Russia: Yevgeny Prigozhin confirmed dead; Anton Elizarov next Wagner chief?

NEW DELHI, August 27

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After a Russian investigative committee confirmed on Sunday that the Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin has died in a plane crash, speculation mounted on his successor with reports stating that a leading commander of Wagner Private Military Company, Anton Elizarov, with call sign “Lotus”, may replace Prigozin as the chief.

Elizarov is said to have led Wagner’s operations at Soledar and Bakhmut and has also served in Syria, Libya, and the Central African Republic. A former airborne trooper from the Russian Army, he is said to have created Wagner’s combat training programmes.

The Russian probe committee wrote on Telegram that identities of all 10 persons killed in the plane crash correspond to the manifest of the flight. “As part of the investigation into the plane crash in the Tver Region, molecular genetic examinations have been completed. Based on their results, the identities of all 10 victims have been established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight manifest,” the committee wrote on Telegram. According to the name list released by Russia’s Federal Agency for Air Transport, Wagner Group private military company’s leader Prigozhin was among the 10 victims.

While Russia denies any role in his death, Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said he had obtained secret information about plans to kill Prigozhin and this was forwarded to the Kremlin.