well, they shot down a plane with prigozhin, according to some information. this plane was flying near some military unit somewhere in the u.s. there is a very serious military depot on the way from moscow to st. -petersburg and it could have been shot down by its own anti-aircraft defense, fearing that it was some kind of air target from ukraine, er , it could be. but the most important thing is, according to you, in this situation, putin knew that this plane would be shot at, or this plane would explode in the air, eh -e or e-e in this case it was for it is also unexpected. well, here it is important, uh, how much will be confirmed exactly the theory that the anti-aircraft defense shot down this plane, if the plane was really shot down, because uh, well, the witnesses , uh, even on the video, they say that there was an explosion in the air, there was an explosion, but er, a rocket always gives a specific plume and you can hear it. well, in the sky you can’t see the plume of a missile that flew in the direction of the plane, so it is possible that er, first

how do we understand the link between yevgeny prigozhin and | link between yevgeny prigozhin and vladimirgozhin making strong demands when this was the time of the war in ukraine and the wagner soldiers were making significant gains but not getting the equipment they wanted, and we know from his history, he's been a very key, important part of vladimir�*s ambitions. how did that relationship progressed to a point where we saw the mutiny, now this? fit, progressed to a point where we saw the mutiny, now this? fit. bit the mutiny, now this? a bit confusing — the mutiny, now this? a bit confusing is _ the mutiny, now this? a bit confusing is an _ the mutiny, now this? 3 t confusing is an understatement, very confusing is an understatement, very confusing — that sums russia up i think. there's a lot we don't know, there's a lot we don't understand about what's going on in the background. what we do know is that prigozhin over the last few months had been publicly critical, but not directly of vladimir putin. his criticisms were directed almost completely at the military leadership of russia. so

we know that the plane was owned by prigozhin. we don't know for sure if prigozhin.gozhin is on the plane, but the russian authority has said he was on the passenger list, and it is this mysterious i can find thatjust landed literally ten minutes ago outside of moscow that there are some rumours and unsubstantiated but rumours that prigozhin may have been on the second plane, but we are still waiting to find out. we have received some _ still waiting to find out. we have received some pictures - still waiting to find out. we have received some pictures from - still waiting to find out. we have - received some pictures from reuters reportedly of that crash, but as you say, we cannot verify whether prigozhin was on that plane. talk us through any situation like this, how do you go about verifying this information? what are some of the pitfalls you have to look for? you have to think— pitfalls you have to look for? ml, have to think about what is actually hard evidence and what is hearsay, for example, we know that a plane crashed. we can see the data, we can see the fl

tte: death of yevgeny prigozhin, prigozhin will have an impact?nfusion. but i do not think in the long run it will have any serious impact. if anything, what it reveals to us is who is really in charge. the wagner group or the russian government, and we knew all along that vladimir putin was in charge and this only confirms that. i do not see any massive change in terms of the wagner group continuing the broader agenda of the russian government.— russian government. evelyn farkas, do ou russian government. evelyn farkas, do you agree — russian government. evelyn farkas, do you agree with — russian government. evelyn farkas, do you agree with that _ russian government. evelyn farkas, do you agree with that assessment? j russian government. evelyn farkas, l do you agree with that assessment? i was nodding, clearly the wagner group _ was nodding, clearly the wagner group ell— was nodding, clearly the wagner group all along has been doing the dirty work. — group all along has been doing the dirty work, frankly, at the russian government. they kept an

i think that prigozhin served _ without prigozhin?? i think that prigozhin served the role of. prigozhin served the role of commercial leader, but the military leader of this group was a former colonel who supposedly was on board this plane, as well. and when putin didn't meet with the commanders from the wagner group after the mutiny, he got both of them to serve in the russian army under the leadership of theirformer russian army under the leadership of their former command. russian army under the leadership of theirformer command. so russian army under the leadership of their former command. so what's going on now — i think the general idea is to use this military force, but have a person which is not very welcome for prigozhin —— like prigozhin or someone else as their leader. 50 prigozhin or someone else as their leader. , , ._ , prigozhin or someone else as their leader. , , , ., leader. so the ministry says that the 'et leader. so the ministry says that the jet that _ leader. so the ministry says that the jet that the _ leader.

