By
he Pentagon has denied reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the alleged head of the Wagner Group, was killed in a missile strike in Syria.
The reports, which first surfaced on social media, claimed that Prigozhin was killed in a strike on a Wagner base in Syria on Saturday. However, the Pentagon said that it has “no evidence” to support these claims.
“We have no information to corroborate reports that Yevgeny Prigozhin was killed in Syria,” Pentagon spokesperson John Kirby said in a statement.
Prigozhin is a Russian businessman who is believed to be the founder of the Wagner Group, a private military company that has been accused of carrying out operations in Syria, Libya, and the Central African Republic. He is also a close ally of Russian President Vladimir Putin.
The reports of Prigozhin’s death came amid a wave of attacks on Russian targets in Syria. On Saturday, a Russian military base in Syria was hit by a suspected Israeli airstrike, killing at least 17 people.
The Pentagon said that it is “aware” of the attacks on Russian targets in Syria, but it declined to comment further.
The denial by the Pentagon does not necessarily mean that Prigozhin is not dead. It is possible that the United States does not have all the information about the situation. However, the lack of evidence to support the claims of Prigozhin’s death suggests that they are likely false.
The reports of Prigozhin’s death have been met with skepticism by some experts. Michael Kofman, a Russian military expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, said that he is “highly skeptical” of the reports.
“There is no credible evidence to support these claims,” Kofman said. “It is more likely that this is just disinformation being spread by the Wagner Group or its supporters.”
The denial by the Pentagon and the skepticism of experts suggest that the reports of Prigozhin’s death are likely false. However, the situation remains unclear and it is possible that more information will emerge in the coming days.
