Former Russian Prime Minister fearing for his life as Putin's opposition continue to die

Many claim Vladimir Putin is the perpetrator behind the reported death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of private military faction Wagner Group.

The Kremlin has denied all responsibility for the plane crash, with spokesman Dmitry Peskov saying: “There is a lot of speculation around this disaster, around the tragic death of the passengers on the plane, including Yevgeny Prigozhin.

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“Of course, in the West all these speculations are presented from a certain angle. This is all an absolute lie.”

The Russian state has a history of links to the deaths or serious illnesses of Russian elites and spies who have fallen out of favour with the Putin regime, including on UK soil.

Speaking on GB News, Kasyanov admits he is fearful of suffering a similar fate.

He told Tom Harwood: “For many years, I have felt fear.

“Just last year, when Putin started his criminal war against Ukraine, my criticism appeared to be a criminal case, and that is why I had to escape, as many other Russians have done.

“Putin calls it a ‘special operation’, but it is a full-scale war against a sovereign country. So of course, we all have this fear.”

The former Russian prime minister admitted that he felt Prigozhin would not live long after his failed mutiny in June.

The Wagner leader sent his forces to Moscow, and made it within 200km of the capital city before calling a truce.

Prigozhin’s troops were sent from Ukraine to Belarus, but his relationship with Putin appeared to have never recovered.

The Russian president described him as a “traitor” after the show of aggression from the man sometimes referred to as “Putin’s chef”.

Speaking on GB News, he said: "Prigozhin always was a criminal and continued to be a criminal until the end. And his pressure on Putin was not forgivable by Putin.

“It was clear to me since the first day of his mutiny that Prigozhin will not live long.

“I didn't expect, of course, that he would be killed in such a demonstrative way, as Putin did. But definitely it was an inevitable end."

Putin is now calling on military factions in Russia to pledge allegiance in an apparent bid to re-establish his authority.

Putin signed a decree on Friday which applies to anyone taking part in military activities in Ukraine, assisting the army and serving in territorial defence units.