Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Thursday that “shrapnel” had been found in the bodies of victims of Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane crash in August, refuting the theory of a missile attack.
Published on: May 10, 2023 – 8:50 p.m. Modified on: May 10, 2023 – 9:23 p.m
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“Pomegranate pieces.” With these words on Thursday, October 5, Vladimir Putin refuted the theory of an external cause for the crash of the private jet carrying Wagner boss Yevgeny Prigoyine in Russia on August 23.
“The head of the investigative committee reported to me a few days ago. Shell fragments were found in the bodies of the victims of the air disaster. There were no external influences on the “aircraft,” said Vladimir Putin at the international Valdai Forum in Russia.
The Russian president did not provide any information about how one or more grenades could have exploded on board the plane. However, he ruled that, given the quantities of cocaine previously discovered at Wagner’s premises in St. Petersburg, investigators would have acted wrongly if they did not conduct alcohol and drug tests on the victims’ bodies.
The private jet flying from Moscow to Saint Petersburg crashed north of the Russian capital, killing its 10 occupants. In addition to Evgeni Prigozhin, two other Wagner executives, four bodyguards and three crew members were on board.
The plane’s mid-air explosion occurred exactly two months after Wagner’s brief mutiny against Russian military leaders, who blamed Yevgeny Prigozhin for the conduct of the war in Ukraine. This show of force was widely seen as an unprecedented challenge to Vladimir Putin’s power.
Also read: Death of Prigozhin, demonstration of force or admission of weakness for Putin?
After Yevgeny Prigozhin’s plane crashed, US officials anonymously expressed their belief that the plane had been shot down by a missile.
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.
With AFP and Portal