prigozhin was involved.id "a group of patriots was born", which later acquired the name wagner battalion. and soon the wagner group reached far beyond ukraine. the fbi accused prigozhin of interfering in the 2016 us election. in syria, wagner fighters supported pro—government forces. more recently there are multiple reports of wagner's military and commercial activity in africa. with the eu accusing the group of committing... "torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings". and then came the war. when putin wanted to give his invasion of ukraine impetus, prigozhin and his fighters were called in. but as wagner's death toll grew, so did prigozhin�*s fury. expressed first in video rants. and then in a short—lived mutiny. in the aftermath, putin condemned the "the mutineers and traitors". but for prigozhin, charges were dropped, no arrest followed. and we asked why wasn't putin punishing prigozhin? perhaps he was biding his time. i'm joined now by ian bremmer, founder and president of

so if prigozhin did have popularity, there's no threat from prigozhin now.ut i think the message to the west is that putin's very much in command. and there were some who were saying that putin, you know, this prigozhin crew, things were shaky, he's still got the levels of power and so this should tell those in the west who are making the assessment saw putin still in charge, he's going to stay in charge and he'll do anything necessary to remain in charge. >> questions of course, general, of how worried putin was in the wake of that coup and certainly so much speculation, including from the ukrainian defense minister and, honestly, countless others about what that coup meant, all of this talk about does this show that putin is weak. and you can only imagine how that was received by vladimir putin. >> right. but i think that, brianna, if you look at the inside intelligence speculation on this, people would say he engineered perhaps the whole thing. he got rid of prigozhin. he found the disloyals, he redeployed forces out and into belarus. he brought in lukash

such as prigozhin. as you pointed out, we don't know whether or not prigozhin was on that plane, whether or not he was alive since he had been in moscow, and also a lot of questions about what happened in those -- the day or two before he got on the plane. it's clear that when looking at the footage of the plane coming down, that's the result of a catastrophic explosion. either as a result of a missile that was launched from the ground or from another aircraft or some type of large ied, improvised explosive device on board. that's not the result of an engineer failure or mechanical problem that would have caused some type of small fire. that was a catastrophic explosion that took place that brought that plane down into a free fall and anybody on that plane certainly was killed once it hit the ground. >> i grew up in the skies, planes don't fall out of the sky like that unless something major happens, and it's usually the result of explosion, either internal or externally directed. let me ask you a quest

prigozhin's forces fought in ukraine.y were some of the most brutal and they were highly involved in fighting in the east in recent months. what's the ukrainian reaction to this news? >> reporter: yeah, let me give you a brief reaction from someone serving right on the front line in the heart of the counteroffensive. initially they said maybe it is time for good champagne. a matter of minutes later said we need to see -- back fire there, forgive me. we need to see the dead body of prigozhin to be sure. that's the ultimate question. exactly, are we going to have ultimate proof that he is dead? we have a manifesto shared on russian state media which lists prigozhin as being one of the passengers on the plane. h

. in the army who work more in favour of prigozhin-— of prigozhin. that is really interesting. actually, in i of prigozhin. that is really - interesting. actually, in retrospect the power base that prigozhin has is sustained for that and perhaps putin is a bit weaker in some eyes because of that. , , , ., of that. this is up for debate. there are _ of that. this is up for debate. there are a — of that. this is up for debate. there are a lot _ of that. this is up for debate. there are a lot of— of that. this is up for debate. there are a lot of different i of that. this is up for debate. - there are a lot of different points of view. what is happening in russia right now is becoming more and more opaque. i've been studying russian for the past 30 years. i speak to people who have been studying roger longer and we all feel there's is big on knowing that we are just not able to grasp of it which is how prigozhin got away with it, how long he would survive and what would happen if he disappears. now we go to phase three. what will happen when prigozhin d

prigozhin was killed.ow from authorities he was on the list of hasseningers on the plane that crashed. list of passengers on the plane that crashed. >> it's also on the say a top russian general who was previously in charge of russian forces in ukraine and may have been involved in that mutiny also was relieved of command. >> this really underscores the stakes of the power struggle that the war in ukraine has really shown us in russia and the fissures in the power establishment that putin himself leads. christian: reports from russia that the leader of the wagner group yevgeny prigozhin is dead, that his plane was shot down killing ought passengers and crew. we know he was on the passenger list but was he onboard? we'll bring you all the reaction. good evening. 10 people have been killed on a private jet that was flying from moscow to st. petersburg with official reports from moscow saying prigozhin was on the manifest, carrying seven passengers and three crew and said to have crashed northwest of moscow.

would happen to mr prigozhin is still not clear but - mr prigozhin is still not clear but many russians group boss broken the golden rule in russia, do not cross vladimir putin. breaking news to bring you. president putin appears to have broken his silence on the apparent death of prigozhin and the plane crash because we are hearing from reuters that putin sends his condolences to prigozhin, the founder of russia's wagner group and prigozhin�*s family and saying that this is what we're hearing from reuters and the reports going to say that vladimir putin says i have known prigozhin since the 90s and will begin at what investigators say and prigozhin was a talented businessman and an expertise would take time. saying that it would take time to establish, based on that investigator to reiterate, this is coming from reuters who are reporting that this is what putin is saying after he made no mention of prigozhin or the plane crash when he spoke to the summit by a video link. the first mention that russian president vladimir putin has made of the plane crash and of prigozhin and putin has s

