Mercenary Leader Prigozhin Reported Dead in Plane Crash by Russian State News_我的网站
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The leader of the Wagner Group mercenary front that marched his forces on Moscow just months ago was believed to be among 10 individuals who died in a plane crash Wednesday, according to Russia’s state news service.
Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led the failed revolt in June, was listed among 10 names on the private plane’s passenger list, according to the report from Tass, which cites the country’s aviation authority. All 10 people aboard the flight were killed.
Yet official confirmation that Prigozhin was among them was slow in coming.
Before the crash, Prigozhin – who had seemed to largely disappear from public view after he was permitted under a deal brokered by Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko to take refuge in his country in the wake of the mutiny – was widely believed to be in Africa. He released a recent video in which he can be seen armed in a desert landscape among troops, suggesting the Wagner group had returned to its roots of advancing Russian interest by trading securing guarantees for developmental rights.
“Wagner is conducting reconnaissance and search operations, making Russia even greater on every continent – and Africa even more free. Justice and happiness for the African nations,” he said in the video posted this week to his Telegram channel.
President Joe Biden, who was quiet on the rebellion as it unfolded, said what many were likely thinking when asked about the reports on Wednesday.
“I don’t know for a fact what happened, but I’m not surprised,” Biden said.
Asked if he thought it was the work of Russian President Vladimir Putin – whose enemies regularly fall victim to fatal accidents or mysterious attacks – Biden responded, “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin’s not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer.”
Prigozhin appeared to maintain a precarious position within Russian President Vladimir Putin’s inner circle, seemingly allowed to remain at the head of his forces and secure billions of dollars in government contracts despite his aborted rebellion against Moscow in June, when a column of some 25,000 Wagner troops loyal to him conducted a stunning about-face and marched along with fighting vehicles and heavy weaponry toward the capital.
Progozhin, who had been increasingly vocal about his dissatisfaction with Russia’s generals as well as the lack of resources supplied to his forces, said publicly that the move was in retaliation for a Russian attack on his forces, although U.S. intelligence indicated that Wagner troops had been amassing near the Russian border for some time. The troops – who were called upon to do some of the heaviest fighting in the ongoing war in Ukraine – marched on the southern Russian metropolis of Rostov-on-Don, seizing the headquarters building of the Russian command overseeing the war. Russian officials sought the arrest of Prigozhin and moved on his convoy. Skirmishes ensued, yet Russian troops reportedly cheered and waved the mercenaries through checkpoints while some even joined the column of Prigozhin’s men that began making its way to Moscow.
As quickly as it materialized, the threat dissipated, and Prigozhin issued a statement saying his mercenary front had achieved its ambition of seizing the Kremlin’s attention and was returning to the front lines. An arrest order was withdrawn and Prigozhin was permitted under a deal brokered by Lukashenko.
Reports later emerged of meetings between Prigozhin and Putin, and the mercenary leader was subsequently seen in St. Petersburg, where he was permitted access to his vast sums of money that had been seized by the government. The status of Wagner was less clear, with some troops joining regular Russian forces in Ukraine, some remaining in Belarus and some believed to have returned to operations in Africa.
Wagner first emerged as the armed extension of Putin’s foreign ambitions for the developing world, particularly to help secure areas in which Russia could prospectively exploit mineral rights and other commercial enterprises – regardless of the tactics required to achieve the goals. Prigozhin, a catering tycoon and Wagner's chief financier who spent time in prison in Russia’s immediate post-Soviet era, parlayed contracts to feed Russia’s troops into a security company of his own.
His mercenary front rose to the public’s attention by carrying out highly deniable paramilitary operations in far-flung regions of the world aligned with Russia’s foreign policy. Wagner’s presence in Mozambique, Libya, Central African Republic and Mali resembled a business conglomerate, trading natural resource access for private military services with a penchant for human rights abuses. That expeditionary mission began to change into more of a special operations force with ultimate deniability when Putin, finding difficulty masking the high Russian death toll during the Syrian civil war, employed them to prop up the regime of Bashar Assad during the civil war and simultaneously execute a multinational war against the Islamic State group.
。 Raaj Kamal Films International marked Rajinikanth’s fifty years in cinema and his seventy-fifth birthday with a heartfelt video tribute that revisits one of Tamil cinema’s most enduring creative partnerships. Shared on the production house’s official social media handles, the video stands as a warm salute from Kamal Haasan and his banner to a fellow icon who has walked alongside him through five decades of cinema.Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth share a rare bond shaped by time, trust, and mutual respect. They have appeared together in eighteen films, a collaboration that began with Apoorva Ragangal in 1975, which also marked Rajinikanth’s debut as an actor. Over the years, their journeys diverged in style and persona, yet remained deeply intertwined within the history of Tamil cinema.
.@RKFI extends heartfelt birthday wishes to @rajinikanth.His friendship with @ikamalhaasan remains one of themost treasured bonds in Indian cinema.#Rajinikanth #KamalHaasan#HappyBirthdayRajinikanth #HappyBirthdayThalaivar @turmericmediaTM @magizhmandram pic.twitter.com/weGvadDQGB
— Raaj Kamal Films International (@RKFI) December 12, 2025
A tribute rooted in shared memoriesThe video opens with a still from Ninaithale Inikkum released in 1979, featuring both Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth. The image itself carries recent significance as it was earlier shared in August ahead of the release of Coolie, instantly sparking nostalgia among fans. From there, the tribute travels back to some of the most formative years of their careers.Several moments from films shaped by legendary filmmaker K Balachandar form the emotional spine of the video. Scenes and stills from Apoorva Ragangal, Moondru Mudichu, and Avargal are featured prominently, reminding viewers of a time when both actors were evolving performers finding their voices under the guidance of a master storyteller. These films remain cornerstones of Tamil cinema, not only for their craft but for the raw energy of two future legends sharing the frame.The video also briefly recreates a moment from Bharathiraja’s 16 Vayathinile through AI generated visuals. The choice adds a modern touch to the tribute while paying homage to a film that redefined realism in Tamil cinema and played a key role in shaping Rajinikanth’s early image as an unconventional performer.
Beyond films and into cultural legacyBeyond film clips, the tribute extends into moments captured at public events and celebrations that have become part of Tamil popular culture. Footage from milestones such as Kamal 50 and appearances at the Vikatan Awards highlight the camaraderie between the two stars off screen. These glimpses reflect a relationship that has endured competition, changing eras, and individual superstardom without losing its warmth.Ahead of the video release, Kamal Haasan also took to social media to wish Rajinikanth on his birthday. His message was simple yet deeply personal, acknowledging both the passage of time and the scale of Rajinikanth’s contribution to cinema. He wrote that it marked seventy five years of a remarkable life and fifty years of legendary cinema, signing off with a birthday wish to his friend.The tribute from Raaj Kamal Films is less about spectacle and more about shared history. It reminds audiences that before the myths, the mass moments, and the towering fan followings, Kamal Haasan and Rajinikanth were contemporaries growing together within the same cinematic ecosystem. In celebrating Rajinikanth, the video also quietly celebrates an era of Tamil cinema that shaped generations of storytellers and viewers alike.Also Read: Tamil Cinema Bids Farewell to AVM Saravanan, A Producer Who Shaped Generations。
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