How Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin’s death was ‘orchestrated by Putin’s oldest ally’
The IndependentFor free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Ex-Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in a bomb plot orchestrated by Vladimir Putin’s oldest ally, a Russian intelligence officer has claimed. Follow live Ukraine updates here A Russian intelligence officer has now said former KGB officer and long-time Putin ally Nikolai Patrushev personally oversaw the planning of the operation which involved planting a bomb under the wing of Prigozhin’s aircraft. Mr Patrushev first warned the warlord had become “dangerous” with no respect for the Kremlin after he heard a phone call lambasting Putin for lack of supplies on the battlefield in Ukraine, according to the Wall Street Journal. open image in gallery Prigozhin was killed when his plane crashed over Russia on 23 August this year just months after he launched a mutiny against Russia’s ministry of defence “He had to be removed,” a Kremlin official told a European intelligence officer with backchannels of communication to the Russian regime after the incident.