Putin mum on apparent death of coup leader

Russian authorities remained silent Thursday on the apparent death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, chief of a Russian mercenary group who attempted a mutiny against President Vladimir Putin in June.

Prigozhin, 62, was aboard a plane that crashed Wednesday north of Moscow, killing all aboard according to the Associated Press. His death has not been confirmed directly, but Russian authorities say that all passengers and crew perished.

The military leader gained prominence as a caterer to Kremlin events, a role that earned him the nickname "Putin's Chef,'' before he founded the Wagner private military company. Wagner forces were instrumental in hard-fought successes for Russia in Ukraine, but Prigozhin was critical of Kremlin military leadership. But two months ago he led his forces on a 36-hour rebellion and march that came within 120 miles of Moscow before a deal was reached. Following the attempted coup, Prigozhin and his crew were granted asylum in Belarus, but he did not stay there.

Hello, I'm Nicole with news to know about the Russia-Ukraine crisis. Today, we'll be chatting about Putin's silence on Prigozhin's death. But first, check out these updates from Paste BN on Russia-Ukraine:

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Supporters blame 'traitors to Russia'

The Russian governmental agency in charge of civil aviation listed Prigozhin and top lieutenant Dmitry Utkin among 10 crew and passengers on the Embraer business jet that crashed in the Tver Region on Wednesday night. Federal Air Transport Agency said all aboard had died.

President Vladimir Putin made no mention of Prigozhin in an address Thursday welcoming new members to the international BRIC coalition of trade partners, and Russian media primarily focused on BRICS and updates on the war in Ukraine. A Telegram post in the Wagner-linked Grey Zone channel said Prigozhin "died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia.''

Meanwhile, a spontaneous memorial began to form near the Wagner Center in St. Petersburg as people brought flowers, candles and symbols of the Wagner Group. The lights on the building were turned on in the shape of a cross. The military blogging site Gray Zone posted tributes, saying Prigozhin "died as a result of the actions of traitors to Russia. But even in Hell he will be the best! Glory to Russia!"

When asked whether Putin was behind the crash, President Joe Biden said: “There’s not much that happens in Russia that Putin's not behind. But I don’t know enough to know the answer. ''

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