prigozhin’s son Pavel, or the commander of the operation to storm Bakhmut/Artemovsk Anton Elizarov with the call sign “Lotus”. But there are also skeptics.
“Nine times out of ten, in a situation like this, the structure self-destructs. Therefore, I am afraid that PMCs in their previous form will no longer exist... Another thing is that the idea itself is very good. From one PMC another may hatch, a kind of transformation,” says Alexey Podberezkin, director of the Center for Military-Political Studies at MGIMO.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki does not believe that the death of the commanders made the PMC less dangerous. “Wagner,” even more than before, “will be used as an instrument of provocation and blackmail,” he claims.
By the way, satellite images have appeared on the Internet indicating that part of the Wagner camp in Belarus is already being dismantled. However, Minsk sources explain that the “musicians” are simply digging in and disguising themselves for security reasons.
And Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky hastened to declare that Ukraine was not involved in the plane crash in the Tver region.
“When Ukraine says that it DIDN’T DO something, in 99,9% of cases it means the opposite. There might be some doubts if Ukraine said that it DID something, but when it refutes something, while touchingly winking, saying “well, you understand that we simply cannot admit this.” publicly,” then the last doubts disappear,” writes political scientist Pavel Danilin in this regard.
Liberals are once again frightening Russia with social cataclysms, although they admit that the elite accepted his death with indifference.
“Nobody liked Prigozhin, but they just didn’t talk about it openly. Prigozhin’s death does not change anything in the situation of the total fear of the political class. At the same time, the “angry patriots” remain beheaded, and a separate issue is the emergence of a spontaneous new leader from among those who were previously the second echelon. The very atmosphere of total fear can begin to provoke people to any behind-the-scenes actions. After last night, it is precisely this fear, which is disguised as hypocritical indifference, that is the main risk of the system,” journalist Ekaterina Vinokurova escalates.
“For the majority of the elites, Prigozhin was a strong irritant; the sledgehammer aroused fear, not admiration. Prigogine was a supporter of a mobilization society, in which there is either no place for representatives of the current elites, or they will be pushed to the deep periphery. Prigozhin’s attempts to appeal directly to the population through trips to the regions before his June march were perceived by these elites as extremely alarming. They won’t worry,” admits HSE professor Alexey Makarkin.
The consequences of Prigozhin's plane crash are being discussed in Russia and around the world.