 The reported death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is only the 'second act' in a story that may end with Vladimir Putin's downfall, a dissident Russian writer has said. Dr Yuri Felshtinsky believes that the Russian president has been irrevocably weakened by the mercenary group's aborted advance on Moscow, which came within 120 miles of the city. Prigozhin and eight others, including Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin, are believed to have perished in a plane crash around 100 miles north-east of the capital on Wednesday night. The Wagnerites are widely believed to have paid with their lives after posing the biggest challenge to Putin's 20-year rule with the insurrection, staged exactly two months before the private jet came down. Dr Felshtinsky told Metro.co.uk that the suspected elimination of the warlord by no means shores up Putin's power base ahead of the Russian presidential elections next year. The Russian historian can draw on insights into the Kremlin's dark arts which included co-writing 'Blowing up Russia: Terror from Within' alongside Alexander Litvinenko. Vladimir Putin has been irrevocably weakened by the June 24 advance on Moscow according to a Dr Yuri Felshtinsky (Picture via Reuters) 'Prigozhin's death is no surprise,' Dr Felshtinsky said. 'Russia is a country where, if the president calls you a traitor, you can usually expect to be dead very soon. Prigozhin was not working independently, he was a government agent, specifically an FSB [Federal Security Service] agent. 'As Putin mentioned, somewhat sarcastically, he was a useful person but he made many mistakes, and when you make mistakes, especially when you work for the Russian special services, you usually pay with your life.' Prigozhin, 62, had aimed a barrage of angry remarks at top Russian generals in the weeks before Wagner fighters seized key points){kind=link}
NEWS… BUT NOT AS YOU KNOW IT
The reported death of Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is only the ‘second act’ in a story that may end with Vladimir Putin’s downfall, a dissident Russian writer has said.
Dr Yuri Felshtinsky believes that the Russian president has been irrevocably weakened by the mercenary group’s aborted advance on Moscow, which came within 120 miles of the city.
Prigozhin and eight others, including Wagner co-founder Dmitry Utkin, are believed to have perished in a plane crash around 100 miles north-east of the capital on Wednesday night.
The Wagnerites are widely believed to have paid with their lives after posing the biggest challenge to Putin’s 20-year rule with the insurrection, staged exactly two months before the private jet came down.