Take a close look at this image. You can see that the landing gear on the Embraer that is on the wings. Preliminary evidence points to some sort of explosive device being planted in one or both wheel wells. under the wings, which explains why the aircraft, as it plummeted towards earth, was intact but without wings.
I am confident that this was not a sanctioned assassination by Vladimir Putin. The timing and the spectacle (i.e., a plane crash on Russian territory) are unfavorable to Putin. The BRICs Summit was underway with Russia playing a prominent role. Putin also was commemorating the 80th anniversary of the Soviet victory at Kursk. Putin and his team know a thing or two about managing public relations. They are not fools. Killing Prigozhin in this way just does not make sense.
What about the GRU? Did they do it? I do not think so. Wagner is a creation of the GRU and Prigozhin was nothing more than a figurehead. If the GRU decided that Prigozhin was expendable I think they would get rid of him in a way that preserves plausible deniability. The wreckage of the aircraft on the ground in Russia will allow for the recovery of the black box and a chance to examine what remains of the aircraft. However, my friend, Stephen Bryen, makes an interesting argument (you can read the whole piece at Steve’s substack):
Stephen Bryen believes Yevgeny Prigozhin, leader of Russia’s Wagner group mercenary army, died in the wreckage of one of his private planes on August 23. Some early news reports noted speculation Prighozin might not have been aboard.