Russia confirms death of Wagner leader in plane crash

Russian investigators said on Sunday that genetic tests had confirmed that Yevgeny Prigozhin, head of the wagner mercenary group He was among the 10 people killed in the plane crash last week.

The Russian aviation agency had previously published the names of the 10 people on board the private jet that crashed in the Tver region northwest of Moscow on Wednesday. Among them were Prigozhin and Dmitry Utkin, his right-hand man who helped found the Wagner group.

“In the framework of the investigation of the plane crash in the Tver region, genetic-molecular examinations have been completed”the Russian Investigative Committee said in a statement on the Telegram messaging app.

“According to their results, the identity of the 10 deceased was established. Correspond to the list on the flight sheet”, he added.

There had been speculation, especially on pro-Wagner Telegram channels, as to whether Prigozhin – known for taking various security precautions in anticipation of a possible attempt on his life – had actually been on the crashed flight.

The authorities have not yet ruled on the cause of the fall of his private plane.

The accident occurred two months after Prigozhin and his Wagner mercenaries staged a mutiny against Russian military commanders in which they seized control of a southern city, Rostov, and advanced on Moscow before turning back 200 kilometers away. the capital.

Russian President Vladimir Putin described the June 23-24 riot as a treacherous “stabbed in the back” but later he met with Prigozhin in the Kremlin. On Thursday he sent his condolences to the families of those presumed killed in the accident.

Western politicians and commentators have suggested, without presenting evidence, that Putin ordered Prigozhin’s death as punishment for the riot, which also represented the biggest challenge to Putin’s own government since he came to power in 1999.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Friday that such suggestions were “an absolute lie”. Asked if Putin would be able to attend Prigozhin’s funeral, Peskov said it was too early to tell, also pointing to the “busy schedule” of the president.

Source: Reuters