"Cheap Fantasy": Russia Describes U.S. Newspaper Report on Prigozhin

Today, the Kremlin accused the Wall Street Journal of publishing "cheap fantasy" after the newspaper reported that "the death of the head of the Russian private military group Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, in a plane crash was orchestrated by Russian security official Nikolai Patrushev." The newspaper stated that "Prigozhin's private plane was shot down by placing a small bomb under one of its wings," a report that relied on statements from Western intelligence officials and a former Russian intelligence officer. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said he had seen the story but would not comment on it, further stating: "Recently, unfortunately, the Wall Street Journal has become fond of producing cheap fantasy." Prigozhin, whose Wagner group fought in Ukraine, was in conflict with Russia's official defense establishment, which escalated into direct rebellion in late June, but Moscow suppressed it. This rebellion was widely regarded as a direct challenge to President Vladimir Putin, who has held power in the country for nearly a quarter of a century.