WSJ Reveals Name of Organizer Behind Prigozhin's Assassination: New Details

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, has been assassinated, with the operation organized by Nikolai Patrushev, the Director of the Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation and Secretary of the Russian Security Council. This was reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The report states that Patrushev warned Putin that Prigozhin and his mercenaries posed an increasing threat by enhancing their influence amid the Ukraine war. According to WSJ, Patrushev began warning Putin about Prigozhin’s potential danger as early as the summer of 2022, but Putin paid little attention to him as the Wagner Group was achieving success on the battlefield.

WSJ reported that Prigozhin called Putin and complained in a rude tone about a shortage of ammunition. At that moment, Patrushev was present in Putin's office. Patrushev believed that Prigozhin had become dangerous and had stopped respecting the Kremlin.

In June 2023, when Prigozhin began his rebellion, Patrushev took control of the situation. According to sources from WSJ, Patrushev contacted officers who sympathized with Prigozhin and asked them to persuade him to discontinue the rebellion. Patrushev also sought intermediaries in neighboring countries to resolve the conflict. Besides Alexander Lukashenko, who ultimately became the intermediary, Kazakhstan's President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev was also considered.

On August 23, Prigozhin was waiting at Sheremetyevo Airport for his plane to be checked and prepared for takeoff. At that moment, a small bomb was placed under his wing, according to sources at Western intelligence agencies. Half an hour after takeoff, at an altitude of about 8,500 meters, the bomb exploded. All ten people aboard the plane were killed.

It should be noted that the Kremlin denies any involvement in Prigozhin's death.