Yevgeny Prigozhin crossed Putin's red lines with short-lived Wagner revolt

Emergency specialists work near wreckages of the private jet linked to Wagner mercenary chief Yevgeny Prigozhin is seen near the crash site in the Tver region, Russia, August 24, 2023. REUTERS/Marina Lystseva

LONDON (Reuters) - He dared to challenge the authority of Vladimir Putin. Two months later, he was dead.

Yevgeny Prigozhin, who Russian authorities said was killed in a plane crash north of Moscow on Wednesday, led his Wagner private army out of the shadows and on to the frontlines of Russia's war in Ukraine, before overplaying his hand in a risky power struggle with the military establishment.