yevgeny prigozhin is alive or dead.- prigozhin is alive or dead. _ prigozhin is alive or dead. i think you're right. was _ prigozhin is alive or dead. i think you're right. was it _ prigozhin is alive or dead. i think you're right. was it the - prigozhin is alive or dead. i think you're right. was it the bomb? l prigozhin is alive or dead. i think. you're right. was it the bomb? was his sabotage? was admissible? at the end of the day, if if you say yevgeny prigozhin is dead, then that is the end of the story, absolutely. the questions to ask now are does vladimir putin emerged stronger from this? i suspect that he will emerge stronger because two months ago, there were whispers, people were talking about vladimir putin looking weaker in the fact that yevgeny prigozhin was able to launch this mutiny in which several russian servicemen were killed and yet he was not punished, charges dropped against him. and that made the kremlin leader look weak. two months on, well, we hear about the reported the buys of yevgeny prigozhin. and therefore this messag

prigozhin was involved.ime, he's said "a group of patriots was born", which later acquired the name wagner battalion. and soon the wagner group reached far beyond ukraine. the fbi accused prigozhin of interfering in the 2016 us election. in syria, wagner fighters supported pro—government forces. more recently there are multiple reports of wagner's military and commercial activity in africa. with the eu accusing the group of committing... "torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings". and then came the war. when putin wanted to give his invasion of ukraine impetus, prigozhin and his fighters were called in. but as wagner's death toll grew, so did prigozhin�*s fury. expressed first in video rants. and then in a short—lived mutiny. in the aftermath, putin condemned the "the mutineers and traitors". but for prigozhin, charges were dropped, no arrest followed. and we asked why wasn't putin punishing prigozhin? perhaps he was biding his time. we can go live now in two moscow and will ve

-- prigozhin.rigozhin. it's important for— happen now? -- prigozhin. it's important for putin _ happen now? -- prigozhin. it's important for putin to - happen now? -- prigozhin. it's important for putin to wait, - important for putin to wait, choose his timing, choose his moment, and then show that he is the man and commitment. because his claim to power in russia is really that he is the guy who is in charge, he is the guy who is in charge, he is the guy who is in charge, he is the guy who can get things done. if thatis guy who can get things done. if that is then in incredibly weak position especially because a lot of the decisions that he has made have weakened russia over time. so this is critical for him as a way of showing that he is actually the guy in charge. and i think again, as i said, we don't know what actually happened. there is a lot to unpack but the imagery here is all in favour of vladimir putin showing that he is the guy calling the shots. how would ukraine and nato both be looki

they may have been very loyal to prigozhin because prigozhin arrange this for them, but they were not kind of fighters we associate with what wagner has done and africa in particular. they were not sophisticated military people. they were former prisoners who were doing this to get out of jail free and certainly they have battle experience in bakhmut but not particular well trained. as part of the deal that move the forces to belarus, wagner gave up its heavy weaponry it had had in ukraine. that means there armed with just probably things that are similar to kalashnikovs. the other wagner forces are in syria and in several places in africa, the central african republic ,mali, libya, and sudan. the only way they could get back to russia is by taking russian military airplanes would go through the air base that russia now controls in syria. so unless they had support from russian uniformed military forces, they have no way of getting back to russia. so there may be a few people in russia who had been engaged in wagner who recently retired or were "on vacation," who might try something b

it's saying that mr prigozhin has been — zone. it's saying that mr prigozhin has been killed.nd as a result of actions _ has been killed. and as a result of actions of— has been killed. and as a result of actions of traders of roger. these social_ actions of traders of roger. these social media accounts are a way in which _ social media accounts are a way in which prigozhin communicated very actively _ which prigozhin communicated very actively. especially before the new day in _ actively. especially before the new day in june. actively. especially before the new day injune. this is where his outbursts _ day injune. this is where his outbursts and video clips appeared. they became less active following the sidelined them all from running them all, sidelined them all from running them alt. to— sidelined them all from running them all, to share his views, so these are the — all, to share his views, so these are the channels that a lot of people — are the channels that a lot of people have been watching for any clues. _ people have been watching for any clues. as _ people have be

all we know is that brengle -- prigozhin demise was worthy of a -- prigozhin's demise was worthy of aes bond villain. he blew up and he was gone. it's all super speculative. katrina: will we get to a point where it found out -- we find out what happened? >> it depends on what they released to the world. when we go back to ukraine when the globe and made -- malaysian airliner, it took a while before international specters could get on the ground, and there was evidence tampering. we might not ever know the full story behind his demise. katrina: we have no official confirmation that he was killed on the plane, just that his plane was on the manifest. given what we heard from vladimir putin, referring to him in the past tense, what can we deduce from that? >> what we reasonably should assume is that prigozhin and dmitry utkin are no longer around. we will not see them. his legacy might live on, but putin has taken control over the crisis that started in late june when prigozhin marked on -- marchant muska. katrina: what happens to them now? >> they are largely going to continue keep doin

