Wagner group fighters threaten to march on Moscow after Prigozhin’s jet shot down: ‘Get ready for us!’
Wagner Group fighters have vowed to march on Moscow should their leader be confirmed dead
Reuters
Wagner group fighters have threatened to march on Moscow after their warlord leader Yevgeny Prigozhin’s name was found to be on the flight list.
The crash, which occurred in a field in the Tzer region around 60 miles northwest of Moscow, comes just two months after the 62-year-old Russian warlord’s failed coup attempt against Putin’s regime.
Video of the incident shows the plane plummeting toward the ground before crash-landing in the field and erupting into an enormous mushroom cloud of smoke and fire.
The Russian Federal Air Transport Agency has since published a list of those it believed were on the flight, including Prigozhin and his deputy Dmitry Utkin.
Aftermath of the plane crash
Reuters
In a chilling video shared on social media, armed men claiming to be from the war group swore vengeance on Putin should their leader be confirmed dead.
They said: “There's a lot of talk right now about what the Wagner Group will do. We can tell you one thing.
“We are getting started, get ready for us.”
A statement from Wagner officials threatened similar action.
Social media footage showing the crashed jet
Reuters
It read: “There are rumours about the death of the head of Wagner PMC Yevgeny Prigozhin.
“We directly say that we suspect the Kremlin officials led by Putin of an attempt to kill him.
“If the information about Prigozhin's death is confirmed, we will organize a second "March of Justice" on Moscow! He'd better be alive, it's in your own interests....”
Social media posts in Russia have run rampant with theories surrounding the crash with some suggesting the plane could have been brought down by a bomb disguised in a case of wine.
The Wagner mercenary group attempted a rebellion following a feud between Yevgeny Prigozhin, their leader, and Russian defence chiefsReutersDespite the Russian warlord’s name appearing on the flight manifest, some experts believe the Wagner Group chief could still be alive.
“It's been announced that a passenger by the name of Yevgeny Prigozhin was on board - but it is also known that multiple individuals have changed their name to Yevgeny Prigozhin, as part of his efforts to obfuscate his travels,” Kier Giles, a senior consultant from the London-based think tank Chatham House, told MailOnline.
“Let’s not be surprised if he pops up shortly in a new video from Africa.”
It would also not be the first time Prigozhin has disappeared after he was officially declared dead in 2019 before later emerging and playing a major part in the Ukraine conflict.
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