Putin’s statement is the first official confirmation that the Wagner chief has died. (File Photo)
Russian President Vladimir Putin broke his silence Thursday on the plane crash that killed notorious mercenary boss Yevgeny Prigogine and other senior members of the Wagner paramilitary group.
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In televised comments, Putin described the crash as a “tragedy” and expressed his “deepest condolences to the families of all the victims”. It is known that along with Prigogine, 9 other people aboard the ship also died in the accident.
Putin’s statement is the first official confirmation that the Wagner chief has died. Wednesday evening’s tragedy came two months after Prigozhin staged a coup against Moscow’s top military officials in what some observers described as the biggest threat to Putin’s long rule.
Although Moscow has launched an investigation into violations of air traffic regulations, investigators have remained silent as speculation of a possible assassination has grown.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky insisted that Kiev had nothing to do with the incident. “I think everybody knows who it belongs to,” he said. This seems to be the case with Putin.
Moscow did not initially confirm his death, saying only that Prigozhin, 62, was listed as a passenger on the plane. But when Putin broke his silence on Thursday, he paid a fitting tribute to the mercenary boss and the paramilitary group.
Putin said, “I have known Prigozhin for a long time, since the early 90s. He was a man with a complicated fate and made serious mistakes in life, but he achieved the right results.”
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