and why do you think prigozhin?hs ago well, in principle, it already required a certain reaction, and then he was released to belarus, then to africa, and in principle it seemed to him that he had already solved everything and agreed with everyone well, first of all, you don't know what he thought, maybe we are nothing did not seem to be able to there was no way out for him, it’s such and such a situation, we just don’t know it, you understand what he might have thought, because we don’t know what he negotiated with the flight attendant and other people with whom he talked during this well, what is the name of the march of justice? we don't have a march of justice, well, that is, we simply don't know it. maybe they gave him the opportunity to solve some issues that he tried to solve, but he didn't succeed, well, or he was simply deceived, why should he be considered that beauty, some kind of special intelligence. well, they used him all his life for their own purposes , then you divorced him and, as they say, they c

four down with prigozhin. quite the opposite. there was evidence of support for prigozhin.ould question this notion that putin is a popular leader. he rules by fear and by passivity. russia as a country has a long history of autocratic rule punctured by very brief moments of transition between one form of autocratic alert and another -- autocratic ruler and another. it tends not to be bottom-up, it tends to be an intra-elite struggle, which is what the prigozhin-putin struggle was all about. cyril: you used the word dictatorship a moment ago. again, i understand the different points of view here. but russia is still a country that has elections, a parliament, that has some sort of political process. i know what you are going to answer is pretty much what you told us a moment ago, and we welcome all these views. owen, your thoughts on where it leaves led mere putin, the public perception of vladimir putin in russia? owen: given that russia is a dictatorship, and in a way a democracy, although it retains some of the phantom structures of democracy, it is rather hard to tell,

but decided to, putin decided to get rid of prigozhin-— of prigozhin.in terms of what happens now _ of prigozhin. but in terms of what happens now because _ of prigozhin. but in terms of what happens now because on - of prigozhin. but in terms of what happens now because on the i of prigozhin. but in terms of what happens now because on the face j of prigozhin. but in terms of what i happens now because on the face of it it seems that any threat from prigozhin has been neutralised, however, there have been some commentators wondering if actually there will be someone else who succeeds him, someone who comes forward who has revenge on their mind. what do you think the risk factors are now full putin?- factors are now full putin? well, this actually _ factors are now full putin? well, this actually sends _ factors are now full putin? well, this actually sends quite - factors are now full putin? well, this actually sends quite a i factors are now full putin? -ii this actually sends quite a powerful message to anyone who might consider challenging putin and

wagner chief yevgeny prigozhin reportedly dead. on this plane that you see here crashed into the ground northwest of moscow. and some of prigozhin's top lieutenants who helped found the brutal private military group, were also on board, we have learned. all of this just two months after prigozhin led his forces on that march toward moscow. nick paton walsh is "outfront" and live from southern ukraine. you have been on the ground covering this war where wagner fighters took part in some of the most brutal fighting. what does this incident mean for putin and for this war? >> reporter: for the war, i think it's fair to say that since the failed armed rebellion, wagner's presence here in ukraine had been significantly diminished. they appeared to have been brought from many front line positions, though some suggesting that the financing of wagner, it was an organization by the kremlin, had been radically reduced and they were even experiencing recruitment and salary issues. so it's unlikely that we'll see an immediate impact from this

prigozhin was involved.e's said "a group of patriots was born", which later acquired the name wagner battalion. and soon the wagner group reached far beyond ukraine. the fbi accused prigozhin of interfering in the 2016 us election. in syria, wagner fighters supported pro—government forces. more recently there are multiple reports of wagner's military and commercial activity in africa. with the eu accusing the group of committing... "torture and extrajudicial, summary or arbitrary executions and killings". and then came the war. when putin wanted to give his invasion of ukraine impetus, prigozhin and his fighters were called in. but as wagner's death toll grew, so did prigozhin's fury. expressed first in video rants. and then in a short—lived mutiny. in the aftermath, putin condemned the "the mutineers and traitors". but for prigozhin, charges were dropped, no arrest followed. and we asked why wasn't putin punishing prigozhin? perhaps he was biding his time. earlier i asked us congressman raja krishnamoorthi

and i think he did that with prigozhin.he basically made him feel at home, that though kind of retribution would be paid, and as he became more comfortable, he became a better target. i think that's what's happened. >> how much of this is allowing somebody to be comfortable, sort of waiting maybe a little bit of surprise here, do you think could play into it? what about other current events happening, for example what we're seeing with the nations, the meeting that putin couldn't go to in south africa? all of this happening at once. do you think any of that, again, if -- there's a big if here -- there was some level of involvement from vladimir putin and if this was a targeted assassination, how much could those events do you believe have played into the decision? >> well, i think this is much simpler than all of that. i think this goes back to when the coup happened. and when somebody made a military coup that threatened to bring putin down, i think the dye was cast. and that from then on it was just looking for the right

