Intentional Explosion Brought Down Prigozhin’s Plane

WASHINGTON (AP) — A preliminary U.S. intelligence assessment concluded that an intentional explosion caused the plane crash presumed to have killed a Russian mercenary leader. Yevgeny Prigozhin was eulogized Thursday by Vladimir Putin, even as suspicions grew that the Russian president was the architect of the assassination. One of the U.S. and Western officials who described the initial assessment said it determined that Prigozhin was “very likely” targeted and that the explosion falls in line with Putin’s history of trying to silence his critics. The officials did not offer any details about what caused the explosion. Several of Prigozhin’s lieutenants were also presumed dead.