Russia

Wagner mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhins dramatic death by plane crash was ordered by Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev, a close ally of President Vladimir Putin and former spy, The Wall Street Journal reported Friday, citing Western intelligence agencies and a Russian intelligence officer.The Kremlin has denied a role in the deaths of Prigozhin and the rest of Wagners leadership this August, suggesting the plane crashed after a hand grenade on board exploded.Patrushev warned Putin about Prigozhin as the former convict became increasingly outspoken against Russias military leadership and its handling of the war in Ukraine, The Wall Street Journal reported.But these warnings went unheeded because Wagner had been successful on the battlefield.Putin realized the problem when Prigozhin called him to complain about Wagners lack of supplies, a former Russian intelligence official told The Wall Street Journal.
Patrushev was present during the call and used it to justify sidelining Prigozhin.Frozen out and angered by plans to subsume the Wagner Group into Russias Defense Ministry, Prigozhin declared a mutiny against Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu and army chief Valery Gerasimov.
His June 23-24 march of justice saw Wagners forces occupy the southern city of Rostov-on-Don and take control of the headquarters of Russias Southern Military District.Meanwhile, with Putin in a villa far from Moscow, Patrushev searched for mediators to stop Wagners advance toward the capital.
Patrushev organized Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko's role in negotiating a deal with Prigozhin to stand down.
He had also requested military aid from Kazakhstanif the Russian army could not put down the rebellion, butPresidentKassym-Jomart Tokayev refused, The Wall Street Journal reported.In the months following the mutiny, Prigozhin continued traveling to Africa, where Wagner had a large military and business presence, and working in Russia.You can see what Putins plan was to keep the dead man walking so they could continue to find out what happened, Rolf Mowatt-Larsson, a former CIA chief in Moscow, told The Wall Street Journal.Western intelligence agencies cited by WSJ said Patrushev started designing a plan to dispose of Prigozhin in August.
Putin did not object when he was shown the proposal, the newspaper said.Later that month, as Prigozhin waited in a Moscow airport for an aircraft safety check to finish, intelligence officials believe a small bomb was placed under the planes wing.Videos from just after 5 p.m.
on Aug.
23 show a plane missing a wing falling from the sky near the village of Kuzhenkino in the Tver region.Patrushev is considered one of Putins oldest and closest confidants, as the two worked together as young KGB officers in Leningrad.
When Boris Yeltsin appointed Putin as his prime minister, Patrushev took over as head of the Federal Security Service (FSB).Patrushev is part of a small circle of advisers Putin is believed to have relied on for planning the invasion of Ukraine.Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov on Friday called the WSJ report pulp fiction."We have seen this material, but we would not like to comment on it.
It is unlikely that such materials can be commented on," he said.
we have a small favor to ask.As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government.
This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced.
Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken.
But we need your help to continue our critical mission.Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference.
If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $1.
It's quick to set up, and you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism.
Thank you.Continue





Unlimited Portal Access + Monthly Magazine - 12 issues


Contribute US to Start Broadcasting - It's Voluntary!


ADVERTISE


Merchandise (Peace Series)

 


[Russia] - Telegram Boss Durov Admits 'Seriousness' of Allegations: Source


[Russia] - Russian Attack Kills Three in Kyiv


Russia Designates Draft Dodging Nonprofit as ‘Foreign Agent’


Russian Police Issue Arrest Warrant for IStories Chief Editor


‘Horrific’: Russia’s Indigenous Activists Decry Sweeping ‘Terrorist’ Designation


[Russia] - Russian Activist Konstantin Kotov Flees Russia Ahead of 'Extremism' Trial


Russia Charges Opposition Politician Shlosberg With Violating ‘Foreign Agent’ Law


[Russia] - Russian Missile Attack on Kryvyi Rih Kills 4


Russian-Israeli Hostage to Be Freed in First Stage of Hamas-Israel Peace Deal


[Russia] - Czech Beer Exports to Russia Surge in 2024


[Russia] - Russian Army Claims Liberation of Over 60% of Occupied Kursk Territory


Moscow Police Search Home, Detain Parents of Exiled Opposition Figure Yashin


[Russia] - Antidepressant Sales Reach Record High in Wartime Russia


Former Navalny Lawyers Sentenced to Prison on ‘Extremism’ Charges


‘I’m a Real-Life Katyusha’: As Russia Hikes Payments for Soldiers, Their Wives Flaunt Newfound Affluence


Trump Team Eyes Oil Sanctions Strategy to Broker Russia-Ukraine Peace – Bloomberg


'Out of Control': Russia's CPI Inflation Up Again to 9.5% in December


Russia Labels Canadian Tech Company OpenText ‘Undesirable’


North Korean Troops to Join Russia’s Victory Day Parade for First Time – NHK


[Russia] - Kremlin Hopes Gaza Ceasefire Can Lead to 'Comprehensive' Settlement


Russian Prison Where Navalny Was Held Set to Close


[Russia] - Lots of Volunteers Seek Medical Help Amid Black Sea Oil Spill Clean Up, Health Officials Say


[Russia] - Russian Soldier Jailed for Accidentally Shooting Down Friendly Helicopter


