Image: Candian Press / Pieces of jet that may have been carrying Yevgeny Prigozhin
One Man's Opinion

COLLINS: The biggest conspiracy theory of the year

Aug 25, 2023 | 5:15 AM

Finally: A new conspiracy theory that Trumps the Donald! (sorry, had to say it.)

For the past couple of years, the big conspiracy theories centered around Trump’s garbage about the 2020 election being stolen from him. Did Trump and his cronies commit criminal acts to try and change election results in his favor? Apparently Americans are split on how they feel. Will we ever reałly find out, especially if Trump gets re-elected?

But this week’s conspiracy theory won’t likely result in the same result. Who downed the plane that allegedly killed the head of the Wagner group of mercenary soldiers fighting for Russia.

Yevgeny Prigozhin’s name was on the passenger manifest of a plane that fell out of the sky Wednesday, killing all aboard. How many of you think that Russian President Vladimir Putin had something to do with it? Most of you? Thought so. No one would be surprised if that were true. We may never know.

There are many questions and few answers. It appears some sort of explosion, or maybe even rocket fire, caused the wing to break off, and the plane went down like a rock and crashed, bursting into flames, disfiguring the victims’ bodies so badly, it may take DNA records to find them.

At this writing, there is no proof that Prigozhin was actually on the plane. Why would he be on the same plane as his #2 man and other top lieutenants? That’s against all the rules. Just ask any of the top mystery writers.

Will Russia even conduct proper DNA testing? And how will we know for sure? And isn’t it interesting this all took place only a day after Russia fired the chief of its air force, a man known to be friends with the Wagner boss? And the questions continue.

Is Putin getting revenge on Prigozhin for the short-lived rebellion in June? Considering that this is not the first time Putin’s motives have been questioned, would it surprise you if it were true.

Putin definitely let Prigozhin gain too much control, and he may well have determined this was all necessary in order to better establish his power base, which he certainly has done. Prigozhin and his mercenaries were ruthless. Now those soldiers will be part of the regular Russian army.

They won’t be nearly as effective, but Putin may have been willing to sacrifice that to continue his reign, which has lasted for 23 years.

Even in America, where there is much more transparency, Donald Trump may still beat the odds and get away unscathed. But in Russia, where one man controls the power, the truth may never emerge.

One thing for sure, writers like David Baldacci, Brad Thor, Jo Nesbo and others will have a field day putting best-sellers together based on this theory.

I’m Doug Collins and that’s One Man’s Opinion.

Editor’s Note: This opinion piece reflects the views of its author, and does not necessarily represent the views of CFJC Today or Pattison Media.