If the information is correct, both Yevgeny Prigozhin and a co-founder of Wagner, Dmitry Utkin, died in the plane crash.
– The entire leadership is now gone from the troops. Those who remain express hesitation. What is speculated to happen now is that Russia takes over the Wagner troops, says Lisa Grenfors, foreign commentator on TV4 Nyheterna.
On the Wagner group’s channel on Telegram, they post memorial runes for the two leaders Prigozhin and Utkin. They write about both that they died as a result of “actions of Russian traitors”.
Reported to have left Belarus
In another Telegram post, it says “all the tasks we had in front of us, we must complete!”
But there has been no clear direction or new leader, based on what can be seen on the group’s channels.
The Guardian reports that there have been reports that Wagner soldiers who have been moved to bases in Belarus have begun to leave the country. Some are said to have been disappointed with the wages, others are said to have gone to West Africa for mercenary work.
“Not surprising at all”
Russian authorities are expected to conduct an investigation into the plane crash.
– Of course, it is not possible to be sure that it is not an accident. And it’s impossible to find out either, because how much can you trust a Russian accident investigation? says the military strategy teacher Joakim Paasikivi in Nyhetsmorgon.
After the Wagner group’s march towards Moscow at the end of June, many were waiting for the Kremlin’s revenge against Prigozhin.
– It was a surprise that was not surprising. The only thing that was surprising was how it happened and when it happened, but that Prigozhin would die, it was not surprising at all, says Joakim Paasikivi.
“Putin is under pressure”
The approach, of not only going after the Wagner leader, but a total of ten people on board the plane, was all the more surprising.
– The brutality shows that Putin is under pressure. Wagner sites said right from the start that this is a shoot down. They have been convinced of that, and equally convinced that the Russian defense forces are behind it, says Russia expert Malcolm Dixelius.