Wagner Group Chief Yevgeny Prigozhin Killed in Plane Crash, Claim Russian Authorities

Russian police on Sunday confirmed that Wagner group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin died in a plane crash. 

The Russian Investigative Committee has sent the bodies of the mercenary organization's top commanders for forensic testing, keeping the mystery surrounding the crash alive.

As per a report by AP, the inquiry committee chairman, Svetlana Petrenko, said that DNA testing positively identified all ten dead, confirming that they were those listed on the plane's manifest. However, there has been no information released on what may have led to the disaster.

Just two months after Yevgeny Prigozhin led a brief insurrection against Moscow, the jet he was travelling in crashed. Russian authorities have categorically refuted Western claims that they had any hand in the accident, calling them "absolute lies."

Dmitry Peskov, a spokesman for the Kremlin, addressed the rumours and said that people should instead focus on the facts. He stressed the need of basing decisions on evidence and spoke about the ongoing probes into the causes of the tragedy.

After Yevgeny Prigozhin's death, Russian President Vladimir Putin took measures to increase his influence over the Wagner organisation. Putin issued a directive for the group's combatants to swear allegiance to the Russian state, signalling moves to bring the mercenary group under closer oversight.

Concerns have been raised by the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin concerning the fate of other Russian political dissidents. Putin's record of silencing opponents highlights a trend of suppressing dissent, as evidenced by his poisoning of Alexei Navalny with nerve gas and shooting of former Deputy Prime Minister Boris Nemtsov.

The world is keeping a close eye on the inquiry into the jet disaster, trying to piece together what happened. Russia denies the charges from the outside, but the episode highlights the larger political dynamics and power battles in the region.

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