BBC Journalist Denies Video Report on Wagner Leader's Staged Death

Misbar investigated the viral video report and found it to be fake.

There is no record of BBC News ever releasing a video report regarding the fabricated death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group.

BBC Journalist Confirms Video About Yevgeny Prigozhin's Death to be Fake

According to Shayan Sardarizadeh, a journalist at BBC Verify, the video is completely fake, and the BBC has never published such a video report.

In a post via X, he said, "A fake video with the logo and branding of BBC News is being shared online, claiming that Wagner chief Yevgeny Prigozhin's death was staged by the Kremlin. The video is completely fake. BBC News has never published such a video."

Russian Analyst Claims Yevgeny Prigozhin Is Alive

The fake BBC video report was widely circulated along with a screenshot of the Daily Mail’s article about a Russian analyst who claims that Yevgeny Prigozhin is alive and plotting his revenge on Putin after his body double was killed in a plane assassination plot.

A Russian political analyst has asserted that Yevgeny Prigozhin, a warlord, is alive following a recent plane crash in which his body double was reportedly killed. The analyst, Dr. Valery Solovey, states that Prigozhin is currently residing in an undisclosed country, despite Russia conducting a funeral for him that President Vladimir Putin is avoiding.

According to this claim, Prigozhin evaded an assassination attempt authorized by Putin and orchestrated by Russia's security council. Dr. Solovey, a former professor at Moscow's prestigious Institute of International Relations (MGIMO), alleges that the Russian authorities lied about discovering Prigozhin's DNA at the crash site in the Tver region.

Dr. Solovey contends that Prigozhin used a body double who boarded the plane instead of him, and the plane was actually brought down by a Russian air defense system, contradicting U.S. intelligence's explosion theory. He asserts that the operation was devised within Russia's Security Council and personally sanctioned by President Putin.

The analyst claims that Prigozhin is currently alive, well, and free, and that Putin is aware of this situation.

Yevgeny Prigozhin Confirmed Dead by Authorities

Wagner leader Yevgeny Prigozhin's death has been officially confirmed by Russian officials following genetic analysis of the bodies recovered from the plane crash. The Investigative Committee (SK) has announced that the identities of all 10 victims, including Prigozhin, have been established and match the names on the flight's passenger list.

The incident involved the crash of Prigozhin's private jet to the northwest of Moscow on August 23, resulting in the deaths of all onboard. The Kremlin has rejected speculation that it was responsible for the crash. The SK is currently conducting an ongoing criminal investigation into the matter.

The committee stated, "Molecular-genetic testing has been completed," and as a result, they have confirmed the identities of all 10 individuals who died, aligning with the flight manifest.

The victims encompass a number of high-ranking members within Wagner, a Russian mercenary group founded by Prigozhin that has been engaged in military operations in Ukraine, Syria, and various parts of Africa. Among them was Dmitry Utkin, who managed Wagner's military undertakings. 

The plane crash occurred two months after Prigozhin led a Wagner mutiny against the Russian armed forces. This mutiny resulted in the takeover of the southern city of Rostov and posed a threat of a march towards Moscow.

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