Russia's Putin gave orders to kill Wagner Chief Prigozhin, claims report

Russian Security Council secretary and President Vladimir Putin's right hand Nikolai Patrushev had given orders for Wagner mercenary group chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's assassination, reported the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) while citing Western intelligence as well as former Russian intelligence officer.

The Wagner Group was the Russian army's crucial wing in the Ukraine war before the escalating rhetoric between the country's defence minister and Yevgeny Prigozhin resulted in the former leading a brief mutiny against the government of Russia in June 2023 which shook the foundation of the Kremlin.

The so-called “march of justice” was abruptly ended by Yevgeny Prigozhin as he reached close to Moscow after a deal between him and Putin was brokered by Belarus's Alexander Lukashenko which permitted him and his Wagner forces to seek shelter in his country.

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Nikolai Patrushev saw Prigozhin as a 'threat'

In August, Yevgeny Prigozhin, along with other top Wagner commanders, was killed after his plane exploded. For a long time, Yevgeny Prigozhin was seen as a threat by Nikolai Patrushev, even before the mutiny took place.

Patrushev did approve the top Russian military brass' open criticism by Wagner's boss and was concerned that probably he gained a lot of power, as per the report.

Nikolai Patrushev - who has worked with Vladimir Putin since he became the president and is Russia's second-most powerful man – had taken the decision to punish Prigozhin after the mutiny, claimed the report. The report added that Putin "did not object" to it.

After Prigozhin's death in the plane explosion, Putin in his statement had said that "he made mistakes." The president also speculated that the explosion was caused by the grenades' poor handling by those present onboard.

Watch:Gravitas: Did Putin order the killing of Wagner Chief?

This claim was denied in a WSJ report which stated that a small bomb was attached under the wing of the plane in which Yevgeny Prigozhin boarded. The bomb was attached when the plane was waiting on the tarmac at a Moscow airport which caused the explosion.

Meanwhile, reacting to the report, the Kremlin accused the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) of publishing "pulp fiction".

“We have seen this material, but we would not like to comment on it. It is unlikely that such materials can be commented on,” he added.

(With inputs from agencies)

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