i think was very clear when prigozhin crossed the line that prigozhin crossed the line that prigozhing and i believe that putin now has to officially say "it was not me" although nobody is fooled by this, but he does not want to appear stalinesque as assistant needing opponents in broad daylight even though thatis in broad daylight even though that is what you did. —— assassinating. that is what you did. -- assassinating.— that is what you did. -- assassinating. that is what you did. -- assassinatin.. ~ ., , assassinating. what comes next for the bug _ assassinating. what comes next for the bug number— assassinating. what comes next for the bug number -- - assassinating. what comes next for the bug number -- wagner. for the bug number —— wagner group? for the bug number -- wagner grou - ? , for the bug number -- wagner grou? , ., _, for the bug number -- wagner grou? , ., group? they are continuing as we speak- _ group? they are continuing as we speak. think— group? they are continuing as we speak. think of _ group? they are continuing as we speak. think of it - group? they are contin

prigozhin. i should be careful, even if it's on task, we need to figure out exactly what happened and listen to the final report of what happened, although it won't be conclusive because it's in russia, but we should not jump to the conclusion yet that putin was behind this. i'm not so sure about that. maybe there are other forces that decided to take prigozhin out. there were a lot of people disappointed that putin negotiated with prigozhin. and in other mysterious assassinations, boris assassination in 2015, a leading russian opposition figure, it was very murky as to who finally made that decision. i think that's what i'll be looking forward to finding out more about, was putin behind this or was it rogue elements within his russian armed forces that actually didn't like the fact that he stood down when confronting prigozhin months ago. >> so what we'll tell you or will we ever really know what happened here? what is -- what constitutes reliable sources coming out of russia? >> that's a reall

sergei: prigozhin is not valuable now.ecause as was mentioned before, wagner played a very important role last year. sami: why hasn't he been punished, then? sergei: because he is not guilty. there was a conflict between prigozhin and the russian defense ministry. both sides were a little bit guilty. so it was not a rebellion against russian authorities. sami: sergei, help us understand, who did vladimir putin mean then when he said he would punish those who are treasonous? if he was not talking about wagner or prigozhin? sergei: you know, in the hours when wagner group, wagner fighters moved -- was very important to keep strong -- [indiscernible] after it was over, kremlin decided 90% of the wagner group should be taken from prigozhin, and they will stay to fight in ukrainian battlefield. but 10% will stay with prigozhin , and he's not any threat. also, he kept personal loyalty to vladimir putin, to serve to the country. so no reason to punish that. what is the reason is to give big power to yevgeny prigozhin, because it

— about what happened involving yevgeny prigozhin? we know that a lane yevgeny prigozhin?yevgeny prigozhin? we know that a plane owned by _ yevgeny prigozhin? we know that a plane owned by him _ yevgeny prigozhin? we know that a plane owned by him crashed - yevgeny prigozhin? we know that a | plane owned by him crashed outside moscow yesterday evening. we know that his name was on the list of passengers registered as travelling on board that plane. what we do not know is if he was actually present there. we're still waiting to from russian investigators studying at the ten bodies recovered from the scene of the crash. there are unconfirmed reports that we have seenin unconfirmed reports that we have seen in the past half an hour or so saying that the bodies of yevgeny prigozhin and his closest deputy, dmitry utkin, have been identified. that is unconfirmed, but even though the bodies from the crash scene are badly burned, it is because yevgeny prigozhin had part of one finger messing on his left hand, that is what reports are saying has helped investigators identify his bo

this was really a prigozhin outfit, a prigozhin cult. there were other enablers, powerful figures, and one of them apparently was killed. >> can i interrupt you right there, because if i can, richard. because clint watts was saying earlier he would find it very unusual that the two of them would be on the same plane. i don't know how much you know about how they traveled or whether they often traveled into different planes, whether that makes sense to you, but what can you tell us based on your experience and your coverage of the wagner group about that? >> reporter: obviously it would not be a good idea. if you're planning a presidential trip, you wouldn't put your key leaders, the secret service would never do anything like that on one plane. spread it out, spread out the risk, but prigozhin was such a unique individual, a strange character, he took enormous personal risks. he went to the battlefields, in ukraine himself. there were video of him near bakhmut, not in the trenches but close to the front lines, putting himself clearly in

but prigozhin is a criminal and there is no empathy for him. just that he was important for a couple of months. in a way, it also shows the weakness of the russian political system because the private army of wagner was challenging the official army and it was important for the ukrainian army because they quarreled and forget about ukrainians, so this was important, and now we can see how the conflict goes on. >> indeed, it has been confirmed from russian aviation sources that prigozhin was on board the aircraft. basically now i think we are getting confirmation that prigozhin is actually dead, but we need to take this with a little bit of caution because these things can be slightly misinterpreted, so we are waiting for full confirmation. what we do know is the extent of the damage that the wagner mercenaries led by prigozhin perpetrated, carried out in ukraine. the extent of that -- and obviously you have witnessed this firsthand -- the extent of this must be something that will make you feel physically sick thinking about it. obviously, the

