Analysis
Is Yevgeny Prigozhin really dead? Not everyone is
convinced
Andrew Roth
Alternative theories abound, fuelled by his
reappearance after being reported killed in a 2019 plane crash in Africa
Thu 24 Aug
2023 13.35 BST
In 2019,
Yevgeny Prigozhin was briefly reported to have died after an An-72 transport
plane crashed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The embassy said two
Russians had been onboard the plane, which was also carrying members of the
DRC’s presidential staff.
The Wagner
chief reappeared three days later, however, reports of his death having been
greatly exaggerated.
As
Prigozhin’s business jet crashed on Wednesday in a likely political
assassination, there was again an air of doubt or hesitation to declare that
the Kremlin-connected businessman could actually be dead this time.
“There is
one huge caveat to the early reporting,” wrote Keir Giles, a senior consulting
fellow on the Russia and Eurasia programme at Chatham House. “It’s been
announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeniy Prigozhin was onboard. But
it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeniy
Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels. So until we know
for certain that it’s the right Prigozhin, let’s not be surprised if he pops up
shortly in a new video from Africa.”
After
Prigozhin launched his abortive military uprising against the Kremlin in June,
Russian investigators leaked documents from his house showing he held extra
passports for possible body doubles who traveled in his name. There were also
pictures of Prigozhin wearing various disguises, including heavy beards,
aviator sunglasses and foreign military uniforms.
Prigozhin’s
own persona as an agent of chaos and media troll has only served as grist for
the conspiracy theories: isn’t this all a bit too convenient? Fontanka media on
Thursday reported that Prigozhin’s body may have been left too disfigured by
the crash and ensuing fire to be identified by normal methods.
“And to
disappear forever, having taken one of his many spare passports, a burnt-out
airplane is a good way to do it,” wrote one prominent Russian political
scientist on social media. “The crows won’t collect the bones, the remains are
in ashes, the trail has gone cold.”
Telegram
channels close to Wagner quickly declared the plane had been downed by a
surface-to-air missile fired by the Russian military. Tsargrad, a hardline
conservative news agency, said Prigozhin’s jet may have been blown up by a
device onboard, which would widen the cast of those who could be behind the
crash.
Alexey
Venediktov, the well-connected former head of the Echo of Moscow radio station,
wrote that while Prigozhin would have been easy to spot entering the Vnukovo-3
airport and going on to the tarmac, it was possible he could have switched to a
second plane that took off on Wednesday.
He also
posted a poll that showed nearly 60% of readers believed Prigozhin’s plane was
either shot down or blown up by a device onboard, and 17% thought he had staged
his own death. Only 1% believed the plane crash had been an accident.
Those who
appear most convinced of Prigozhin’s death are his own allies and some of his
associated media channels.
“Prigozhin
died as the result of the actions of Russia’s traitors,” wrote the Grey Zone, a
social media outlet close to Wagner. “But even in hell, he’ll be the best!
Glory to Russia!”
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