Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of Wagner boss Prigozhin. A DNA analysis brought certainty about the identity of the ten dead in the plane crash on Wednesday. The cause of the crash remains unclear.
Four days after the crash of the plane in which, according to the passenger list, Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin was said to have been, the identification of the victims has been completed. The Russian Investigative Committee confirmed that Prigozhin died in the crash. This was the result of the analysis of the DNA tests.
“The molecular genetic tests in the criminal case over the plane crash in the Tver region have been completed,” spokeswoman Svetlana Petrenko said. “After evaluating the results, the identities of all ten dead were determined, they correspond to the list given in the leaflet.”
The ten dead are said to be seven passengers and three crew members. Accordingly, Prigozhin’s deputy Dmitri Utkin, Valeri Chekalov, who was responsible for logistics, and other high-ranking Wagner commanders also died.
Cause of crash still unclear
At first there had been a lot of speculation as to whether Prigozhin was actually among the dead. Rumors were circulating on social networks that he might have fled abroad. Probably also because the identification of the crash victims had dragged on for several days. According to Russian media reports, the corpses were burned and severely mutilated, so they had to be taken to Moscow for identification.
However, the cause of the crash has not yet been clarified. The plane’s black box was secured on Friday. “The flight recorders were found by the investigators, and evidence was continued at the scene of the accident,” said Petrenko. “Objects and documents that are important for clarifying all the circumstances of the flight accident are also being collected. The investigation will carefully examine all possible versions of the incident.”
The probable cause is currently an explosion on board – possibly caused by an explosive device. According to experts, this theory is supported by the condition of the wreckage and also by the fact that the machine fell almost vertically from the sky with a column of smoke without first making an emergency call.
Kremlin denies involvement
Putin’s spokesman Dmitry Peskov had denied speculation that the Kremlin could be involved in the plane crash. “All of this is an absolute lie. And when it comes to reporting, it is of course necessary to concentrate exclusively on facts. There are still a few facts, as they still have to be clarified as part of the ongoing investigations,” said Peskow. “On this issue, the President said yesterday that he is awaiting the results of the investigation, which will be completed in the foreseeable future, and we will know the details.”
The plane crash happened exactly two months after the Wagner troop uprising. After Putin had initially spoken of traitors who would have to be severely punished, the surprising turn of events came a day later: the Kremlin chief had offered Prigozhin impunity if he went into exile in Belarus. Nevertheless, many Western observers had assumed that the Kremlin could get rid of the disgraced Prigozhin.