Aug. 27 (UPI) — Russian investigators confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the former head of the private military company Wagner Group, through genetic testing on Sunday.
The statement, released by the Main Investigation Department of the Investigative Committee of Russia, comes after speculation about Prigozhin’s death in a plane crash.
“Molecular genetic examinations have been completed as part of the investigation into the plane crash in the Tver region. The results confirm the identities of all 10 deceased individuals, who match the list provided in the flight sheet,” the concise statement explains.
Although Prigozhin is not explicitly mentioned in the statement, Russian authorities had previously announced that his name appeared on the flight manifest.
Prigozhin’s demise marks the end of a months-long saga that began in late June, when the mercenary leader staged an armed rebellion against Russia’s military leadership over their handling of President Vladimir Putin’s war in Ukraine.
Ultimately, the Wagner mercenaries turned back before reaching Moscow, thanks to Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko’s intervention. Lukashenko, a longstanding friend of both Putin and Prigozhin, brokered a deal offering refuge to Prigozhin and his employees in Belarus.
Although the coup did not reach Moscow, it caused significant embarrassment to Putin and his struggling war effort. Russia promptly blocked Wagner Group accounts on social media platforms, attempting to suppress further rebellions.
Prigozhin himself disappeared from public view, and there were conflicting accounts of his whereabouts. A Russian poll revealed that public opinion of Prigozhin soured following the rebellion, and military leaders closely associated with him were also removed from their positions.
However, Prigozhin’s fighters arrived in Belarus shortly after the rebellion and were expected to provide training to the country’s Armed Forces. Belarus has shared footage allegedly showing Wagner instructors training Belarusian troops near Asipovichy in Mogilev Oblast, Belarus.
The cause of the crash that claimed Prigozhin’s life remains unclear, but it is known that Putin has used poison and other methods to silence his critics in the past.
