25 August 2023 , 20:43
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The walls are oak panelled, the seats upholstered in finest white leather...all bought at the cost of blood and untold human misery.
These are said to be pictures of the cabin of Yevgeny Prigozhin’s private jet taken hours before it plunged to earth, killing the Russian warlord who defied President Vladimir Putin. US intelligence said an onboard bomb was likely to blame and pointed the finger at the Kremlin.
Our pictures are taken from a video on Russian Telegram channel VChK-OGPU, said to have close ties with the security forces. It is described as being the “result of a security breach”. In the footage an unidentified man and a woman – said to be “potential buyers” of the plane – can be heard talking in Russian.
No one is pictured in the clip but the camera pans through the aircraft, taking in the white leather seating. It moves into a lounge with a large velvet sofa and there are even shots of the bathroom. Local media reports said: “The man had only a phone with him. The woman was carrying a handbag. After examining the jet outside and inside for around an hour, they calmly left.”
Polished wood in the main cabin (Social media/east2west news)
Leather seats on crash jet (Social media/east2west news)Shortly afterwards Prigozhin and his entourage came on board. And hours later the man challenged Putin by marching his Wagner troops on Moscow was dead. Putin spokesman Dmitry Peskov denied the Presiident was responsible. He said: “There is lots of speculation around the tragic deaths of the passengers including Yevgeny Prigozhin. In the West those speculations are put out under a certain angle and all of it is a complete lie.”
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Asked if the Kremlin had confirmation of Prigozhin’s death, Peskov said: “All necessary analyses, including genetic testing, will be carried out. Once official conclusions are ready they will be released.” Millionaire restaurateur and one-time armed robber Prigozhin led the feared Wagner group of mercenaries which includes hardened murderers and rapists freed from jail.
Plane’s bathroom (VChK-OGPU/east2west news)
Vladimir Putin (AP)His men were involved in some of the most savage battles of the war in Ukraine as well as conflicts in Syria and Africa. Two months ago the 62-year-old led an armed mutiny against Russia ’s military leadership. As his men approached Moscow a deal was struck and Putin exiled his one-time friend to Belarus, leaving him unpunished.
But few were surprised when his Embraer jet plunged into a field north of Moscow on Wednesday, killing six other Wagner chiefs and three crew. Putin praised Prigozhin, whom he had known since the 1990s, saying he was a talented businessman but had made serious mistakes. A Western official said he was “very likely” targeted by the Kremlin and it matched Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics”.