Putin’s right-hand man was behind assassination of mutinous Wagner boss Prigozhin with bomb fixed to wing of his aircraft causing fireball crash because he ‘had to be removed’, report claims

The assassination of warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin was “instigated” by Nikolai Patrushev, Vladimir Putin's closest security aide, it was reported today.

Progozhin – previously close to Putin and the boss of Wagner's private army – was killed in a plane crash in August, months after launching a failed coup against the Kremlin.

Now an investigation by The Wall Street Journal shows that a “small explosive device” was “shoved under the wing” and that the shadowy ex-FSB security service chief Patrushev (72) was behind the murder.

Putin, 71, suggested in October that Prigozhin and his colleagues were high on cocaine when they detonated hand grenades on his business jet.

He claimed that “hand grenade fragments were discovered in the bodies of the deceased in the plane crash.”

Progozhin – previously close to Putin and the boss of Wagner's private army – was killed in a plane crash in August, months after launching a failed coup against the Kremlin

Putin, 71, suggested in October that Prigozhin and his associates were high on cocaine when they detonated hand grenades on his business plane

But the magazine quoted a former Russian intelligence officer as saying that Patrushev “in his office in central Moscow instructed his aide to continue shaping an operation to destroy Progozhin” – who orchestrated the failed armed coup against the high command Putin had led in June. .

Western intelligence agencies said Putin “was later shown the plans and did not object,” the report said. This suggested that Putin had given his blessing.

The Kremlin had previously denied Putin's involvement in ordering the killing of ex-ally Prigozhin and today claimed the WSJ report was “pulp fiction.”

The dictator's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, said: 'We have seen this material but do not want to comment on it.

'It is unlikely that such materials can be commented on.'

The WSJ said the bomb was placed on Prigozhin's Embraer Legacy 600 before it took off with Prigozhin and nine others on board.

Among the others were his military commander Dmitry Utkin, 53, and flight attendant Kristina Raspopova, 39, who had revealed to her relatives a mysterious delay in the departure of the flight with the warlord on board.

All were killed when the plane was blown out of the sky at an altitude of 8,500 metres, about 30 minutes after it left Moscow en route to St Petersburg.

Western intelligence agencies said Putin “was shown the plans and did not object,” the new report said. This suggested that Putin (seen directly across from Prigozhin) had given his blessing

An investigation by The Wall Street Journal reveals that a “small explosive device” was slipped under the wing, and that shadowy ex-FSB security service chief Nikolai Patrushev (pictured in November), 72, was behind the killing.

The crash site of the private jet Yevgeny Prigozhin in the Tver region, Russia, in August 2023

A Kremlin source was quoted as saying of Prigozhin that he “had to be removed” after the coup.

Patrushev, 72, is known to wield extraordinary influence in the Kremlin, and some even argue that he is the real source of power in Russia.

Described as Putin's “oldest ally and confidant,” his official position is secretary of the Security Council, which is headed by the president.

He had warned Putin that Prigozhin was becoming too powerful and would become a loose cannon in the Russian power structure.

Patrushev is widely believed to be aiming for his son Dmitry, 46, to take over Putin's presidency when the longtime dictator steps down.

Dmitry is currently Minister of Agriculture.

A former CIA station chief, Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, was quoted by the magazine explaining the time gap between the failed coup and the alleged assassination.

“You can see what Putin's plan was: to keep the dead man walking so they could continue to figure out what happened,” he said.

Russian media reported that DNA tests confirmed that Prigozhin – who was known to use body doubles – had died in the crash.

Flight attendant Kristina Raspopova, 39, who had revealed to her relatives a mysterious delay in the departure of the flight with the warlord on board, was also killed in the crash

Reports that he had been tipped off, had missed the plane and had now fled abroad are seen as conspiracy theories.

Pro-Kremlin political analyst Sergei Markov claimed the West was out to discredit Patrushev, who was seen as a hardliner.

“Apparently the West now wants negotiations on Ukraine, and for some reason it hates Patrushev and wants to kick Patrushev out of Putin's team,” he claimed.

The official investigation into the Russian plane crash is shrouded in secrecy.