Russian officials confirmed that the leader of the Wagner mercenary group - Yevgeny Prigozhin, was on the passenger list of the private plane that crashed on the evening of August 23 in the north of Moscow and there were no survivors.
However, the details of what happened to the Wagner Group mercenary boss are currently unclear. The question that is receiving attention now is what is the future of the Wagner Group after the news of Prigozhin's death?
The incident occurred amid a mutiny led by Prigozhin in Moscow in June, which was later moved to Belarus as part of a deal with the Kremlin brokered by Belarusian President Lukashenko.
The future of the Wagner group is in doubt following the news of the death of boss Prigozhin.
Wagner’s prominent role in Russia’s military operations in Ukraine has been severely diminished since the group’s march to Moscow, and Prigozhin is now said to be trying to regain some of the influence he once had through operations in Africa.
Prigozhin issued a statement in support of the coup in Niger. Recently, Wagner leader Prigozhin made a surprise official reappearance after a long absence since the June 24 uprising in Russia. In the video, Prigozhin said he had found a new role and his actions after the mutiny had been forgiven.
Also according to the video, Prigozhin confirmed that he was recruiting for operations in Africa, and invited Russian businesses to invest in the Central African Republic through the Russian House - a cultural center in the capital of this African country.
In addition to boss Yevgeny Prigozhin, the list of people accompanying him in the plane crash near the village of Kuzhenkino in Tver province also included senior Wagner commander Dmitry Utkin, Prigozhin's right-hand man.
According to the Guardian , Wagner's future is unclear after news that many of its leaders died in a plane crash.
Recently, hundreds of Wagner fighters who had been based in Belarus began leaving the country, many moving to work in West Africa. The number of Wagner forces in Belarus has shrunk from more than 5,000 to about a quarter.
Meanwhile, in Russia, Wagner's activities have been disrupted for the past two months as leader Prigozhin and his group's soldiers seek a new role after the mutiny.
And with Wagner pulling out of Ukraine, the question now is whether the group can continue in a similar form of operations in African countries.
There is no word yet on who will replace Prigozhin as head of the Wagner group.
Much of Wagner’s influence in Africa was built through Prigozhin’s personal involvement with regional leaders. Wagner supported the military government in Mali, a move that prompted France to end its nearly decade-long military campaign there.
On Sky News in June, Air Vice Marshal Sean Bell, now a military analyst, said that without Prigozhin, the group would be meaningless.
“Without the role of Yevgeny Prigozhin, it is difficult to see how the Wagner group would survive,” said military expert Sean Bell.
Kong Anh (Source: The Guardian)
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