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Written by Lucas Leiroz, journalist, researcher at the Center for Geostrategic Studies, geopolitical consultant
The recent plane crash that occurred in Tver region was reason enough for western media outlets to launch a huge wave of disinformation campaign, sharing unsubstantiated narratives and rumors. The aim is to gain attention from Western public opinion and to portray Russia’s image negatively, thus “justifying” the war policy against Moscow.
The tragedy happened on August 23, when an Embraer 135BJ Legacy 600 jet traveling from Moscow to St. Petersburg crashed in Tver. There is still no precise information about what motivated the accident, with suspicions of both an attack in the air and sabotage with planted bombs. More details are expected in the coming days as the investigation progresses.
According to data from the Russian Ministry of Emergencies and the Rosaviatsiya agency, Evgeny Prigozhin and Dmitri Utkin, co-founders and leaders of the Wagner Group, were among the ten passengers on the aircraft, as well as other high-ranking PMC commanders. There were no survivors in the accident, which is why Prigozhin and Utkin are presumed dead. However, no official confirmation of death has been given so far, as the bodies of the passengers have not yet been identified.
In addition, there is a second plane connected to the Wagner involved in the news. On the same day of the event, an RA-02878 jet departed from Moscow shortly after the Embraer Legacy, having returned to land after the pilot was notified of the accident with the other jet. There is no confirmation about the names of the passengers on this aircraft so far, with only speculation, unofficial reports and rumors about who could be on board.
Obviously, when situations like this occur, authorities act with extreme caution and only confirm data after thorough investigation, given the sensitive nature of the topic. Even more prudence is expected from the authorities of a country in conflict, as is the case in today’s Russia. However, the same attitude is not seen in the western media. Without any commitment to truth and information, pro-NATO media outlets spread all kinds of anti-Russian rumors, only with the intention of defaming the country and its leaders.
The narrative adopted by the newspapers was that the plane would have suffered an attack by the Russian defense forces in an act of personal revenge by President Vladimir Putin against the head of the Wagner Group. This would have been a response to the mutiny led by Prigozhin on June 24, when Wagner troops began a “march” from Rostov to Moscow, aborting the operation after reaching an agreement mediated by Belarusian President Aleksandr Lukashenko.
CNN, for example, wrote that “Prigozhin would be latest in line of Putin critics who met an early death”. In an article published on August 24, CNN journalists said that Prigozhin “appears to have joined an ever-growing list of high-profile Russians who have fallen from the president’s good graces and died in mysterious circumstances”.
Something similar was published by the BBC on the same day. Journalists accused Moscow of having destroyed the Wagner plane to provide a belated response to the June 24 mutiny. According to Western reporters, Vladimir Putin was discredited for not punishing Prigozhin, so he has now operated an attack to strengthen his image again.
“When Yevgeny Prigozhin and his Wagner troops launched their insurrection two months ago, Vladimir Putin made his feelings more than clear (…) He promised that the perpetrators would be punished. So there was incredulity in Russia when they were not (…) It made President Putin look weak (…) Suddenly things look rather different”, the article reads.
In the same vein, several journalists published on social networks a video of an interview with President Vladimir Putin, in which he states that it is not possible to “forgive” a “betrayal”. The video dates back to 2018, but was spread out of context to try to relate it to Prigozhin’s death.
Indeed, this wave of disinformation favors the Western plan to portray Russia as a dictatorial country, ruled by a “murderer” who acts selfishly against personal enemies. With this work of disinformation, the western media hopes to generate anti-Russian antipathy in public opinion, fomenting popular support for the war that NATO is waging against Moscow.
However, if analyzed in depth, all these narratives are easily refuted. The June 24th riot ended peacefully, without any remaining friction between Wagner and state forces. Days after the mutiny, Putin and Prigozhin met in person in Moscow, making it clear that the deal brokered by Lukashenko indeed ended any conflict of interest, with Wagner remaining a force loyal for the Russian state.
Furthermore, even if one supposes that eventually the Russian government would have an interest in eliminating Wagner’s members, certainly this type of clandestine operation would be done in a more professional way. Intelligence agents are expected to operate purges cautiously and without leaving a trace. Shooting down a plane inside Russian airspace and generating fear in the population is obviously not a tactic consistent with these requirements.
