Wagner boss
Russian authorities officially confirm the death of Yevgeny Prigozhin
Russia, Moscow: A portrait of Yevgeny Prigozhin stands at an informal memorial near the Kremlin.
© Alexander Zemlianichenko / DPA
Four days after a private plane crashed in Russia, the death of mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin was confirmed by DNA tests, according to Russian investigators.
Russian authorities have officially confirmed the death of the head of the Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin. The Tass agency reported this on Sunday, citing the State Investigative Committee. After identifying all ten victims of a plane crash, it is clear that Prigozhin is one of them.
“As part of the clarification of the plane crash in the Tver region, a molecular-genetic expertise was carried out,” the investigative committee said. “According to their results, the identity of all ten dead has been established. It corresponds to the published passenger list.”
Wagner commanders dead
After the plane crash, news of Prigozhin’s death was based primarily on the fact that his name was on the airline’s list. The military leader of the mercenary troupe, the ex-secret service officer Dmitry Utkin, and other leading figures of Wagner were also killed.
The cause of the crash is not officially clear. However, large parts of the Russian public and Western governments assume that the private jet was deliberately brought down. Two months earlier, in June, Priogoshin had instigated a mutiny against the Russian military and state leadership. President Vladimir Putin called him a traitor at the time.
After the first news about Prigozhin’s death, Putin spoke of a talented man who made serious mistakes. An involvement of the Kremlin in the crash was denied.
Prigozhin was popular with many Russians because of his criticism of corruption and the inability of the military leadership in the aggressive war against Ukraine. The Wagner mercenaries fought in the Ukraine, but also in Syria and in many African countries.