Putin missing plane claim explored in wake of Wagner uprising

In a shocking turn of events amidst the Wagner uprising, several publications like Business Insider are now claiming that Russian President Vladimir Putin's plane disappeared from the flight radar after it took off from Moscow on Saturday and made its way towards St. Petersburg.

As per the reports, the Russian President's plane left Moscow around 2:15 pm. Several reports recently emerged on social media, claiming that the Russian President might have fled the city due to the ongoing feud between Wagner, the private army, and the Russian military forces.

However, the Kremlin has denied claims of the President fleeing.

It is also being reported that the aircraft which took off was the Russian government’s Il-96−300PU aircraft, one that Putin regularly uses for his travels.

While there is no official confirmation about where the plane is, several Russian and Ukrainian publications have claimed that another Russian special forces plane has landed in St. Petersburg. However, it is not confirmed if this is Putin’s plane.

On the other hand, Ukrainska Pravda, a Ukrainian media house, has claimed that Putin has been taken to Valdai.

However, it must be noted that none of the above claims have been confirmed by the Russian Government, and have also been denied by the Kremlin.

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Claims of Putin fleeing from Moscow spread just after the Wagner chief raised forces against the Russian President

The recent claims of the Russian President fleeing Moscow and his plane going off the radar came just after a private military company, Wagner, released a bunch of audio clips on Telegram, accusing the Russian military of killing their forces.

In the audio clips, Wagner ordered the troops to head to Moscow for “revenge.” However, the chief of Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, called off the mission midway, as he wanted to avoid Russians shedding their blood. Prigozhin also claimed that Putin’s Defense Minister ordered a missile attack on his military camp, killing a vast number of his fighters.

However, the Kremlin has denied any such attack and called the claims of the private army “false.” Furthermore, the Russian President also addressed the Wagner Chief’s actions and called it a “stab in the back.”

Founded in 2014, The Wagner Group is also known as the PMC Wagner Group in Russia. Being a paramilitary organization, it is a well-known private army led by Yevgeny Prigozhin.