If the Russians did it, some questions come to mind. Why would they send him to Africa, still as the figurehead of Wagner? Instead of keeping him in Belarus, waiting for things to cool down, and then arrest and imprison him? Who benefits from this? In the media, the US is trying to capitalize on the event: "President Biden suggests Putin may be behind the plane crash" says CNN.
I think that the Russian leadership doesn't care that much about the public opinion in the West, but what is the public opinion in Russia? It sounds a bit of a stretch to kill him, sell the story as a Western plot, and send a message to those in the know. While there are other means to neutralize someone like Prigo back home.
And the exact same thing could be said if we think of the West as the perpetrator. The West kills him, sells the story as a Russian plot, and send a message to those in the know to not betray them.
I think that the Russian leadership doesn't care that much about the public opinion in the West, but what is the public opinion in Russia? It sounds a bit of a stretch to kill him, sell the story as a Western plot, and send a message to those in the know. While there are other means to neutralize someone like Prigo back home.
And the exact same thing could be said if we think of the West as the perpetrator. The West kills him, sells the story as a Russian plot, and send a message to those in the know to not betray them.