[ad_1]
Russian authorities remained silent Thursday on the apparent death of Russian mercenary group founder, former coup leader and longtime presidential friend Yevgeny Prigozhin following the mysterious crash of his private plane northwest of Moscow.
The Russian governmental agency in charge of civil aviation listed Prigozhin and top lieutenant Dmitry Utkin among 10 crew and passengers on the Embraer business jet that crashed in the Tver Region on Wednesday night. Federal Air Transport Agency said all aboard had died and that an investigation into the cause of the crash was underway.
Russian President Vladimir Putin made no mention of the incident in an address Thursday welcoming new members to the international BRIC coalition of trade partners, and Russian media primarily focused on BRICS and updates on the war in Ukraine.
Putin and Prigozhin met in the early 1990s when Prigozhin was a restauranteur and Putin was an aide to St. Petersburg’s mayor. Putin’s rise to power would allow Prigozhin to become wealthy from Kremlin contracts, but Prigozhin’s brief coup was the strongest challenge in decades to Putin’s iron-fisted rule.
President Joe Biden, asked whether he believed Putin was behind Prigozhin’s death, said: “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer. ”
Plane crash:Wagner chief presumed dead in Russia plane crash: Aug. 23 recap
Developments:
∎ The aircraft tracker flightradar24 said the plane began flying erratically several minutes after leveling off at 28,000 feet.
∎ The plane descended from more than 30,000 feet to less than 20,000 feet in 32 seconds before no further data was received, flightracker24 said.
∎ Unverified video of the crash posted on social media shows the plane falling almost straight down into the ground.
Ukraine celebrates independence amid struggle to keep it
Ukraine celebrated Independence Day on Thursday, marking the 32nd anniversary of its split from the Soviet Union. President Volodymyr Zelensky spoke to the battered, war-torn nation, lauding its citizens for the strength and endurance they have shown in the face of Russia’s invasion. He also promised to be tough on anyone who tries to “undermine, trade, or weaken Ukraine’s power” from within.
“We will cherish our unity,” he said. “When Russia invaded with a full-scale war, there was not a single day that Ukraine lacked unity.”
President Biden issued a statement promising to work with partners around the world in supporting Ukraine’s defense against Russia’s aggression. He also pledged to hold Russian forces accountable for the war crimes and other atrocities committed in Ukraine.
“I sincerely hope that next year, Ukrainians will be able to celebrate their Independence Day in peace and safety, knowing how their extraordinary courage inspired the world,” Biden said.
Wagner mercenaries leaving Belarus
Ukrainian border guards and intelligence say the Wagner Group mercenaries who had relocated to Belarus after the short-lived coup are now leaving the Russian neighbor. Belarus leader Alexander Lukashenkoto helped negotiate a deal that gave thousands of Wagner troops safe passage to his country. Now camps are being disassembled and the soldiers are leaving, Pravda Ukraine reports.
The deal that ended the insurrection allowed Wagner troops to join the Russian regular army or leave for Belarus. The Kremlin had said that neither the soldiers nor Prigozhin would face punishment. The plane crash that killed Prigozhin also killed his top officers, leaving the future of Wagner in turmoil.
Supporters blame ‘traitors to Russia’ for Prigozhin’s death
A spontaneous memorial began to form near the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg as people brought flowers, candles and symbols of the Wagner Group. The lights on the building were turned on in the shape of a cross. The military blogging site Gray Zone posted tributes, saying Prigozhin “died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia. But even in Hell he will be the best! Glory to Russia!”
Prigozhin led march on Moscow
Prigozhin, 62, and thousands of his mercenaries had a string of hard-fought successes in Ukraine. But Prigozhin repeatedly railed against the Russian Defense Ministry for lack of support, and two months ago he led his forces on a 36-hour rebellion and march that came within 120 miles of Moscow before a deal was reached. Prigozhin and his crew were granted asylum in Belarus, but he did not stay there.
Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich’s detention extended
A court in Moscow ruled that Wall Street Journal reporter Evan Gershkovich can be held for three more months pending trial on espionage charges that he, the Journal and the U.S. government flatly deny. The Journal said a judge ruled in favor of Russia’s Federal Security Service, whose agents took Gershkovich into custody in the Russian city of Yekaterinburg on March 29 while he was reporting on a story.
The Journal issued a statement that said in part: “We are deeply disappointed he continues to be arbitrarily and wrongfully detained for doing his job as a journalist. The baseless accusations against him are categorically false, and we continue to push for his immediate release. Journalism is not a crime.”
[ad_2]
Source link