yevgeny prigozhin spent _ time. they go way back. yevgeny prigozhin spent most _ time. yevgeny prigozhin spent most of - time. they go way back. yevgeny prigozhin spent most of the - time. they go way back. yevgeny prigozhin spent most of the 80s. prigozhin spent most of the 80s in prison and in the early 19905 in prison and in the early 1990s apparently he met putin in st petersburg when putin was working in the mirror�*s office there, maybe even selling preaching wasn't hot dogs, that was his firstjob as he got out of prison. one way or another, prigozhin ended up being putin's caterer and make billions out of contract. prigozhin became his appointment in ever to sabotage democracy around the world. he was the founder and owner of the so—called internet research agency which was the agency that spread misinformation and disinformation in the american presidential campaign on front�*s behalf in 2016. he also spreads disinformation, using that agency all over europe and tried to aid and the democratic parties will do what is more, on the ground in military terms, prigoz

i don't towards prigozhin and putin. idon't know— towards prigozhin and putin.who has a good handle on it when _ know anyone who has a good handle on it when you _ know anyone who has a good handle on it. when you talk to people in the street— it. when you talk to people in the street and — it. when you talk to people in the street and russia they are still broadly— street and russia they are still broadly supportive of putin. partly because _ broadly supportive of putin. partly because all they are getting is propaganda. you saw with the insurrection that prigozhin started a couple _ insurrection that prigozhin started a couple of months ago how many people _ a couple of months ago how many people very quickly rallied to his side _ people very quickly rallied to his side the — people very quickly rallied to his side. the first speculation would be this leaves— side. the first speculation would be this leaves putin stronger but it's too soon — this leaves putin stronger but it's too soon to— this leaves putin stronger but it's too soon to tell. i�*m this leaves

leader yevgeny prigozhin. he expresses condolences and describes prigozhin, who led the brief mutiny against the russian military, as a talented man. but there's still no official confirmation he has died. translation: confirmation he has died. i translation: confirmation he has died. l, translation: confirmation he has died. :, ~ :, translation: confirmation he has died. a, ~ :, ~ prigozhin translation: i have known mr prigozhin for — translation: i have known mr prigozhin for a _ translation: i have known mr prigozhin for a long _ translation: i have known mr prigozhin for a long time, - translation: i have known mr prigozhin for a long time, since | translation: l have known mr. prigozhin for a long time, since the start of the 1990s. he was a man with a difficult fate. we'll talk to our russia editor about putin's comments. also on the programme... the nerve—racking wait is over — hundreds of thousands of students get their gcse and btec results. the number of top grades has fallen. two men have been arres

he clearly felt prigozhin was. so of a threat that he, if indeed it turned out the kremlin is behind this, wanted to see him dead and at the same time, too, you have to remember this is yevgeny prigozhin, it seems on, a plane with his key top lieutenants. they clearly all felt safe enough to travel together on a private jet like this, putting themselves so deeply vulnerable, they must have thought the threat was passed. but something certainly was totally against that perception, wolf. >> thank you. now to the latest on what russia is saying about this plane crash. fred pleitgen is following all that from berlin right now. how is this playing out in moscow, fred? >> reporter: well, look, the state media is reporting about this in a very matter of fact way. what i've done so far is actually texted the spokespeople. both the kremlin and russia's foreign ministry as well. and it is quite telling to see what vladimir putin has been doing on this evening. he was at a ceremony in korsk in southern russia where he held a

who was associated with prigozhin.e are other russian generals that disappeared or have been fired or pulled out of command. that is to say, the russian military not in good shape. the ukrainians are in the midst of this long, steady, grinding, but making some progress counteroffensive, and if the russians are distracted, then the ukrainians can take advantage. >> the counterargument perhaps to that is that people question putin's grip on power when prigozhin launched this coup. now prigozhin is presumptively dead. what lessons should the leaders of western capitals be taking away from all of this? i mean, is putin strong or is he weak? >> he is weaker than he was before the mutiny. there is no doubt about that. he tried to gain back some credibility, some perception of strength by killing prigozhin, if that's indeed what happened. but president putin has been -- has been seen to have been making big mistakes. made an enormous mistake when he invaded ukraine. then he allowed prigozhin to get out of hand. then he went a

and prigozhin made him look weak.nd so this is what happens when you make putin look weak. >> are you more surprised that it has been two months since that rebellion prigozhin led happened? >> it's absolutely crazy that putin has allowed him to live for two months. one would expect if you're a ruthless dictator and somebody organized a rebellion and you called him a traitor on television the day of the rebellion, that that guy would be -- the rebel would be apprehended, taken to red square, his head put in a guillotine and have it chopped off the next day. the fact that prigozhin didn't have his head chopped off and, in fact, had tea with putin in the kremlin, he was reading african dictators at the russia africa summit, has been flying all over the world, apparently unimpeded, every one of those days made putin look like a weakling, look not like a strong dictator. the fact that he waited two months, that's the biggest surprise of this whole story. >> yeah, speaking of looking weak, i mean, after that rebellion initi

