The presumed death of Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin this week is expected to destabilize the mercenary fighting company, the U.K. Defense Ministry said Friday.
In an intelligence update, British officials said Prigozhin likely died in the fiery plane crash in Russia this week and his death “would almost certainly have a deeply destabilising effect on the Wagner Group.”
“His personal attributes of hyper-activity, exceptional audacity, a drive for results and extreme brutality permeated Wagner and are unlikely to be matched by any successor,” the update reads.
The plane crash is also believed to have killed the private military company’s co-founder and field commander, Dmitry Utkin, who was often viewed as a leader of the organization.
Absent the two men who had glued the company together, it’s possible Wagner will soon get absorbed into Russia’s military, merge with other mercenary companies or diminish over time.
The death of the top two commanders also puts in peril Wagner’s global operations, particularly in Africa, where it has exploited resources from developing countries.
It’s unclear what Wagner fighters are planning to do in the short-term to recover, but on Telegram, Wagner-affiliated accounts said they are waiting on top officers to release more information and a statement on the next steps.
After Prigozhin launched a failed rebellion against Russian President Vladimir Putin in June, many Wagner fighters moved to Belarus as part of a deal Prigozhin had reached to escape terrorism charges.
Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko said Friday that Wagner fighters are not leaving his country, according to Russian state-run media outlet RIA Novosti.
“Within a few days, everyone will be here, up to 10,000 people,” Lukashenko said. “As long as we need this unit, they will live and work with us.”
Both Prigozhin and Utkin were listed as passengers on a business jet that crashed about 100 miles from Moscow on Wednesday.
There has been no other confirmation of their deaths. Russian officials are still investigating the crash.
The Pentagon said Thursday that U.S. officials estimate Prigozhin likely died but did not comment on the cause of the crash.