Of course Putin okayed it. Now they're all acting like there needs to be an investigation. Like some Putin-fan did this with some military hardware without Putin's knowledge. Ridiculous.
According to the International Civil Aviation Organization, an investigation must be conducted by the Russian
Interstate Aviation Committee, in the presence of the aircraft's manufacturer, Embraer S.A.
Something tells me they are going to blame external actors. The jet supposedly carried a bomb onboard. At the same time witnesses reported hearing two distinct explosions before the jet crashed. A typical air defence manoeuver - shoot two rockets to make sure you hit the target.
Who knows.
The whole Prigozhin saga was such an embarassment for Putin. That Putin let them march towards Moscow, and then let them leave is in my opinion due to them knowing this could ignite a civil war and the whole regime might come down. They were lucky that it played out like it did, they were prepared to eat some shit for this conclusion.
But Putin even met with Prigozhin recently if the reports are true. How embarrassing.
The whole point of that conflict was not about freedom and justice, but business as usual. RF was seeking full control of the assets and leadership of the Private military company. Wagner's leadership was furious about that.
Wagner contractors were paid x5-x6 more than members of the regular army, and, contrary to what Prigozhin's claimed, were supplied with absolutely everything they needed by the Russian Federation ( ammo, equipement, spare parts etc.) - which is illegal, according to international law.
The military company is active in 10 African coutries, providing local leaders with combat and protection forces, strategic planning, operational and logistical support, procurement and maintenance of powerful weapons platforms ( including tanks and attack helicopters etc.)
In exchange Wagner was granted access to vast natural ressources for export and trade. The PMC mainly exported Sudanese gold to Russia as well as diamonds and wood from the Central African Republic to the Emirates and China.
About 5000 contractors were/are active on African soil.
The companie's growing influence in Africa rubbed Putin the wrong way, which led to his ultimatum : all PMC officers must sign a contract with the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation,
de facto subjugating them fully to Russia.
As we speak, G.R.U. operatives are actively assuming command of Wagner's African network. Prior to his Prigozhin's assasination, African leaders were instructed not to conduct business with him anymore.
The other Putin assassinations were very amateurish in my opinion too. Like Navalny survived their attempt. Putin was like "the guy would have been dead if we decided so, it wasn't us," meanwhile they admitted a team of assassins were following him everywhere. You'd think that they wouldn't fail but through someone's incompetence they failed.
I disagree.
The whole point of Navalny's poisoning was to humiliate him, weaken him and obviously, make him suffer. Many failed to see this display of GRU's dark humour.
Regarding why Navalny is still alive today, my guess is that he is a member of an influent, competing faction in the Kremlin.
He's bee recently sentenced to 19 years of reclusion in a maximum security prison - a place where convicted murderers, rapists etc. are sent. Those facilities are....very brutal to say the least.
They are going to make him pay until his last breath.
