The astonishing news today is that he is — or may be — dead. He is listed as being aboard a private plane, registered in his name, that has crashed in the Tver Region of Russia just north of Moscow, killing all ten persons aboard. As of the latest report I have read (from BBC), four bodies have so far been recovered, but there is no report of identification as yet.

But until all ten bodies have been definitely identified, I’m not willing to write him off. This is a man who is a total enigma, and historically a survivor: a former convict who started a catering business; became “Putin’s Chef” by providing catering services for the Kremlin; created and headed a “private military company” of mercenaries called the Wagner Group — something that is completely illegal in Russia, but was not only allowed to exist, but has been utilized by the Kremlin itself to augment its presence in various African and Middle Eastern countries as well as in Ukraine; became one of Vladimir Putin’s closest confidants; has been considered one of the group of oligarchs, the wealthiest and most powerful individuals in Russia today; and finally, inexplicably, attempted a rebellion against the Russian military, and failed miserably.

Since that time, his whereabouts — and his status — have been a total mystery. He was supposed to have been exiled to Belarus, but he kept showing up in Moscow and St. Petersburg. By all normal standards, he should have been in prison . . . but that never happened. He was apparently removed as head of the Wagner Group, but there has been no definitive word as to a successor, even on a temporary basis.

And now we are told that Yevgeny Prigozhin has probably been killed in the crash of his own plane . . . along with nine other people (six fellow passengers and three crew members). Local residents in the area of the crash have reported hearing two bangs and seeing two vapor trails before the actual crash. Strictly on the basis of the 23-year history of the Putin administration and its usual modus operandi, I have to wonder whether this is the Kremlin’s way of finally dealing with him, or whether it’s some sort of red herring designed to create the appearance of his death — though by whom, and for what reason, even my circuitous train of thought hasn’t been able to fathom as yet. And news out of Russia, as we all know, is not always the most reliable.

So, once more, we wait and we wonder. The mystery that is Russia is endlessly fascinating and frustrating.

Just sayin’ . . .

Brendochka
8/23/23