Russian investigators have officially confirmed the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin, the leader of the Wagner mercenary group, in a plane crash that occurred last Wednesday. The confirmation came after genetic tests were conducted to verify the identity of the deceased.
Prigozhin’s name was listed among the passengers on the flight manifest of a private jet that crashed in Russia’s Tver region during a journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg.
Following the crash, Wagner sympathizers held onto hope that Prigozhin might have survived. However, Russia’s Investigative Committee released a statement on Sunday via the Telegram messaging service, announcing that the identities of all passengers had been conclusively established through “molecular-genetic examinations.”
Once known as “Putin’s chef” for his role as a catering executive serving the Kremlin, Prigozhin’s relationship with the Russian government soured due to its handling of the conflict in Ukraine. Prigozhin’s brief capture of Rostov-on-Don in southern Russia and his march towards Moscow prompted President Vladimir Putin to accuse him of “treason.”
Despite Putin expressing condolences to Prigozhin’s family, speculation abounds regarding the Russian government’s potential involvement in his death. While U.S. officials indicated that there was no evidence of a missile strike, they didn’t rule out the possibility of a bomb detonation on board the ill-fated flight.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denied any involvement of Kyiv in the crash. In the midst of these developments, Russia launched new air attacks on northern and central Ukraine, resulting in injuries and damage reported in the Kyiv region.
Additionally, Russia’s defense ministry announced the downing of two drones along the Ukraine border, in the Bryansk and Kursk regions, although no information about casualties or damage was provided.
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