Putin plays for keeps
(function(d, s, id) { var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; if (d.getElementById(id)) return; js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id; js.src = “https://connect.facebook.net/en_US/sdk.js#xfbml=1&version=v3.0”; fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); }(document, ‘script’, ‘facebook-jssdk’)); –>
August 23, 2023
In a chronicle of a death foretold, Wagner Group mutineer Yevgeny Prigozhin, was killed along with nine others in a corporate plane crash, flying over Tver, a city just south of Moscow.
‘); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1609268089992-0’); }); document.write(”); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().addEventListener(‘slotRenderEnded’, function(event) { if (event.slot.getSlotElementId() == “div-hre-Americanthinker—New-3028”) { googletag.display(“div-hre-Americanthinker—New-3028”); } }); }); }
According to Fox News:
Yevgeny Prigozhin, the founder of Russia’s Wagner Group who challenged the rule of Vladimir Putin just months ago, was involved Wednesday in a plane crash that has left 10 people dead outside of Moscow, state media is reporting.
The business jet was traveling from the Russian capital to St. Petersburg went it went down in the Tver region, according to the TASS news agency.
‘); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1609270365559-0’); }); document.write(”); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().addEventListener(‘slotRenderEnded’, function(event) { if (event.slot.getSlotElementId() == “div-hre-Americanthinker—New-3035”) { googletag.display(“div-hre-Americanthinker—New-3035”); } }); }); }
“Prigozhin was listed among the passengers, according to the Federal Air Transport Agency,” read a post by TASS on Telegram. “An investigation into the crash of the Embraer aircraft has been launched, the department noted.”
Sure, it could have been something weird — a staged death or something.
But I recall reading the forecast that Prigozhin was a dead man walking as an absolute certainty when his mutiny against Vladimir Putin last June mysteriously fizzled and ended. He would go to Belarus. He would focus on Africa. All was well that ended well.
But Putin would get him.
And based on what’s known now, he did. Check out this tweet:
Prigozhin was aboard the plane that was downed by the Russian air defenses, per Tass. pic.twitter.com/oyw7OIPTog
— Yaroslav Trofimov (@yarotrof) August 23, 2023
‘); googletag.cmd.push(function () { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1609270282082-0’); }); document.write(”); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.pubads().addEventListener(‘slotRenderEnded’, function(event) { if (event.slot.getSlotElementId() == “div-hre-Americanthinker—New-3029”) { googletag.display(“div-hre-Americanthinker—New-3029”); } }); }); } if (publir_show_ads) { document.write(“
If TASS, the Russian state news agency is saying that, you can be pretty sure that that’s exactly what happened.
This observation sums it up:
Our Jennifer Griffin passes along that there are reports from Russia that Prigozhin’s plane was shot down by a Russian SAM. Not a subtle takedown…
— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) August 23, 2023
There’s also this:
1. Today is exactly two months after Prigozhin’s mutiny started.
2. Another symbolism: ten people died in today’s crash.
Exactly the same number of pilots died on board of the Russian military Il-22 plane on 24th June that was hit by Wagner mercenaries.
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 23, 2023
He obviously doesn’t care that everyone knows he did it, and he probably wanted people to see exactly how he did it.
BREAKING: Private jet carrying Russian mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has crashed with 10 people on board.
No survivors.
Prigozhin was a media favorite back in June when he led led a failed rebellion against Putin.
“Wagner-linked Telegram channel Grey Zone reported the… pic.twitter.com/YuFcUlXGek
— Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) August 23, 2023
Another video from the crash site. pic.twitter.com/Nz3xd262jN
— Polina Ivanova (@polinaivanovva) August 23, 2023
The Ukrainian press is reporting that there are rumors of a second coup.
Remember how the crowds cheered Prigozhin when he was leaving Rostov after his coup?
Prigozhin was loved by millions who consider Putin weak on Ukraine.
Those feelings were especially widespread in the military.
There are now rumors of a second coup
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) August 23, 2023
Which if true, would explain a heckuva lot of what is going on. Kill or be killed.
The bottom line here, no matter what may be happening, is Putin plays for keeps.
He doesn’t play the same kinds of games as Democrats, in other words, who say one thing is happening, such as “justice” or “democracy,” when in reality something else is happening.
Whether he is a cornered rat or a wily serpent taking his time to exact his revenge to send a message to the others, he’s not playing the same game as Joe Biden and his fellow Democrats.
While Biden is pressuring Congress to cough up another $24 billion for Ukraine, the New York Times is reporting that the Ukrainian military we are sending it to is not even putting up a proper fight. The New York Times today ran this headline:
Ukraine’s Forces and Firepower Are Misallocated, U.S. Officials Say
Their forces are split and scattered around when they should be concentrating on the objective of blowing out the bridge from Russia to Crimea.
That’s unfocused stuff, and there may be a lot of reasons for this, one of which is that casualty-laden Ukraine may be getting weary of this fight, But it may be many things. The surest thing is that it’s a world apart from the icy focus seen in Putin. The Bidenites seem satisfied solely for spending money, with no care given for results.
Putin, who just brazenly blew a potential rival who defied him out of the sky, thinks differently.
Image: Twitter screen shot
<!–
–>
<!– if(page_width_onload <= 479) { document.write("
“); googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-1345489840937-4’); }); } –> If you experience technical problems, please write to helpdesk@americanthinker.com
FOLLOW US ON
<!–
–>
<!– _qoptions={ qacct:”p-9bKF-NgTuSFM6″ }; 
–> <!—-> <!– var addthis_share = { email_template: “new_template” } –>
This article has been archived for your research. The original version from American Thinker can be found here.
