Notorious warlord Yevgeny Prigozhin has been confirmed dead after genetic analysis of bodies found in Wednesday’s plane crash, Russian officials have said.
The Wagner paramilitary group founder, who led an unsuccessful coup against the Kremlin two months ago was among the 10 victims whose identities had been established, according to the Investigative Committee, main federal investigating authority in Russia.Prigozhin’s private jet came down north-west of Moscow on August 23, killing all those on board. The Kremlin has denied speculation it was to blame for the crash.
“According to their results, the identities of all 10 victims were established, they correspond to the list stated in the flight list.”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Friday described the incident as “tragic”, calling rumours of possible foul play an “absolute lie”. Russian officials opened an investigation into air traffic violations after the crash but have otherwise not disclosed details about the possible cause.
Military analyst Sean Bell said he was speculative about trusting the investigative board, which could have pre-emptively drawn conclusions on the instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin.“The trouble is, is that it’s a Kremlin-sponsored investigation, it’s widely believed that the Kremlin was responsible for downing the aircraft, so we have to be a little bit sceptical about the process that is being followed here,” he told Sky News.
Prigozhin, 62, was killed two months after he mounted a daylong mutiny against Russia’s military that Putin decried as “treason.” The Kremlin cut a deal with Prigozhin to end the armed revolt that allowed him to walk free without any charges levied against him.Prigozhin’s private jet, an Embraer Legacy that he had recently used to travel between Moscow, Belarus, his hometown of St Petersburg, and to parts of Africa where Wagner operates, crashed in the Tver region north-west of Moscow.
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