What Happened to Prigozhin – Accident or Foul Play?
Yevgeny Prigozhin, a Russian businessman and restaurateur who is known as “Putin’s chef” due to his close relationship with Russian President Vladimir Putin, was on board a private jet that crashed in Russia on August 23, 2023. The cause of the crash is still under investigation. The Pentagon has said there is no indication that a surface-to-air missile brought down the plane. According to a preliminary US intelligence assessment, the plane crash was intentionally caused by an explosion1.
The Pentagon thought it was likely that Prigozhin was dead but did not confirm this.
Details of the US assessment surfaced as Mr Putin expressed his condolences to the families of those who were reported to be onboard the jet and referred to “serious mistakes”.