Putin's Controversial Theory: Mercenaries, Cocaine, and Grenades in Prigozhin Plane Crash

Russian President Vladimir Putin has faced backlash after suggesting that Yevgeny Prigozhin, the boss of private military company Wagner, and his associates were high on cocaine and killed themselves by detonating hand grenades aboard their jet. Putin's claims were met with incredulity, deepening the belief that Prigozhin was assassinated. Supporters of Prigozhin produced an AI-generated video of him posthumously mocking Putin. The explosion that killed Prigozhin and others was initially suspected to be an internal detonation, and allegations have been made that Putin was behind the attack. A Russian investigation is ongoing, but no findings have been released yet. Prigozhin's rebellion in June marked a significant challenge to Putin's rule.