On August 23, 2023, a private jet crashed in a rural area northwest of Moscow, reportedly killing everyone on board. It was immediately reported that the plane belonged to the oligarch, Wagner Group leader, and orchestrator of the Spring 2023 coup against President Putin, Yevgeny Prigozhin. Early reports suggested that Prigozhin himself was on the plane's passenger manifest, along with other senior members of the Wagner Group's leadership.
In the wake of the crash – and as sparse details began to emerge – Russian and Ukrainian neo-Nazis, white supremacists, and ultranationalists on social media shared their reactions. Some claimed that Prigozhin was intentionally targeted due to his role in the attempted coup against Putin's government. Others claimed that the crash was a false flag, and that Prigozhin was not on the plane.
The following report highlights some reactions from Russian extremist accounts on Telegram.
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Russian Ultranationalists, Neo-Nazis And White Supremacists React To Reports Of Prigozhin's Death
On Telegram, the Russian Wagner Group published several posts concerning reports of the death of the group's leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin. In the first post, the channel wrote: "[...] The second plane, which belongs to Yevgeny Prigozhin, turns around the capital and heads for the airport. Despite the fact that many channels write that Prigozhin died, he could have been flying in another plane." In another post, the channel added: "The Russia-24 TV channel did NOT confirm Prigozhin's death. The host, citing the Federal Air Transport Agency, said that Prigozhin was on the list of passengers of the plane which had crashed." The last post shared by the channel read: "The head of the Wagner Group, Hero of Russia, a true patriot of his Motherland, Yevgeny Viktorovich Prigozhin, died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia. But even in Hell, he will be the best! Glory to Russia! Rest in peace Dad..."
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