The Kremlin said on Friday it was rumored that the Russian government had ordered the assassination of the leader of the Wagner paramilitary group, Yevgueni Prigozhin, who was killed in a plane crash.
“There is a lot of speculation about the plane crash and the tragic death of the passengers, including Yevgeny Prigozhin (…) All this is an absolute lie”Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.
“It is clear that this speculation in the West is presented from a certain angle. This is all an absolute lie. This issue needs to be addressed based on the data.”he repeated.
According to Peskov, the investigation is still ongoing. On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin said he was “waiting for the results,” he recalled.
The crash of the plane carrying Prigozhin took place exactly two months after the mutiny of the Wagner group against the Russian military leadership.
The mutiny took place on June 23 and 24, when Prigozhin occupied the Russian military command in the southwestern Russian city of Rostov-on-Don and ordered a column of mercenaries to advance on Moscow.
The column turned back when it was 200 kilometers from the Russian capital, following an agreement allegedly brokered by Belarus.
On the way, the mercenaries got involved in clashes with the security forces, shooting down half a dozen helicopters, which resulted in the death of about two dozen elements of the Moscow Armed Forces.
At the time, Prigozhin demanded the resignation of Defense Minister Serguei Shoigu and Chief of Staff Valery Gerasimov, whom he accused of ordering an attack on the Wagner group army and of incompetence in the war against Ukraine.
Russian authorities said Prigozhin, Utkin and Chekalov were on the passenger list of the plane that crashed for unknown reasons during a flight between Moscow and St Petersburg, where the headquarters of the Wagner Group is located.
All ten people on board the private jet were killed in the crash, authorities said. They announced an investigation into the circumstances under which the plane crashed.
Russian President Vladimir Putin sent a message of condolence to Prigozhin’s family on Thursday, saying the former ally was “a talented man who made some mistakes”.
Founded in 2014 and present in African countries and the Middle East, the Wagner Group stood out in Russia’s war against Ukraine, starring in some of the bloodiest battles since the February 24, 2022 invasion.
Source: DN
