The Latest Breaking News from Wagner

Flight recorders also recovered, Russian officials say; Alexander Lukashenko says he warned Wagner bosses to be aware of threats to their lives

In today’s newsletter: Yevgeny Prigozhin is almost certainly dead – but, with the current state of chaos in Russia, could his plane crash be a smokescreen?

As Belarusian president claims he told Wagner chief and his ally Utkin: ‘Lads – you watch out’

An official says reporters indicate Yevgeny Prigozhin was ‘very likely’ targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Vladimir Putin’s ‘long history of trying to silence his critics.’

As the war enters its 548th day, these are the main developments.

Vladimir Putin’s response to plane crash which killed Yevgeny Prigozhin dominates the front of Friday’s newspapers.

Putin says Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin ‘made some serious mistakes in his life’; US will begin training Ukrainian pilots on F-16s in October

News that Russia’s Wagner mercenary chief was believed dead in a plane crash has dominated world reports, along with speculation that it might be linked to his June mutiny

Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, is presumed dead. Russia’s Air Transport Agency has said he was on the passenger manifest of 10 people on board a private jet that came down in a fiery crash close to Moscow, killing everyone on board, while a Telegram channel associated…

Catholic church attacked over its legal strategy in paedophile priest cases; fears for thousands of Emperor penguin chicks; Putin says Wagner boss made ‘serious mistakes’

On Aug. 23, Russian media reported that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group, was listed among the passengers of a plane that crashed, leaving no survivors. Speculation has already begun about Putin’s potential involvement in the crash. This speculation is likely to continue unabated well into the future.