Putin regains power with Russian elite after Prigozhin crash

The plane crash that presumably killed Wagner founder Yevgeny Prigozhin restored Vladimir Putin's reputation as Russia's unchallengeable leader for many of the country's elite, even as the cause of the disaster may never be fully established.

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The Wagner leader's demise removes a man who'd courted impunity after leading the mutiny that threatened the Russian president's grip on power. His elimination is a strong stabilizing factor for Putin's regime because it shows that anyone challenging the president comes to a bad end, according to four people close to the authorities, who asked not to be identified because the matter was sensitive.

Many in the Russian elite had been shocked Putin had failed to immediately punish Prigozhin after the June rebellion that he'd denounced as treason. The crash that killed all 10 people on board the private jet travelling from Moscow to St. Petersburg on Wednesday took place exactly two months after the uprising the president said had brought Russia to the brink of "civil war".

"A lively, energetic and ideafilled Prigozhin was undoubtedly a walking issue for the regime, embodying Putin's political humiliation," said Tatiana Stanovaya, the founder of political consultancy R.Politik. "For a significant portion of the politicized, conservative public, Prigozhin's death is a well-deserved outcome."

The ruble traded little changed early Thursday as markets apparently shrugged they wanted to wait for DNA tests to be sure that the Wagner leader was on board the plane.