before that, yevgeny prigozhin was linked to so-called factories, i.e.social media accounts spreading pro kremlin narratives, trying to influence political systems in various countries such as the united states. but after yevgeny prigozhin's short-lived and failed mutiny back in june, a lot of people begin to think that he has crossed some really important redlines and rebelling against russia's top military commanders and coming very close to challenging putin himself is not something that the kremlin will forgive. several commentators said that yevgeny prigozhin was a dead man walking. if he has indeed been killed in this crash, that would come as no surprise to them. >> thank you for that update. earlier on wednesday, u.s. president biden was asked about reports of the crash. >> i do not know for a fact what happened. i am not surprised. there is not that i did i know enough to know the answer. >> for more, we speak to freelance journalist john who is writing a book on the wagner group. what do we know about yevgeny prigozhin's movements today up unti

some of prigozhin's people those socks seem impatient and reported that the gazans body -- that prigozhin'sy was identified reportedly. phil: by a missing finger. phil: right. wagner group has been held up as a killing machine, fiercely loyal to their leader who has just died under mysterious circumstances, with president putin, presumed in many spheres to have ordered the hate. his background then worried about potential reprisals -- is the kremlin worried about potential reprisals? guest: there have been threats on telegram channels. the topic was also raised by the propagandist i mentioned earlier. but i don't see that something like mutiny that happened two months ago is possible again. at least not from the wagner soldiers, should prigozhin actually be dead. i can't imagine at this point that somebody is able to organize such a mutiny. phil: all right, thank you for that, tuyurim in rig as russian authorities investigate the crash, i spoke to an so what does he think happened? guest: it is too early to tell. investigators are trained to keep all the evidence on the table until evidence

we should probably get into it _ prigozhin. we should probably get into it this— prigozhin. far off from what's going on in reality with prigozhin _ what's going on in reality with prigozhin wagner group. he probably is dead _ prigozhin wagner group. he probably is dead and, definitely we are not crving _ is dead and, definitely we are not crying for— is dead and, definitely we are not crying for him. by the way today is the day— crying for him. by the way today is the day of— crying for him. by the way today is the day of national flag of ukraine. at ukraine — the day of national flag of ukraine. at ukraine flag day, yes. it will no doubt lead to conspiracies that ukraine was involved in. i've already seen that. you've been very forthright with us so far about some of the operations, we were going to talk about the fact that in spite of it all, there has been such... on the battlefield —— ingenuity. the last week we have seen some extra ordinary attacks on the long range bombers, on masco high—rise buildings, and today on an airfield in crimea where they had anti—aircraft d

making matters worse for putin, prigozhin was shown surrounded by cheering russians prigozhin had been driven by rage before the mutiny he accused russia's top generals of denying his mercenaries ammunition they needed to fight in ukraine. he said the generals were jealous of wagner's military successes. prigozhin was last seen just days ago apparently in africa wagner has a base in the poor central african republic, and as we reported, props up the government in exchange for diamonds and gold after the uprising, putin pardoned prigozhin offering him a deal to live in exile in belarus, but many suspected it was not a genuine offer and that putin was waiting for the right time to settle the score. >> and, richard, tonight there's still some mystery, even debate, about whether prigozhin is dead. >> reporter: some of prigozhin's supporters do believe that he was killed, but others say online that he was faking his own death or that he may have survived on a second aircraft, but the russian official count is quite consistent that the plane crashed, that prigozhin was on it, and that it was

yevgeny prigozhin really embarrassed him aj prigozhin really embarrassed him a lot in_ prigozhin reallyhim a lot in front of the _ prigozhin really embarrassed him a lot in front of the whole _ prigozhin really embarrassed him a lot in front of the whole world. - prigozhin really embarrassed him a lot in front of the whole world. we | lot in front of the whole world. we sit right _ lot in front of the whole world. we sit right away. _ lot in front of the whole world. we sit right away, people _ lot in front of the whole world. we sit right away, people like - lot in front of the whole world. we sit right away, people like myselfl sit right away, people like myself and a _ sit right away, people like myself and a russian opposition, - sit right away, people like myselfj and a russian opposition, said he will not _ and a russian opposition, said he will not forgive this, _ and a russian opposition, said he will not forgive this, he will- will not forgive this, he will be eliminated _ will not forgive this, he will be eliminated sooner or- will not forgive this, he will be| eliminated soon

