<\/span><\/li>\n <\/p>\n
Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email<\/p>\n
Thank you for subscribing!<\/h2>\n Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email<\/p>\n
We have more newsletters<\/p>\n
The death of Wagner mercenary group leader Yevgeny Prigozhin will send Russia \u201cinto meltdown\u201d and be "hoax of the century" if not true, a leading military expert has claimed. <\/p>\n
Prigzohin was on-board a plane that was seen hurtling out of the sky in a ball of flames, and has been confirmed as dead by several Russian news outlets.<\/p>\n
All 10 people on the plane including three crew members were killed, Russia\u2019s emergency ministry said, according to state newswire RIA Novosti, although only eight bodies have been found so far.<\/p>\n
READ MORE: <\/b>Virgin Media price cut on movies and sport bundle as customers get \u00a3150 off bill<\/b><\/p>\n
It has been claimed that the plane, registered to Prigozhin \u2013 the former chef of Russian President Vladimir Putin \u2013 was shot down by Russian air defence, but this has not been confirmed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
However, speaking exclusively to the Daily Star, international war expert Professor Anthony Glees said: \u201cIf Prigozhin is dead, then once again, Russia will truly find itself in meltdown.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf he's not dead, it will be the hoax of the century and so I think we can assume he is dead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we can be in no doubt tonight that the most likely killer is Putin, not least because the plane (clearly shot down) was flying from Moscow to St Petersburg, so hard for the Ukrainians to target.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n <\/figure>\n Russian Popeye declares he's looking for 'true love' after branding women 'scammers' <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cSome said that after the failed rebellion, Prigozhin was a 'dead man walking' but in a real sense Putin was also a 'dead man walking' as long as Prigozhin continued to exert huge influence.<\/p>\n
\u201cI suspect Putin had intelligence that Prigozhin was planning another putsch against him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe've been told that the two people Prigozhin wanted out \u2013 Sergei Shoigu Defence Minister and Valery Gerasimov Chief of the General Staff \u2013 were about to be pushed out and that 'General Armageddon' Sergei Surovikin, in charge of the Ukrainian war, had also 'gone on a short holiday'.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n <\/figure>\n Soldiers who answer 'directly to Putin' 'open fire on children' in central Moscow square <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
\u201cThese are signs that Prigozhin's influence was massive and Putin's on the wane \u2013 so Putin hits back.\u201d<\/p>\n
He added the apparent killing of Prigozhin is a \u201csign of terminal weakness\u201d for Putin.<\/p>\n
And Dr Yuri Felshtinsky, author of Blowing up Russia, concurred.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n\n <\/figure>\n Vladimir Putin mouthpiece claims Ukraine are making 'gay super soldiers' to fight in war <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n
He said: \u201cPrigozhin had become an embarrassment, not least because The Wagner Group was due to be labelled a terrorist organisation in a few weeks' time.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt confirms that Prigozhin was not powerful in his own right. It is still, however, unclear whether Putin's position has improved. Weakness is not Russians like in their leaders.\u201d<\/p>\n
To get more stories from Daily Star delivered straight to your inbox sign up to one of our free newsletters<\/i> here.<\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i><\/i><\/b><\/p>\n\nVladimir Putin<\/li>\n Russia<\/li>\n Exclusives<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nSource: Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Bookmark Never miss any of the fun stuff. Get the biggest stories and wackiest takes from the Daily Star, including our special WTF Wednesday email Thank you for subscribing! Never<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n
'If Yevgeny Prigozhin is not dead \u2014 it'll be hoax of the century', says expert - cottontailsonline.com<\/title>\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n\t \n\t \n\t \n