There is no convincing evidence to speak of Russian government involvement in the case. Most likely, the plane was sabotaged or attacked by Ukrainian, Western agents or bribed Russian dissidents. More information about the case will certainly be released by the authorities in the near future. The only thing that is clear for now is that the mainstream media is not a reliable source for understanding what happens in Russia.
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us senator lindsey graham says: ukraine used 3% of us defence budget to destroy half of russian army. http://rlu.ru/3ugru . btw. everybody knows putin already shits his pants, as he has now to resort to arresting and murdering his own generals and military commanders. prigozhin, utkin, surovikin, strelkow etc. etc. war is lost. so what now ? ass wide open, mr. jewtin. putin now kaputin !! big time !
why is it the western press that is always primed and ready when reporting something that suits it’s masters and mistresses? i recall in, ‘real time’ , when the bbc broadcast from a studio in new york with the actual building three in eyesight of the collapsed building three. the problem was that the bbc reporter said that building 3 fell before in actually did, lol.
nato news is garbage.
@ florian yes you are right, only problem is you not get that nato, usa, eu is controlled by jews, same as russia and communist china are. that’s also why both sides are always lying. it’s because it is one big jewish parasite who is trying to conquer earth and is playing with you, like a spider with a gnatfly in its web.
sometimes i feel the same way. i’ve been following the war since 2014. a lot of the older commanders who were for an independent donbass and lugansk republics are either dead from fighting, or were assasinated. remember motorola and givi god bless. one wonders if the fsb had anything to do with it.
just another funny version for internal use.
and so many high rank russians are killed too support putin. close the old days.
cred·u·lous /ˈkrejələs/ adjective having or showing too great a readiness to believe things.
another fynny internal version.
russian soldiers dont die i ukriane too. god and satan wont have them.
yes, wagner pmc as a fighting unit no longer exists, as it was held on the iron will & bloody traditions of prigozhin& utkin.the remnants of wagnerites will be persecuted by putin& will seek salvation by being recruited into the service of dictatorial regimes in africa, asia & latin america, guarding blood diamond mining& drug production in the jungle.
of course, they will be offered to sign a contract with shoigu and go to war against ukraine, but i think not many will agree to this, as few will want to give their lives again for putin, whom they hate and who killed their leaders.tens of thousands of families of the destroyed and wounded wagnerites, who previously received payments through prigozhin’s structures, will now receive nothing.
this will further increase social tensions and the level of internal destabilization in russia. also, this public execution will increase tension & uncertainty among the kremlin elites as prigo was capable of unconventional approaches &solutions in complex situations – and therefore was murdered by putin,as kremlin not needs clever commanders but just zs, resp. zombies ready to hop into the meatgrinder.
what else the empire of lies can do but to lie!
the whole world knows putin killed progozhin, eh
he’s a traitor to the established russian government and i’m sure from putins condolence words he gave less than two shıts about him and probably gave the ok for his removal. the deal was to stay out of russia, whitch he violated aswell. loud mouth had it coming. putin doesn’t screw around. he’s the only boss of wagner. honestly who cares. and why is everyone hating on putin? i think it awesome that putin took him out. probably an agent for the west. they are mad he’s dead.
whats the big deal if putin did give the order to kill him? he’s the president of russia. what he says goes. period
why was he in russia anyway, wasn’t part of the agreement that he was to stay in exile.
if i was putin, i’d be like f@ckin rights i took him out. deal with it. obviously they will never admit to that, but who gives a sh@t
are you on dope? president putin confirmed it.
confirmed what? that he gave the order to shoot down his plane? yea i know hey? good job putin, taking out the trash.
with regard to wagner’s operations in africa, it could well be the us considered it would kill two birds with one stone as it were, assassinating and using the assassination to attempt to cause political unrest in russia also.
yes esp as russia is giving them free grain since he knows due to western restrictions and games alternate supplies would be too costly. it’s the wester political class that will cause europe to suffer too. idiots.
we can only laugh at ruzzian propaganda 😆😆😆
if the collective western zionist controlled media and governments want to point a finger of blame, i suggest they all look in a mirror.
if prigozhin was in 2nd airplane, he framed his own death to look as he died in embraer 135bj legacy 600 jet accident. if he is still alive and wants world to know it, he would speak out. i don’t think russia is behind crashed jet accident. ukraine and west are more likely guilty if jet was sabotaged.
a big thanks to those who brought southfront back from the dead. well done!!!