The official word has yet to be confirmed on the reported death of Coup Guy Yevgeny Prigozhin. He certainly hasn’t surfaced alive anywhere or back in Belarus exile, and he is presumed dead, even if the EU is still unable to confirm as much after salvage crews dug through the fiery wreckage of a business plane owned by him. This sort of outcome isn’t surprising, considering that Prigozhin had led a failed Wagner mutiny against the Kremlin, which is still oddly silent on Coup Guy’s fate.
NBC News reports that Russian State TV has glossed over Coup Guy’s death while barely paying it any attention at all. They were more interested, it seems, in Trump’s low-energy interview with Tucker Carlson. The same vibe of Coup Guy indifference goes for Putin, although surely, he must be aware that the plane crash caused everyone to start thinking about all of the Putin foes who have suspiciously plunged from high-rise windows to their demise.
Via The Independent, however, members of the Wagner Group are apparently talking to Putin in a video being circulated on Twitter by Ukrainian Advisor to the Minister of Affairs Anton Gerashchenko:
"Many discussions of what Wagner will do in this situation. We'll say one thing – we're starting off. Expect us!" – reported announcement of Wagner PMC. pic.twitter.com/pzfB5ZO2CT
— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) August 23, 2023
Masked men claiming to belong to the Wagner Group have warned the Kremlin to “get ready for us” after the reported death of their leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin.
“There’s a lot of talk right now about what the Wagner Group will do. We can tell you one thing, we are getting started, get ready for us,” the masked men warned.
Earlier reports said Russia security forces in two regions were put on alert after Wagner mercenaries vowed to “avenge” Prigozhin’s death.
The video, of course has shades of an Anonymous-style warning, which Russia has grown familiar with over the years. However, the Kremlin has yet to deny or confirm any involvement, so how this shakes out is anyone’s guess. Such a warning (however sanctioned from the top it might or might not be) is probably not good for Putin, though!
(Via Reuters & The Independent)