Putin's biggest enemy appears
to have been eliminated.
Yevgeny Prigozhin,
who led the attempted coup
back in June,
is now dead
after the jet
that he was flying in crashed
according to a group
linked to the Viognier group.
This is video of Promotion's Plane.
You see it here falling out of the sky
-1 of its wings.
A large trail of smoke
billowing behind it.
There were nine
other people on board
that jet,
which was at a cruise
altitude of 28,000 feet
before it disappeared.
From radar
video from the ground
showing the jets debris burning.
So far, no word on what caused the plane,
which was traveling from Moscow
to Saint Petersburg
to go down
but US intelligence is now
most likely trying to determine
if there was an explosion
inside of the plane
or if there was a flash on the ground
which could suggest
that it was hit by a missile.
So far,
Putin is not commenting on the crash.
We have a lot to get to tonight.
I want to start with Fred Pleitgen.
Fred,
what more are you learning about
the crash
that is said to have killed
this leader of the volunteer group?
There, Brianna?
Well, the
Russians are saying
that the investigators
that are on the scene
there are actually still working
and trying to gather evidence.
They say that they're looking
at multiple scenarios
as to
what might have happened to the plane,
including mechanical air.
But of course, also,
as they put it, tampering
with the aircraft as well.
And of course, it's
no secret that Yevgeny Prigozhin
more than fell out of favor
with Vladimir Putin.
In fact,
Vladimir Putin
called some of the actions
of Prigozhin treasonous.
Now, of course, right now, it's unclear
what exactly happened to the plane
who was behind it, but there are very few
who believe
that it could have been an accident.
Here's what we're learning
Probably the last moments of Wagner boss
Yevgeny Prigozhin.
This jet, an Empire Air legacy.
600 seen falling from the sky,
a wing appearing to be missing.
Russian authorities
confirming Prigozhin was on board
the aircraft.
CNN is unable to confirm
the authenticity of this video,
but RIA Novosti claimed
it was the moment that an ember air jet
fell from the sky in the air
region north of Moscow.
Flight data
shows the plane
traveling from Moscow
on a heading to St Petersburg
before it suddenly stops transmitting.
They should have chosen.
Russian media say
ten people were on board.
All of them believed dead
and that precautions name
was also on the passenger manifest.
The Bognor mercenary group
fought bitterly in Ukraine,
notably in Bermuda,
gaining some territory,
but also incurring heavy losses,
according to Prigozhin,
ripping into Russia's defense minister
and his top general,
accusing them of withholding ammo
leading to further deaths
of his fighters.
We do major items to which
you think
you were the masters of this life.
You think you can dispose of other lives
you think because you have warehouses
full of ammunition
that you have that right?
At Snyder Duff
in late June,
Ferguson went a
step further, launching a rebellion,
he said aim to unseat the leadership
of the defense ministry.
Ferguson finally relented and Bonner's
troops were ordered to Belarus.
But days
later, Putin
took aim at Prigozhin himself.
This election wrote,
We will protect our people
and our statehood
from any threats,
including treason from the inside.
What we're facing now is treason.
Unreasonable ambitions
and personal interests
led to treachery, state treason
and betrayal of our people.
World
reaction to the latest news
has been swift and blunt.
There is not much that happens in Russia.
I don't know enough
to know the answer,
but still no comment from the Russian
president tonight.
He held a moment of silence,
but for Soviet soldiers, killed in World
War Two in Kursk,
as the debris of the plane carrying
what was one of his
most important fighters burns in a field
north of Russia's capital,
and that continues to
be the case, Brianna.
Absolutely nothing
official from Vladimir Putin tonight.
But I think one of the important things
that we need to point out
is that while Yevgeny Prigozhin was
was probably killed on that plane,
so was pretty much
the entire senior leadership of the Volga
and private military company, it's
pretty much a complete
diktat imitation of that organization,
including their top
military commander, Dmitry Oetken,
who actually came up
with the name of Wagner
and who's played a huge role
for that organization in Syria.
In Africa and in Ukraine as well.
A lot of people
I'm speaking to in Russia
say if that company survives,
it will be a completely different
organization Brianna.
Yes, such a good point, Fred.
Pleitgen, thank you for that report.
OUTFRONT now, Kristen
Gros of Lead Russia, investigator
at Bellingcat Productions, who is also on
Russia's wanted list.
And Andre Soldatov
a Russian investigative journalist
whose site has been blocked in Russia.
Christo, to you first.
I know that you have been talking
to all of your sources.
What do you think happened here?
Well, there's no
doubt among any of the bargaining
rights or bargaining rights
who I'm talking to, that
this was an assassination,
this was a decapitation of
their leadership, as Fred said.
