of course, this comes from pure conjecture because the facts haven't been laid out yet. But I highly doubt the plane crash was orchestrated by Russian officials.
Russia's doing really good in the international community right now (not the NATO one, the actual one) and is winning their war. The only thing Russia has going in the international sphere right now are reasons to celebrate. Meanwhile, NATO's suffering a major defeat in Ukraine, the international community is trying to distance themselves from dependency on NATO, etc.
Who benefits the most from Prigozhin's death is the West. Already they've used it to stir the pot against Russia. Without Wagner Group's leadership, they've been significantly weakened, this matters because they've been the powerhouse of the Ukraine war, and because they could become a major obstacle to regaining colonial control over Niger. WG's leader being murdered also furthens the division between the Russian State and the mercenary group, NATO could harness this to their advantage. It could also increase the risk of civil emergency, as those who saw themselves as being more loyal to Prigozhin than Putin could seek retribution if they believed Putin was to blame.
It's not unheard of within Russian politics for opposition to be assassinated, so the chance exists for this to be that. But I really don't think Putin nor his strategists would think killing Prigozhin is a good idea. At least not while NATO's looking for any reason to up the war effort, and tensions in Africa could escalate.
of course, this comes from pure conjecture because the facts haven't been laid out yet. But I highly doubt the plane crash was orchestrated by Russian officials.
Russia's doing really good in the international community right now (not the NATO one, the actual one) and is winning their war. The only thing Russia has going in the international sphere right now are reasons to celebrate. Meanwhile, NATO's suffering a major defeat in Ukraine, the international community is trying to distance themselves from dependency on NATO, etc.
Who benefits the most from Prigozhin's death is the West. Already they've used it to stir the pot against Russia. Without Wagner Group's leadership, they've been significantly weakened, this matters because they've been the powerhouse of the Ukraine war, and because they could become a major obstacle to regaining colonial control over Niger. WG's leader being murdered also furthens the division between the Russian State and the mercenary group, NATO could harness this to their advantage. It could also increase the risk of civil emergency, as those who saw themselves as being more loyal to Prigozhin than Putin could seek retribution if they believed Putin was to blame.
It's not unheard of within Russian politics for opposition to be assassinated, so the chance exists for this to be that. But I really don't think Putin nor his strategists would think killing Prigozhin is a good idea. At least not while NATO's looking for any reason to up the war effort, and tensions in Africa could escalate.