Arr, matey! 'Tis said that the demise of the dreaded Wagner warlord befittingly belongs in Putin's treacherous tome o' bloodshed!
2023-08-27
Arrr, Russia be a land of fierce scoundrels, known fer their savage ways o' dealin' with foes! 'Tis a doctrine, matey, called 'Wet Deeds,' forged by the Soviet Union, aimin' to send all 'enemies of the state' to Davy Jones' locker!
The most Googled name on Wednesday night in America was Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Russian warlord who commanded the murderous mercenary squad called The Wagner Group. Prigozhin's reported sudden death in a plane crash briefly hijacked the news cycle in the US. Preliminary intelligence analysis suggests that the crash was not accidental, but rather a result of a surface-to-air missile strike, bomb explosion, or sabotage from inside Russia. As a Russia watcher and former intelligence officer, the author believes that Prigozhin's death was likely a hit job orchestrated by the Russian state and authorized by Putin himself. Prigozhin may have lost Putin's trust following the "March of Justice," which threatened to overthrow key leaders in the Russian military establishment. Putin has always been unambiguous about the punishment for treason, stating that traitors must be severely punished. The author explains that "wet deeds," or targeted assassinations, have been a part of Putin's playbook, with various methods used such as shootings, poisonings, and staged accidents. The author mentions high-profile cases of political figures and journalists being victims of such "wet affairs." Poisonings have become a favored method for the Russians as they can be executed clandestinely and appear to be natural causes. The author concludes that even though the exact method of Prigozhin's death may not be determined, it is clear that Putin would go to great lengths to eliminate a top loyalist in order to maintain his hold on power.