Plane crash cite on August 23. Photo Source from the Associated Press. On Tuesday, August 23, Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a plane crash. Prigozhin was the leader and founder of Wagner PMC (Private Military Company) and was known as Putin's chief for the vital role they've played since 2020 in the Russo-Ukrainian war. The crash occurred exactly 2 months after his Extreme Coup, which was cited as the biggest threat to Putin in his presidency due to the sheer skill of troops and the vast access Wagner PMC had to weapons. Prigozhin had publicly insulted the Russian Military as well as President Vladamir Putin, an offense that many don't survive. Yet, in the wake of the investigation, Putin seemingly allowed him to keep his life as well as his PMC group after agreeing to a lucrative defense deal. However, as he said previously, “betrayal is the only thing he can't forgive in the end.” Prigozhin founded the Wagner Group in 2014 shortly after the Russian invasion of Crimea in which Wagner participated and quickly attracted the attention of the Russian Ministry of Defense. Wagner was useful because the Ministry could carry out missions and objectives of the Russian Military, but as there were, Russia could deny any actions Wagner had done, stating that Russia was not affiliated with them. Russia secretly supplied Wagner with various heavy weapons such as tanks, attack helicopters, and other supplies which quickly set Wagner as a capable and dangerous elite fighting force with many soldiers being former Russian Military veterans as well as special forces. This was invaluable to Wagner as these former operatives could quickly train new recruits and turn them into elite mercenaries. For many, Wagner looked like a better idea than the military, with Wagner providing soldiers with body armor and fully automatic rifles along with important tools like scopes and suppressors. Wagner quickly established itself as well-equipped, fulfilling contracts, and recruiting those with interest. In 2016, Wagner decided that the PMC had enough reach and funding to work out a contract in Syria, with circumstances surrounding the situation being complicated, but they were reported to have committed various war crimes as well as harassing and beating locals. Wagner came to national attention when the U.S. Military identified combatants and asked Russia if they had any soldiers in the area, which they quickly denied. Shortly after, the U.S. military engaged with a formation of Wagner soldiers with an AC-130, killing 15 of them and identifying them as a possible threat for US forces in the area, but the conflict failed to escalate. Wagner is also involved in the blood diamond trade in Africa, hired by various countries to protect their diamonds and used to fight against other tribes. Here, Wagner was reported of massacring civilians and giving weapons to pro-militia fighters, provoking further warfare. Behind the scenes, Wagner was making a fortune. Prigozhin’s business model of elite Russian mercenaries for hire was appealing for countries without a proper military or for those that needed protection services or escorts rather than an offshoot of the Russian Military. Wagner quickly began to have political influence and aspirations. But in 2022, on February 9, all eyes were on the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and on Prigozhin. He saw that the opportunity would provide publicity and provide them greater funding, weapons, and men, as well as bringing in a hefty check. For the first 5 months of the war, Wagner played a miniscule role. Few soldiers fought, for the Russian Army was doing the majority of the fighting against Ukrainian troops. As Ukraine started to beat Russia in key battles and forced Russia out of its invaded cities, Russian soldiers were getting killed by the hundreds and ammunition started running low. For Russia to keep the invasion stable they needed experienced and an extremely well-armed fighting force as quickly as possible to prevent further loss of Russian territories. Wagner could fill all these roles and mobilize immediately for a task that would take Russia years to prepare for. As Wagner started replacing roles of the normal Russian Army, the Ukrainians warned of elite mercenaries that were devastating their forces near the frontline, but the battle in Bakhmut would expose who the PMCs were. Bakhmut has been one of the deadliest battles of the war, with Russian and Ukrainian units being completely annihilated and obligating newer, untrained soldiers to fill their place. Dangerous artillery saw an average lifespan of 4 days for most soldiers in Bakhmut. Despite their political value, military-wise, it served little value or advantage. Regardless, Wagner was considered superior and would get more ammunition and resources than other Russian units. As the war worsened, Russia could not afford to give Wagner this extra ammunition, something they had become accustomed to and desperately needed for this battle. From this came the first public clash between Wagner and Russia. Prigozhin was outraged, and the Russian Ministry of Defense and Serga Shougiu, a rival of his and the leader of the Russian Armed forces, began to openly criticize the Russian government and military, something that generally leads to imprisonment or execution, but he seemingly remained unscathed. Things escalated when he made videos demanding more ammunition whilst standing around the bodies of hundreds of dead Wagner soldiers blaming the Russian military for this loss. After Bakhmut had been captured, Wagner largely relied off the frontlines to resupply, straighten their numbers, and were mostly in large camps when Prigozhin demanded the downfall of the Russian Army and more ammunition for his troops. Wagner prepared to fight back against Russia and ultimately called for the downfall of the government and ministry of defense. Russian Ka-52 attack helicopters were sent out and successfully destroyed a Wagner camp killing man. This, combined with another apparent missile strike, led Prigozhin and Wagner to quickly start the first armed coup of the Russian government with the strength and military power to actually pose a threat to Russia’s armies. With the Ministry of Defense (MOD) purposely decreasing their ammunition, hundreds were killed and Prigozhin made various videos in front of hundreds of dead Wagner soldiers publicly blaming their deaths on the MOD for cutting off all their supply. Once word had spread of Russia's attack, Wagner quickly assembled its forces in an act of revenge and created multiple convoys directed to Moscow with the purpose of vowing to seek retribution for the deadly attack Russia had launched. As Wagner advanced, Russian units set up approximately 300 roadblocks in the city of Moscow alone, with thousands of checkpoints and makeshift roadblocks made in an attempt to slow the convoys down. Wagner units advanced and Russian units, instead of stopping them at the checkpoints, let many of them pass by completely, seemingly sympathetic and in silent agreement with their cause. As the convoy moved to take headquarters in the city of Rostov-On-Don, 6 Russian attack helicopters engaged and attacked the convoy and were successfully shot down by Wagner forces. The convoy also took over military facilities and destroyed an oil refinery on the way. Throughout the day, the convoy had moved 300 miles and was now less than 100 miles from the capital of Moscow, less than a day away from reaching the Russian Army headquarters, when Prigozhin called off the convoy. It was reported that a number of backdoor deals between Prigozhin and Putin happened, with Wagner surrendering their heavy weapons like tanks, helicopters and artillery. Wagner was moved out of Ukraine and exiled to Belarus. Prigozhin was supposedly exiled in Belarus but reports saw him back in Moscow. It wasn’t until August 23 that a small explosive on the back of the plane caused an explosion and, subsequently, the death of Prigozhin and the other Wagner leaders and all passengers of the plane. It is noted that neither Ukraine nor Russia claimed responsibility for the attack, although the latter is heavily suspected.
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