the last thing the kremlin will want to have to deal with is prigozhin the martyr or cult of prigozhinnteresting, actually, that president putin has now ordered wagner employees and those of other private military contractors to sign an allegiance to the russian state. this seems to be an attempt by the kremlin to bring these kind of groups under tighter control. but keep in mind that all of this is happening at a time when russia, having invaded its neighbour, is fighting a war in ukraine, and it seems that dramas at home are becoming a major distraction. for more on this, i spoke with sean mcfate. he's a us army veteran and senior fellow at the atlantic council. sean, thank you for being here. russian authorities now officially confirming that wagner chief yevgeny prigozhin is dead. they have also said that they are not involved with this plane crash. how much confidence do you have in russia's assessment of this situation? i think on balance of probabilities, prigozhin is dead, but until international inspectors can go there and we can verify its prigozhin�*s dna, it is possible tha

it really, to what happened to yevgeny prigozhin in russia?— prigozhin in russia?hin in russia? it has been almost a week since the - prigozhin in russia? it has been almost a week since the plane l almost a week since the plane crashed that killed yevgeny prigozhin. and across russia, we have seen several spontaneous memorials to which russians have started bringing flowers to pay their respects to wagner and yevgeny prigozhin. and the big question now is what happens to his wagner group? the kremlin and the defence ministry in russia, they want this military company to be amalgamated into the official army, company to be amalgamated into the officialarmy, if company to be amalgamated into the official army, if you like, which is something yevgeny prigozhin opposed, something yevgeny prigozhin opposed, so in the foreseeable future it is reasonable to expect official efforts to take control of wagner, both in russia and in ukraine and also in africa, where various branches of wagner had been operating. branches of wagner had been operating-— operating. and are ther

now yevgeny prigozhin has reportedly died. russia's civil aviation authority says the founder of the wagner mercenary group was among the passengers on a plane that crashed. the jet came down in a region north of moscow. seven passengers and three crew members were on board the aircraft which was en route from moscow to st. petersburg. >> this is the moment the jet came hurtling from the sky in the region north of moscow. all 10 people, including three crew members, were killed. russia's aviation agency has confirmed the wagner military group boss was among passengers flying from moscow to st. petersburg. local reports state two loud bangs were heard and multiple videos posted on social media appear to show the jet on fire. this flight radar map shows the moment it disappeared. the remains of all 10 bodies have been retrieved from the site, and a criminal investigation is underway. >> the main investigation department of the investigative committee of the russian federation initiates the criminal case on the fact of an aviatio

yevgeny prigozhin is a businessman and former convict.y group took part in some of the most brutal fighting in ukraine. mr prigozhin became increasingly critical of russia's military leadership, eventually launching a mutiny in june. his forces seized a major russian city and even marched on moscow before abandoning their insurrection. yevgeny prigozhin had a lot of powerful enemies here in moscow, notjust in the military, but also in the kremlin. when his wagner mercenaries marched on the russian capital back injune, that was a direct challenge to president putin. that's why yesterday's news about the plane crash surprised almost nobody here in russia. "this wasn't really a shock, bearing in mind the whole situation", valeria told me. "i almost expected something like this to happen". alexander said, "it's quite right, what happened. you can't go against the russian leader. bad things will happen if you do". russian mp maria butina said those responsible for the plane crash would be held accountable. it's too early to give any precise co

this is not| gnu, prigozhin '5 death does not determine — gnu, prigozhin '5 death does not determinein '5 death does not determine how they are - gnu, prigozhin '5 death does not determine how they are going. gnu, prigozhin '5 death does not determine how they are going to| determine how they are going to proceed — determine how they are going to proceed in— determine how they are going to proceed in their— determine how they are going to proceed in their acts _ determine how they are going to proceed in their acts of- determine how they are going to i proceed in their acts of aggression against _ proceed in their acts of aggression against africa _ proceed in their acts of aggression against africa. again _ proceed in their acts of aggression against africa. again you - proceed in their acts of aggression against africa. again you are - proceed in their acts of aggression against africa. again you are after| against africa. again you are after against africa. again you are after a member— against africa. again you are after a memberthat— against africa. again you are after a member

- prigozhin. now, what is your view on what might have happened? it - prigozhin.ght have happened? it is being assumed that yevgeny prigozhin is now dead, where does that leave putin, for a start? justin crump? certainly, in terms of what we are seeing at the moment, speculation and misinformation is growing. and while i think fingers are pointing towards the russian state in this, they will attempt to muddy the waters. and certainly, investigations are currently ongoing and whether a device was smuggled on board, and of course, if that is found by the russians, then they will point the finger at duquesne or nato. we saw this with mh 17 and the difficulty of blame there. that was fairly open and shut. there are a lot of moving parts around this. the message being received through all of that is very clearly, as frank said, closing the chapter on what happened two months ago. that was a real slap in the face for the russian leadership. and it was something that needed to be resolved. they have moved slowly and carefully, weakening the remains of the wagner group, a