Russian President Vladimir Putin has finally spoken out about the presumed death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner Group militia. Putin offered condolences for the loss of lives in the tragic plane crash that occurred on Wednesday, and praised Prigozhin as a talented businessman. The President made these remarks during a televised interview with Denis Pushilin, the installed leader of Ukraine’s partially occupied Donetsk region.
The plane crash happened exactly two months after Prigozhin led a mutiny against Putin, leading a group of mercenaries towards Moscow with the demand that Russia’s defense minister resign. Putin has promised that there will be consequences for Prigozhin’s actions, despite their once close alliance.
The downed aircraft had ten people on board and was en route from Moscow to St. Petersburg when it crashed in Kuzhenkino, a small town located about 300 kilometers northwest of Moscow. Among the passengers were six of Prigozhin’s Wagner lieutenants, including Dmitry Utkin, who was considered the mastermind of the group. In addition to the Wagner members, there were also three flight crew members on board.
Although anonymous sources from the Wagner Group claim that Prigozhin is dead, there has been no official confirmation yet. Russian authorities are investigating the crash and sifting through the wreckage to determine the cause. Unfortunately, the remains of the victims are reportedly too burned or disfigured to be identified without DNA testing.
Videos of the crash show the plane spiraling towards the ground with smoke trailing from it. Witnesses have described how the jet exploded in the sky and fell to the earth. Two U.S. officials speaking anonymously believe that a surface-to-air missile within Russia could have potentially shot down the aircraft.
Putin has stated that it’s important to await the results of the investigation, which he believes will take some time. Prigozhin, who was listed as a passenger on the jet, has a long history with Putin dating back to the 1990s. He became an oligarch in Russia, earning his fortune through catering contracts with the government. Despite being known as “Putin’s chef,” Prigozhin had a shadowy reputation and was an increasingly vocal critic of Putin in recent months.
Other Wagner leaders on the flight included Valery Chekalov, who was described as Wagner’s logistics mastermind, as well as Yevgeny Makaryan, who had links to activities in Syria. There were also three others, Alexander Totmin, Sergei Propustin, and Nikolai Matuseiev, about whom little is known.
The investigation into the crash is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.
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