The gist According to Russian President Vladimir Putin, “pieces of grenades” were found in the bodies of the victims of the plane crash of Yevgeny Prigozhin, who died last August.
Russian President Vladimir Putin said Thursday that “grenade parts” that “did not suffer any external impact” were found in the bodies of victims of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane crash in August.
“The head of the investigative committee reported to me a few days ago. Fragments of grenades were found in the bodies of the victims of the air disaster. There were no external influences on the “plane,” said Vladimir Putin at the international forum in Valdai, Russia.
The head of the paramilitary group Wagner died on August 23 when his private jet carrying him and some of his lieutenants from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed. Yevgeny Prigozhin had fallen from grace and was viewed as a traitor by Russian President Vladimir Putin for staging a mutiny on June 23.
Revenge of the Kremlin?
Ukraine and the West suspect revenge from the Kremlin, a theory Moscow rejects. Russian investigators have not said whether they support the possibility of an assassination attempt, a technical problem or human error, and the only investigation launched so far involves violations of aviation safety rules.
After Wagner’s uprising, Vladimir Putin gave Yevgeny Prigozhin’s fighters the choice of joining the regular army, going into exile in Belarus, or returning to civilian life. According to Vladimir Putin, “several thousand fighters” from Wagner have signed employment contracts with the Defense Ministry.