The Wagner Mercenary Group has sent a chilling warning to the Russian establishment after the grisly demise of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin.
The Wagner Mercenary Group has sent a warning to the Russian establishment after the grisly demise of leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, the man behind the failed military coup in June.
Before the flames had receded on the airplane wreck that claimed the lives of 10 people outside Moscow, masked members of the feared military faction were filming a chilling threat of revenge to Vladimir Putin, who has already been accused of having a hand in the explosion.
The crash came two months after the failed coup, leaving many analysts scratching their heads as to why Prigozhin, a noted adversary of Putin, was still in Russia.
It is still unclear how the plane was taken down. There is speculation a bomb was planted in a crate used to carry wine, while some eyewitnesses suggested a missile had taken the aircraft down.
While some believe the coup, which lasted just two days, was an orchestrated plot by Putin as an opportunity to remind Russians of his strength, the bombshell development has raised renewed concerns about instability in the nation.
The Wagner Mercenary Group released a video threat in the aftermath, hinting at another potential march on Moscow to avenge their eccentric leader.
“Many discussions of what Wagner will do in this situation,” members can be heard saying.
“We‘ll say one thing – we’re starting off. Expect us.”
Another Telegram post by a Wagner member warned another coup could be on the horizon.
“There are rumours about the death of the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin,” the post read.
“We directly say that we suspect the Kremlin officials led by Putin of an attempt to kill him.
“If the information about Prigozhin’s death is confirmed, we will organise a second March of Justice on Moscow! He’d better be alive, it’s in your own interests.”
Analysts immediately turned the focus on Putin, floating theories as to why it took so long for the Russian leader to target Prigozhin.
“Assuming that Yevgeny Prigozhin was in the plane that crashed, one has to wonder: What took Putin so long?” Clifford D. May, President of the Foundation for the Defence of Democracies (FDD), said in a statement provided to news.com.au.
“Was he mulling over the costs and benefits? For example, this cost: Putin will need to find someone else to supervise Russian imperialism in Africa.
“And this benefit: Putin has reminded those dissatisfied with his leadership that a quiet retirement is not among the options available to them.”
“A second possibility: Putin’s to-do list is long and ‘Kill Yevgeny’ just wasn’t near the top.”
Researcher Ivana Stradner said Russia’s information machine would be acting quickly to turn the narrative in its favour,
“Putin never forgives or forgets betrayal so the death of Prigozhin was expected. It’s interesting that it happened after exactly two months on the same day after Prigozhin’s failed mutiny,” she said in a statement.
“This was enough time for Putin to set informational conditions to covertly blame the West as Russia’s media is already accusing Ukraine of a terrorist attack.
“This will have implications on the far-right groups in Russia who do not like Putin — but not because of his immoral and illegal war in Ukraine but because he is not performing well on the battlefield.”
Meanwhile Peter Doran, an FDD Adjunct Senior Fellow, said Prigozhin’s death was almost certain, leaning on Russia’s bloody political history and the fates of failed usurpers past.
“The death of Russian mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was guaranteed. After his aborted mutiny in June 2023, the only question was: how would he die?” he said.
“ His untimely demise in a plane crash now provides the answer.
“Vladimir Putin has a long history of eliminating prominent figures who challenge his rule. Most notably, this list includes activist Boris Nemtsov (assassinated in sight of the Kremlin) and General Alexander Lebed.
“The latter was Putin’s erstwhile rival in the late 1990s/early 2000s. Like Prigozhin, Lebed also died in a suspicious air crash (in 2002).”
“By eliminating Prigozhin, which Putin has almost certainly done, Russia‘s president wishes for the world to recall Vladimir Lenin’s famed insight: ‘If one shoots at a king, one must not miss. And if an insurrection is begun, it is death to fail.’ Prigozhin failed.”
“While Putin has eliminated this most recent challenge to his rule, his quagmire in Ukraine continues and other challengers are sure to follow. The next one might not miss.”
