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Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service on March 3, 2023. On August 23, 2023 Russian state media reported Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a private jet that crashed in Russia, killing all ten aboard. AP hide caption
Wagner Group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin in a handout photo taken from video released by Prigozhin Press Service on March 3, 2023. On August 23, 2023 Russian state media reported Prigozhin was on the passenger list of a private jet that crashed in Russia, killing all ten aboard.
APRussia's state news agency Tass reported that the country's most famous mercenary, Yevgeny Prigozhin, was on the passenger list for a flight that crashed on its way from Moscow to St. Petersburg on Wednesday, killing all ten people on board. Despite being on the passenger list, it's not clear Prigozhin was on the flight.
As head of the Wagner Group, Prigozhin led an unsuccessful mutiny against the Russian military in June. He quickly stood down and struck a deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin that would see him exiled to neighboring Belarus. That exile never came and questions swirled about what punishment, if any, Prigozhin would face for crossing Putin.
NPR's Mary Louise Kelly speaks with Nina Khrushcheva. She is a professor of international affairs at The New School in New York City, and she's also the great-granddaughter of former Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev.
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This episode was produced by Connor Donevan and Marc Rivers. It was edited by Adam Raney and Larry Kaplow. Our executive producer is Sami Yenigun.
