What happened 24 hours after the Wagner plane crash, Zelensky stated, Putin broke the silence, Putin stated | Prigo let the plane crash

The news of the Wagner plane crash on the 23rd is like a heavyweight bomb, and the subsequent developments of the event have touched the global attention.

On the 24th, Russian President Putin made his first public statement on the plane crash incident, expressing condolences to the families of the victims. He mentioned in his speech that Wagner founder Prigoren, who is believed to have died in the accident. On the same day, Ukrainian President Zelensky clarified that it was not related to the plane crash.

Russian media reported that the bodies of the victims have been transported to a storage facility in Tver Oblast, awaiting DNA testing to confirm their identity. At the same time, Wagner held an emergency meeting on the 23rd, which may activate the "contingency plan mechanism" and release the "information bomb". In addition, the Pentagon believes that there is currently no indication that the aircraft in question has been shot down by surface to air missiles.

Putin said he wants to investigate thoroughly

After the plane crash, a huge cross shaped light was illuminated at the Wagner headquarters in St. Petersburg. On the 24th, supporters of Prigoren laid red and white flowers outside the building, placed Wagner's flag and candles, and erected a temporary monument.

Meanwhile, the bodies of the victims have been transported to a storage facility in the state of Tver and will be awaiting DNA testing. So far, no body has been officially identified. From the on-site surveillance footage, it can be seen that this area has been locked down and emergency rescue vehicles are on standby.

On the same day, Putin broke his silence and made his first statement on the plane crash incident. He said preliminary information shows that members of the Wagner organization were on the crashed plane. He expressed condolences to the families of the victims, calling it a tragedy.

Putin mentioned Prigoren in his speech: "I have known him for a long time, starting from the 1990s. He is a person who has had a difficult life and has made serious mistakes in his life..."

Putin also stated that Prigoren is a talented person, a talented businessman, "not only working and achieving results in our country, but also abroad, especially in Africa."

Putin said that Prigoren recently returned from Africa and met with some officials in Moscow.

Putin also mentioned that Wagner made important contributions to special military operations, which the country will not forget.

Putin concluded by stating that the Chairman of the Russian Investigation Commission has provided him with a report on the start of the investigation, and that "technical and genetic testing is currently underway, which will take time". The investigation into this matter will continue until the end.

Russian media revealed that the criminal investigation has been assigned to Ivan Sibyl, an investigator of the Russian Special Investigation Commission. He has been involved in investigating a series of major cases, including the 2014 Moscow plane crash where the CEO of Total France died.

The United States proposes the "explosion theory"

Russian media have noticed that Putin's speech was made against the backdrop of the ongoing information war between the West and Ukraine.

Russian television station Tsargrad stated that Western propagandists will be the first to benefit from the incident, portraying it as retaliation by the Russian authorities against Prigoren. Even the news headlines are the same. But the West only provides a statement without a rational explanation for why Prigorn was "eliminated". After all, Wagner's senior management does not pose a political threat.

As Russian political scientist Sergei Markov said, the West does not need a rational explanation, it only needs to render the "chaos" of the Russian political situation and undermine Putin's reputation. Therefore, it is crucial for the investigation results to be released as soon as possible.

On the 24th, Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov called for attention to the facts rather than listening to the one-sided words of Western media when asked about the Prigoren plane crash: "The investigation has been immediately launched, the matter has been filed, and the investigators are working. I suggest paying attention to the facts rather than what Western media says.".

On the same day, Ukraine and the United States both expressed their views on the incident.

Ukrainian President Zelensky stated at a press conference jointly held with the Portuguese President that Ukraine has nothing to do with the plane crash that killed Prigoren.

The Chairman of the United States Joint Chiefs of Staff, Milley, also denied that Washington was involved in the plane crash. Pentagon spokesperson Reid said that news reports about ground to air missiles shooting down aircraft are inaccurate. He refused to disclose whether the United States suspected it was a bomb or believed that the plane crash was an assassination attempt.

In addition, the Associated Press reported on the 24th that a preliminary intelligence assessment in the United States concluded that the plane crash was caused by a deliberate explosion, and that Prigoren was "likely" the target of the attack.

The New York Times reported, citing US officials, that the main assumption behind Prigoren's plane crash was an internal explosion, which could have been triggered by "detonating the bomb or providing it with adulterated fuel.".

Wagner wants to set off an information bomb?

After the incident, the Wagner Commander's Committee immediately convened an emergency meeting.

According to the Russian news website "News. ru", Wagner Group has already established a special mechanism within it to prevent the sudden death of Prigoren or Utkin. Once the leader dies, the mechanism will be activated immediately. But the specific mechanism is unknown.

Oleg Krynitsyn, the head of the private military group RSB Group, said that there is expected to be an "information bomb" in the near future, which may be part of Prigoren's contingency plan.

In addition, the issue of Prigo's successor has also become a focus of public attention.

According to Russian media reports, the plane crash led to the annihilation of several senior executives in Wagner, but did not include senior commander Andrei Trochev, codenamed "White Hair", who is seen as the "successor" of Prigo. Some analysts believe that it is a coincidence that Trochev did not appear on the crashed plane among the senior management of Wagner.

Troshev is a retired Russian colonel who served in the Special Rapid Response Team of the Northwest Federal District of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs. He was also a veteran of the Afghanistan and Chechen Wars. He is currently a member of the security agency's "special department" at Wagner, responsible for "maintaining confidentiality systems, personnel, finance, and information security.".

The Moscow Communist Youth League Daily believes that Putin named "White Hair" and claimed that the latter could take over Wagner for a reason. According to insiders, Trochev left the organization after the Wagner incident and completely "faced" the Russian Ministry of Defense.

However, retired Russian military expert Victor Litovkin believes that the issue of succession will be decided by the Wagner Commander's Committee, and they will not accept any imposed decisions, codes of conduct, or candidates.

Russian military experts say they believe Wagner will continue to exist. "They can change their form, leadership, or even name, but retain their essence."