The mysterious deaths of Yevgeny Prigozhin and other leaders of Russia’s Wagner paramilitary group—which mounted a short-lived challenge to the Kremlin in June—reflect deepening fractures in Moscow’s ruling elite as the country’s bloodiest war in generations drags on.
The conflict, unleashed by President Vladimir Putin 18 months ago in expectation of a quick and decisive victory, has instead been marked by a series of Russian military setbacks including an inability to stop embarrassing Ukrainian strikes on the Russian capital and other cities.