Nobody doubts that.
And the
even the telegram channels
that were always very well informed
and close
to the management of Bognor
are calling it
the calling it an assassination,
what they're calling it.
This was an act of treason.
So now we see a reversal of accusations
where Putin was calling what
what Prigozhin did two months ago.
Exactly. To the day, two months ago.
Treason.
Now, the expulsion of rights
or the bargaining
rights are calling
what Putin did to Prigozhin treason.
So we we're
poised to see some interesting
developments in Russia
in the next few days.
Andre, do you have any doubt
that Putin was behind this
That was quite
interesting that
all the people I spoke with today
immediately assume that it was Putin
who was behind his attack.
Not say some rogue elements
within the military
or the army
independently took action
against Prigozhin.
And for me, it is a sign
that Putin was quite successful
at reestablishing political control
and sending his message to the military,
specifically to the military,
that there is no space,
no room for any independent action.
Christo,
it was just a couple of weeks ago
that you were predicting
that Prigozhin would either be dead
or that there would be a second coup
by the end of the year.
What do you think about the timing here
if Putin was behind this?
Well, I mean, again, on the assumption
that Putin was behind it
and there seems to be no force
in Russia that could have done this
outside of Putin's
authorization at Purdue, then
the only question is
why did it happen so fast?
I mean, the reason why we on this program
discussed a couple of weeks ago
that Putin must avenge,
must eliminate, neutralize Prigozhin
once he called him a traitor,
because otherwise
he will lose the ability
to govern by ruthless ruthlessness.
The only problem with the timing
is that it happened a bit too fast.
It has happened before
Putin was able to essentially
destroy the influence
of Prigozhin in Africa,
destroy
the influence of Prigozhin
on the remaining Wagner our troops.
And I think that this has to do exactly
with Africa.
I mean, in the last week,
we saw a lot of escalation of the fight
between the Ministry of Defense
and Putin and the Kremlin
on one hand, and Prigozhin
on the other hand
on who will retain control over
some of the most
lucrative markets in Africa over Mali
or the Central African Republic.
In fact,
Prigozhin was in Africa
the last two days,
and he was on the way
back from Africa
trying to retain control over Mali
and not to yield control
to the Ministry of Defense.
And I think it is
this escalation
of the interest
in Africa that precipitated the action
against Prigozhin Andre.
Many people were surprised
that Putin didn't
take action against Prigozhin
after he led the march towards Moscow.
Exactly.
Two months ago to the day here.
It, of course, failed.
He was even seen in public
in St Petersburg
attending the very same summit.
Is Putin two weeks ago,
I mean, if Putin is behind this,
why wait two months
I think is
it is a sign
that Putin is still a cold blooded,
very calculating player
who took his time
to assess the situation to assess
what to do
with precautions
sources in the country
and outside the country
to try to figure out what to do about
precautions people in Africa
and in the Middle East.
And also
he needed to understand
what to do with the military.
And I think it's not a surprise
and not a coincidence that this week
we also got news about Syria weekend.
Finally, we get some clear ideas
about what got some clarity.
But what actually happened
to Sara Avakian?
He was dismissed
that he had lost his position
as the head of our space forces,
but still remains in the military
Yeah, a key general.
It had been in the Ukraine war
and dismissed
as the head of
what is the equivalent of the Air Force.
And he hadn't been seen
since the mutiny in June.
And we just found out that he was stood
down here really in the last day.
Christo Bellingcat
was critical
to proving
that it was a Russian missile
that had taken down
MH 17 that commercial jetliner
in eastern Ukraine in 2014
killing so many people.
What should outside
investigators be looking for in this case
and for Ghosn's plane
that does not require
Russian cooperation.
Yeah I think we are in a different stage
now we have so many leaks within Russia
within Russian security services,
within Russian Ministry of defense
people that are actively
or tacitly fighting against one another
that we're going to get
the answer is pretty soon I believe
we're not going to have to go through
this laborious
looking for shreds of shrapnel,
then strips of evidence
and looking for postings on social media,
which is what Bellingcat had to do
for months and years in 2014 or 15.
I think we're going to see actual
reports and and witness statements
and and pictures of what happened
leaked to social media
and to telegram channels
in the next few days.
Because it Prigozhin did one good
thing if this
cold blooded criminal
and war criminal did one good thing,
he he actually created some sort of
pluralism of media in Russia
in in a worst in a very perverse sense.
And there's a lot of people
who now have taken too from him
and are speaking up
they're not the nicest people
but they're going to leak.
And I think we're going to find out
what happened to this
in the next couple of days.