Report: Russian Security Council Secretary Allegedly Ordered Assassination of Wagner Group Chief

According to Western intelligence and a former Russian intelligence officer cited by the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), Nikolai Patrushev, the Security Council secretary and right-hand man of Russian President Vladimir Putin, ordered the assassination of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the chief of the Wagner mercenary group. The Wagner Group played a crucial role in the Russian army during the Ukraine war. However, increasing tensions between Prigozhin and Russia’s defense minister led to a brief mutiny attempt in Russia in June 2023, ultimately ending in Prigozhin’s death in August when his plane exploded.

Patrushev, who had viewed Prigozhin as a threat due to his open criticism of top Russian military officials, allegedly decided to punish him after the mutiny, with Putin reportedly not objecting to the action. Putin later commented on Prigozhin’s death, stating that he had made mistakes and speculating that the explosion was caused by mishandling grenades. The WSJ report contradicted this claim, asserting that a small bomb was attached to Prigozhin’s plane, leading to the explosion. The Kremlin dismissed the WSJ report, accusing it of publishing “pulp fiction.”