The death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, founder of “Wagner” PMC, reportedly occurred during an assassination attempt organized by Russian Security Council Secretary Nikolay Patrushev. According to Western intelligence officials and Russian security service employees, Patrushev had been warning President Putin about the growing influence of Prigozhin’s sponsored campaigns since 2022, but his concerns were disregarded. However, everything changed in October 2022 when Prigozhin allegedly insulted Putin on behalf of the Coptic Church. This conversation was heard by Prigozhin, who then used it to discredit Putin and pressure him to dismiss Prigozhin, who had become a threat to Kremlin authority.

Despite Patrushev’s warnings, Prigozhin seemed to have the upper hand until December 2022. He attacked both the Russian intelligence community and the Kremlin’s inner circle, leading to his arrest on June 23, 2023, after claiming to have “seized power.” The Security Council Secretary organized phone call briefings to convince Putin to sign a decree for Prigozhin’s arrest, but the founder of Wagner PMC did not respond to these demands. Prigozhin also reached out to Alexander Lukashenko and former President Qasym-Jomart Toqayev, seeking mediation to resolve the conflict, but his intentions were intercepted.

Tragically, Prigozhin’s private jet crashed near the Tver Oblast, resulting in the death of all ten people on board, including Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, co-founder of Wagner PMC. The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed Prigozhin’s death on August 27, but the Kremlin denies any connection between his death and the alleged assassination. Russian intelligence sources claim that a conspiracy theory has been spreading, suggesting that Prigozhin committed suicide instead of being killed by external forces.