A preliminary U.S. intelligence evaluation concluded that an intentional explosion brought about the aircraft crash presumed to have killed a mercenary chief, as suspicions grew over a Kremlin-orchestrated assassination.
One of the U.S. and Western officers who described the preliminary evaluation mentioned it decided that Yevgeny Prigozhin was “very likely” focused and that the explosion falls consistent with Vladimir Putin’s “long history of trying to silence his critics.”
The officers, who spoke on the situation of anonymity as a result of they weren’t approved to remark, didn’t supply any particulars about what brought about the explosion, which was extensively believed to be vengeance for the mutiny in June. Several of Prigozhin’s lieutenants had been additionally presumed lifeless.
Pentagon spokesperson Gen. Pat Ryder mentioned press reviews {that a} surface-to-air missile took down the aircraft had been inaccurate. He declined to say whether or not the U.S. suspected a bomb or believed the crash was an assassination.
Details of the intelligence evaluation surfaced as Putin expressed his condolences to the households of those that had been reported to be aboard the jet and referred to “serious mistakes” by Prigozhin.
The jet carrying the founding father of the Wagner navy firm and 6 different passengers crashed Wednesday quickly after taking off from Moscow with a crew of three, in line with Russia’s civil aviation authority.
Rescuers discovered 10 our bodies, and Russian media cited nameless sources in Wagner who mentioned Prigozhin was lifeless. But there was no official affirmation.
Source: www.dailysabah.com
