Analysis-Presumed death of Prigozhin removes one problem, may create new ones for Putin
investing.comBy Mark Trevelyan
LONDON (Reuters) — The presumed death of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a fiery plane crash leaves Russian President Vladimir Putin stronger in the short term, removing a powerful figure who had defied his authority and threatened to make him look weak.
But it would also deprive him of a forceful and astute player who had proved his utility to the Kremlin by sending his fighters into some of the bloodiest battles of the Ukraine war and advancing Russian interests across Africa.
Russian air authorities have said Prigozhin, his right-hand man Dmitry Utkin and eight other people were on a private plane that crashed with no survivors north of Moscow on Wednesday, though neither the Kremlin nor the defence ministry have confirmed his demise. It is not yet clear what caused it to drop from the sky.
No evidence has emerged to support the widespread belief that Prigozhin was killed as an act of vengeance for staging a mutiny in late June — an assumption that analysts said may actually suit Putin's purpose.
«Whatever the reasons for the plane crash, everyone will see it as an act of retribution and reprisal, and the Kremlin will not particularly interfere with this,» Tatiana Stanovaya, founder of the R.Politik consultancy, said.
«From the point of view of Putin, as well as many among the security forces and the military, Prigozhin's death should be a lesson to any potential followers.»
The Kremlin has remained silent on the crash and its cause, with Putin pressing ahead with business as usual by attending a World War Two commemoration late on Wednesday and addressing a BRICS summit by video link on Thursday.
WRONG ASSUMPTION
The crash came two months to the day after Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries
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