Ukrainian Army Says It Captured 27 Russian Soldiers in Kursk Region


[Russia] - U.S. Imposes Fresh Sanctions on Moscow, Targets Evasion Schemes


[Russia] - Cable Damage Slows Internet for Millions of Customers Across Russia


Poland Accuses Russia of Planning Global ‘Air Terror’ Acts


Teenager Dies After Volunteering to Clean Up Oil Spill in Southern Russia – Reports


‘I Realized My Efforts Were Futile’: How a Russian Combat Medic Deserted From the Front Lines


Russia and Ukraine Exchange 50 POWs in First Swap of 2025


Putin Awards Payments to WWII Veterans Ahead of Soviet Victory Anniversary


Russia&s War Machine Fed by Free-Flowing Exports of Uzbek 'Guncotton' Pulp, Reports Say


[Russia] - Russia Will Send 'Humanitarian' Gas Supplies to Transnistria, Moscow-Backed Leader Says


[Russia] - VKontakte Overtakes YouTube in Web Traffic for First Time in Russia


Central African Republic Leader Arrives in Moscow for Bilateral Talks


[Russia] - Museum of Moscow Removes Exhibit Section on Soviet Repression-- Reports


[Russia] - Russian Airstrikes Damage Critical Infrastructure Across Ukraine, Authorities Say


[Russia] - Kremlin Courts Trump Behind the Scenes as His Foreign Policy Rhetoric Rattles U.S. Allies


[Russia] - Czech Republic Finishes Pipeline Extension, Ending Reliance on Russian Oil


[Russia] - Ukraine May 'Cease to Exist' in 2025, Putin Aide Says


Russia's Hidden War Debt Creates a Looming Credit Crisis


Lavrov Welcomes Trump’s Signals on Ukraine War, Awaits Concrete Proposals


[Russia] - United Kingdom Declassifies Confessions of 'Cambridge Five' Soviet Spies


[Russia] - Russia Labels Ukrainian Meme 'Terrorist Organization'


[Russia] - Russia Signs Nuclear Energy Deal With Vietnam


[Russia] - Ukrainian Army Hits Russian Military, Industrial Sites in Overnight Barrage


[Russia] - FSB Officer Fatally Shot in Moscow Defense Ministry Building


[Russia] - Lots of Tankers Carrying Russian Oil Stuck Idling After U.S. Sanctions


[Russia] - Fires Erupt at Russian Gas, Industry Sites After Ukrainian Drone Attack


[Russia] - Kursk Governor Bans Officials From Censoring Online Criticism


Full Support or Quiet Resistance: Ukraine War Splits Russia’s Buddhists


[Russia] - Ukraine Stops Production at Pokrovsk Coal Mine as Russian Troops Close In


German Police Probe Drone Sightings Over Military Facilities


China-Russia Trade Hit Record High in 2024


Russia, Iran to Sign ‘Comprehensive Strategic Partnership’ Treaty – Kremlin


[Russia] - Soldier Awarded 'Hero of Russia' Title After Viral Close Combat Video


[Russia] - Gazprom Weighs Laying Off 1,600 Managers Amid Wartime Losses


Rental Prices in Russia Rose 31% in 2024, Experts Say


[Russia] - Kremlin Declines to Comment on North Korean POWs in Ukraine


Russia Accuses Ukraine of ‘Energy Terrorism’ Over Alleged Pipeline Strike


[Russia] - Russia Labels Media Outlets as 'Terrorist Organizations' for First Time Ever


[Russia] - Saratov Oil Depot Fire Contained 5 Days After Ukrainian Drone Strike


Around 300 North Korean Soldiers Killed Fighting for Russia, South Korean Lawmaker Says


Zelensky ‘Ready’ to Hand North Korean POWs to Pyongyang


Russia Claims New Villages in Eastern Ukraine


Seoul Confirms Ukraine Captured 2 North Korean Soldiers


Russia Says U.S. Risks Global Energy Instability With New Sanctions


Ukraine Says Questioning 2 Captured North Korean Soldiers


Germany Races To Secure Stricken ‘Russian Shadow Fleet’ Oil Tanker


Russia Eyes Libya to Replace Syria as Africa Launchpad


Kadyrov Linked to Suspects in Botched Uzbekistan Assassination


[Russia] - 'Everything Depends on Moscow': In Separatist Transnistria, Residents Await End to Sweeping Energy Crisis


[Russia] - U.S., U.K. Unveil Sweeping Sanctions Against Russia's Oil Sector


Transnistria Appeals to Russia Amid Worsening Energy Crisis


Ukraine Hits Army Facility in Russia, Kyiv Source Says


Damaged Oil Tanker Springs New Leak in Southern Russia


[Russia] - Moscow Accuses Lithuania of Provoking Territorial Dispute Over Kaliningrad


Russia Opens Terrorism Case Over Arson Attack on War Donation Center – Reports


NATO to Send 2 Ships to Guard Baltic Sea Infrastructure, Finland Says


Northern Sea Route Shipping Falls Short of Russia’s 2024 Target


Japan Expands Russia Sanctions With Fresh Asset Freezes, Export Bans


Putin Open to Speaking With Trump, Kremlin Says


[Russia] - Ukrainian Airstrikes on Occupied Donetsk Kill 3, Moscow-Backed Official Says


Russian Exiles Fleeing War and Persecution Seek Refuge in Mexico


Civilian Planes Face ‘High Risk’ Flying Over Russia, EU Agency Says


Trump Says Meeting With Putin Being Arranged