U.S. President Donald Trump’s continued capitulation to Russian President Vladimir Putin proves more and more precarious as time goes on. Civilian opponents to the longtime Russian leader keep turning up dead.
Early this week in the Central African Republic, three Russian journalists out on an assignment to investigate Putin-linked privately employed soldiers were attacked by unknown assailants and killed. Orhan Dzhemal, Alexander Rastorguyev, and Kirill Radchenko worked for the “Investigation Control Centre,” otherwise known as TsUR, which is funded by prominent Putin opponent Mikhail Khodorkovsky.
The individuals were attempting to look into the activities of the Wagner Group, an entity owned by Russian oligarch Yevgeny Prigozhin. He’s the same man who’s behind the infamous “Internet Research Agency” that carried out online disinformation campaigns during the lead-up to the 2016 U.S. elections.
In the past, the Wagner Group has even run into the U.S. itself while in Syria. Earlier this year, soldiers-for-hire with the organization were attacking an area held by U.S. backed rebel forces while U.S. advisers were on the premises. The U.S. soldiers ended up calling in an airstrike to defend themselves and their position that concluded the situation with a number of Russian casualties and no losses among the Americans.
The Wagner Group first went to Syria a couple of years ago, CBS reports, and they eventually agreed to go after oil and gas fields in rebel-held areas of the country on behalf of the Assad dictatorship. Prigozhin “stands to get” a cut of the profits raked in by the Syrian government via the taken over natural resources, the outlet explains.
This year, the Wagner Group is reported to have moved into the Central African Republic after the Russian government delivered weapons to local authorities. The Russian government continuously denies having a part in the activities of the paramilitary organization, but questions persist. Someone — it remains unclear who — ensured that the three aforementioned journalists who were in the Central African Republic would find no answers.
The journalists’ driver survived, only further heightening the possibility that, in a country already ravaged by violence, the shooters — whoever they were — specifically targeted the journalists.
Henri Depele, mayor of the local town of Sibut, relayed the driver’s story, commenting:
‘According to the driver’s explanations, when they were 23 km (14 miles) from Sibut… armed men emerged from the bush and opened fire on the vehicle. The three journalists died instantly.’
Ironically, a Fox News host of all people confronted Putin to his face recently about the rash of incidents consisting of his opponents ending up dead.
During a recent interview, Wallace pressed Putin about the subject, asking:
‘Former Russian spy and double-agent Sergei Skripal, the victim of a nerve agent attack in England. Boris Nemtsov, a political opponent, gunned down near the Kremlin. Investigative reporter Anna Politkovskaya, murdered in an apartment building. Why is it that so many people who were political enemies of Vladimir Putin are attacked?’
After Putin attempted to dismiss the question, Wallace pressed him again. The Russian leader replied:
‘Haven’t Presidents been killed in the United States?… and what happens to the clashes between police and, well, civil society, and some — several ethnic groups? Well, that’s something that happens on the U.S. soil. All of us have our own set of domestic problems.’
While Putin continues to attribute the growing list of conspicuous deaths to random crimes, Trump continues his pro-Putin campaign in the United States and around the world.
Featured Image via YouTube screenshot
